Next up in 5<\/span> ST PAUL, Minn. \u2014 They may call themselves the Saints, but it\u2019s not every day that St. Paul\u2019s minor league baseball team actually performs a miracle. Boyd Huppert is always looking for great stories to share in the Land of 10,000 Stories! Send us your suggestions by filling out this form.<\/em><\/em>
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\u201cI’m just lucky, really lucky, to be around,\u201d Rob Warhol says from his seat in the left field stands.
Rob wasn’t looking for divine intervention when he arrived three months ago for his usual Friday night ballgame.
He was simply looking to feed his lifelong passion.
\u201cWell, that’s the team,\u201d Rob says holding up a University of Minnesota baseball photo.
\u201c1970 Big Ten champion team,\u201d he continues.
Rob points to the third baseman in the back row. \u201cThat\u2019s me,\u201d he says.
Playing for the Golden Gophers \u2013 on a championship team – was the pinnacle for a boy from Richfield who practically grew up on a baseball diamond.
\u201cRight there,\u201d Rob says as points to himself in a montage of players. \u201cThe fearsome batter,\u201d he laughs.
Scouted to play in the minor leagues, Rob instead traded his uniform for a tie and tux, and Rene.
\u201cOver 50 years we were together,\u201d says Rob, standing near a credenza on which stands his wedding photo.
\u201cShe died of cancer last September,\u201d he says. \u201cI really miss her, I really do.\u201d
Baseball helps.
And so it was when Rob arrived at CHS Field on July 14.
His stay would not last until the opening pitch.
\u201cThis is where it happened,\u201d Rob says as he stands near a beer stand, just inside CHS Field.
Rob had just picked up his first beer.
\u201cAnd boom, down I went,\u201d he says bluntly.
Rob and his heart hit the ground, unconscious.
\u201cThey call it the widow-maker,\u201d he says of his heart attack. \u201cIt was on my main vein.\u201d
Never had Rob been more in need of a Saint.
He found one in Diane Bauer, who\u2019s worked as a paramedic for 45 years.
The night of Rob\u2019s heart attack, Diane was working the Saints game for Regions Hospital.
She was standing near the stadium\u2019s first aid room when a police officer alerted Diane that a man had just collapsed.
\u201cI ran into the room where my other teammates were. I said, ‘We have a cardiac arrest, grab everything, let\u2019s go.\u2019\u201d
Diane made a quick assessment of Rob\u2019s condition.
\u201cHe wasn\u2019t breathing; he did not have a heartbeat,\u201d she recalls. \u201cOne of my teammates started CPR. Another teammate put the AED pads on.\u201d
The team shocked Rob\u2019s heart once with the defibrillator.
\u201cAnd then a teammate doing CPR said, \u2018I think he\u2019s breathing,\u2019 and I\u2019m like, ‘Really?’\u201d
The news for Rob only got better.
\u201cHe stated moving his arms and then he started moving his head, Diane says. \u201cI\u2019m like, \u2018Stop CPR.\u2019\u201d
One month later, Diane and Rob stand at that same beer stand.
\u201cThis is the first time,\u201d Diane says of their meet up.
Rob gives Diane a hug. \u201cShe’s my best buddy from now on,\u201d he says.
But before Rob goes to his seat to watch the game, he has one other item of business.
\u201cWe now call your attention down toward the first base line,\u201d the stadium announcer tells the crowd.
Diane and two of her Regions teammates, Tony Pangal and Sandy Witter, stand with Rob in the infield as the crowd applauds.
\u201cTonight, we honor them for saving Rob’s life,\u201d the announcer continues.
Then, Rob walks to the front of the mound to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.
The former Golden Gophers third baseman expresses disappointment when the throw hops on its way to the catcher\u2019s mitt.
But how, at this ballpark, can a man of faith not see saints at work?
\u201cIf I wouldn’t have been here, if I had been in my apartment, I’d be dead,\u201d Rob says. \u201cIf I had been in the parking lot even, I would have been dead.\u201d
Rob pauses, smiles, and resumes his thought.
\u201cThis is where I’m meant to be maybe,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
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