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Cardinals send rookies on a pre-game Wrigleyville coffee run

No, those weren't diehard St. Louis Cardinals fans who walked into a Starbucks near Wrigley Field in full uniform Tuesday. Those were actual members of the St. Louis Cardinals sent on a coffee run in their baseball gear.

Why? Because they're rookies, of course. Let's scope it out, thanks to these photos from Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

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The players in question are Marcus Hatley, Miguel Socolovich and Mitch Harris. Assistant bullpen catcher Kleininger Teran was sent with them. It was a good day for a Starbucks run, since the Cardinals and Cubs are playing two Tuesday. Goold writes that veteran Mark Reynolds was most likely the organizer and explains the scene in the St. Louis clubhouse:

Hatley went around the clubhouse taking orders, though it was not his idea to then get in full uniform before making the trek across the street.

"It was recommended," Hatley explained.

All teams have some form of rookie ... orientation? The Cardinals, like many teams, have had the rookies dress up in costumes. During a recent year they all donned cheerleader outfits for a flight. In Philadelphia a few years ago they had to walk, in costume, down the block to the team's hotel, where the team bus had let the veterans off. This was an impromptu bit of hazing, and it came with a caffeinated beverage of their choice.

We've seen the rookie coffee run happen with other teams in Chicago too. The Starbucks outside Wrigley is pretty close, itching for a veteran to send a rookie off for a Venti something-or-other. Joc Pederson has actually done it twice. He was sent out last September by the Los Angeles Dodgers, then they sent him again this season.

Credit to Chicagoans, nobody threw anything at the Cardinals. They're rivals, you know, and the Cards have beaten the Cubs eight times in 10 games this season, including Monday night's 6-0 result.

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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!