And he didn't leave to play in California next year. (Wikimedia Commons | Sector001)

It’s the only thing about the Cards’ season that was stranger than Kyle Lohse becoming a solid starter.

It’s a squirrel.

The card commemorates Game 4 of the National League Division Series, when a bushy-tailed rodent scampered in front of the hitter, Cardinals’ utilityman Skip Schumaker, just before a pitch. Umpire Angel Hernandez called it a ball, and Phillies pitcher Roy Oswalt and manager Charlie Manuel argued, because everyone knows that a squirrel on the field means an automatic timeout, right?

Anyway, the so-called ‘Rally Squirrel’ became a folk hero in St. Louis (Twitter account here; 27,000 followers) and the most famous baseball-adjacent small mammal since David Eckstein.

With Squirrel Appreciation Day just past and Groundhog Day already upon us, we thought it was a good time to salute Rally Squirrel and take a look at some other notable baseball rodents.

Unless otherwise linked, all nickname information is from the Don Zminda’s “From Abba Dabba to Zorro: The World of Baseball Nicknames.”

Orval Overall had a 2.23 career ERA. (Wikimedia Commons | EIC)

1) Roy Sievers, ‘Squirrel’

Slow, slugging former Senators’ great supposedly got this nickname as a basketball player in high school because he “(hung) around the basket like a squirrel around a tree.” Though a citation eludes me, I believe he supped on nuts, seeds and cones throughout the spring as well, hoarding and burying food so that he might revisit his caches years later.

2) Orval Overall, ‘The Big Groundhog’

Early 20^th century Cubs’ pitcher got this nickname because he was an agriculture student. Also: had a dense grey undercoat and digging claws. Alas, groundhogs may now be emerging earlier due to global warming, to their detriment—even worse than if Orval had reported for Spring Training in the middle of a Chicago blizzard (tip goes to Miles Grant for that tidbit as well as parts of this post).

3) Billy Shipke, ‘Muskrat Bill’

Old timer was almost my height/weight twin, and nobody knows what made him muskrat-like. Perhaps his well-adapted swimming tail. Though even that would probably not have helped him escape calamities like the Kalamazoo River oil spill.

Pictured: Billy Shipke during Spring Training. (flickr via Wikimedia Commons | Linda Tanner)

4) Cliff Melton, ‘Mickey Mouse’

Former New York Giant was born 100 years ago last month and had big ears. I’m surprised there aren’t more nicknames in this vein.

5) Whitey Herzog, ‘The White Rat’

Famous buzzcut Hall of Fame manager got this name for his extremely light blond hair. It’s also possible that his distinctly rat-like empathy contributed to his ability to rally a ballclub.

6) Gary Gaetti, ‘The Rat’

Slugging third-baseman got his Muroidean moniker for obvious reasons. And by that, I meant that he was omnivorous and a good burrower. What did you think I meant?

7) Don Zimmer, ‘The Gerbil’

Submitted without comment.

Honorable mentions go to to ‘Bunny’ Anthony Brief and Rabbit Maranville since rabbits aren’t true rodents but are often confused as such and often referred to together as members of the same ‘superclass.’

To learn more about squirrels, check out this blog post or the red squirrel page in our Wildlife Library.  You can find tips for sending your kids to ‘Squirrel School’ at Big Backyard.

Did I miss anyone? Tweet which of these baseball rodents (including Rally Squirrel) is your favorite using the hashtag #baseballrodents.

Here are five ways you can celebrate Squirrel Appreciation Day.

1.) Share your Squirrel Story: If you have a blog, Facebook profile or have access to human contact on a regular basis, I think a good way to appreciate these little rascals is to share your squirrel story. If you do decide to share your story online, please consider linking to this post or doing a shout-out so we can share the stories. If you don’t have a blog, leave your story in a comment! If you hate online and just happen to have stumbled onto this post, talk to the person next to you and regal a tale you have squirreled away.

2.) Upload Squirrel Pictures: The National Wildlife Federation’s Pinterest has a board for Squirrel Appreciation Day and so post your photos to our Facebook Wall or use #squirrelday on Twitter and Pinterest and we’ll collect them!

3) Share Squirrel quotes or facts and use hashtag #squirrelday:

Sample Quotes:

• TV Show Quote: “You can’t make friends with a squirrel. Squirrels are just rats with cuter outfits.” – Carrie in Sex and the City
• Book:  “Rarely does one see a squirrel tremble.” ― Zadie Smith, On Beauty #squirrelday
• Movie:  “Hi there! My name is Dug! My master made me this collar so I may speak… “SQUIRREL!” Dug from Up
• Fact: “There are around 280 different species of squirrel.”
• Fact: “The word “squirrel” comes from the Greek word skiouros, which means shadow-tailed.”

4) Follow Some  Squirrels on Twitter

1. Common_Squirrel – Bio: run run run.
2. Conan’s Squirrel-  Bio: The voice of the squirrels. You’re welcome, squirrels.
3. Busch Squirrel -Bio: aka the rally squirrel; the one and only Busch Stadium squirrel. Rally Squirrel T-shirts
4. Mensa Squirrel- I’m smart, fast, and cute. But my memory’s not so good.
5. Cheecker – Hi friends! I’m Cheecker. I’m here to teach you how to get outdoors and discover the forest.

5) Check out some of these other articles:

• Celebrate Squirrel Appreciation Day
• 7 Ways to Celebrate National Squirrel Appreciation Day
• 6 Ways to Celebrate Squirrel Appreciation Day
• Huffington Post’s Squirrel Appreciation Day (Photos)