Photo by James Moss
Jim Quigley of Bethalto shows off his Blues pride by wearing his retro jersey. “I’ll be in front of my TV watching it,” Quigley says of future games.
BETHALTO — Driving by Jim Quigley’s home, there can be no mistaking he is one serious Blues fan. The “L.G.B.” mowed into his lawn removes any doubt.
Quigley, a Bethalto resident, has been a St. Louis Blues fan since the age of 12. That is more than 40 years of devotion and, based on his home, that love shows no signs of fading.
“Pretty much every year I do something like this for the Blues if they make the playoffs,” the 53-year-old said of his handiwork.
“Let’s Go Blues” is splayed across the front windows and glass doors of the house in blue paint. In the front yard, the letters “L.G.B.” are outlined with blue paint. Quigley says he got the idea for his lawn from a segment on a local newscast.
“They showed this gentleman in St. Louis where he did his yard like mine, but he lowered his lawnmower and he made the blue note,” he recalled. “I’m thinking, ‘Now that has got to take some time.’ So I thought to myself and thought about it during the day. I came home, told my wife and kids what I was going to do, and they said ‘No way, Dad.’
“So I mowed my grass, lowered my lawnmower and went out there and made the ‘L.G.B.’ and decided to go over it with blue.”
Something a bit closer to his heart and much more permanent also shows his devotion. The blue note is tattooed on his shoulder, while a second tattoo on his back features the new colors.
Quigley began watching the Blues with his family, who no longer follow sports as closely as they did when he was young. Today, he is one of the last true fanatical holdouts in the family, as he proudly sat down for an interview sporting a blue, red and yellow 1990s Blues jersey.
So how are the Blues doing through the eyes of one of their biggest fans?
“This is probably the best year I’ve seen them play hockey, even though they’ve won the Presidents’ Trophy (the award given to the NHL team with the most points during a regular season) before,” he said. “We’ve got such an outstanding team.”
One of the things Quigley admired most about this year’s team is the competition the Blues faced in the playoffs, which included the Chicago Blackhawks, who won the Stanley Cup three out of the last six seasons.
“The Blues basically had to beat the Stanley Cup champions to have a shot to win the Stanley Cup and they beat the Chicago Blackhawks,” he said.
If the Blues advance in the playoffs, even more will be added to the lawn, although he remained somewhat secretive about additional decorations.
“(If they advance), then we’ll let everybody see some more,” he said. “I’ve got some ideas.”
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