I’d like to say that the reason I went to tonight’s Cardinals game was because I’m such a generous wife, and went with Ryan to support him at a kind of work event–Social Media Night. The truth is, however, that I really wanted to get a t-shirt that says “Tweet Me in St. Louis” on it–plus, who doesn’t love a baseball game?

Social Media night at Busch stadium consisted of three things: 1.) $20 tickets in the Lower Left Field Box; 2.) The previously mentioned free t-shirt; 3.) A pre-game “mixer” with cash bar.

The seats were good. We got really close to a foul ball at one point (and I freaked out!), and it was nice to sit on the lower level for a change. The angle of the seats was a little strange, but once I got used to it, it was good, and we could see all the action on the field just fine. I could have done without the idiots sitting behind us, however–they were clearly not interested in the baseball game at all.

I love the shirt. Yes, I know it’s totally dorky, but I think it’s cute. It was also nice to be able to throw on an extra layer, as by the end of the game, the temperature was in the low 50s (it is still May, right?). Plus, I love a good play on words, and the shirt accomplishes that nicely.

The mixer was lame. For something geared toward people using various forms of “social media,” it didn’t appear that anyone there was interested in being social at all. We pretty much just got our shirts, walked around the area in which the mixer was set up, and left to wander the ballpark.

Which brings me to one of my favorite parts of the evening: We finally got to see one of the All-Star arches from a few years back up close! I’ve wanted to get a look at one, and take a picture, ever since the summer the All-Star game was here…so, since 2009, I guess. We saw them all over town, then, but we either weren’t able to stop, or I didn’t have the camera on me, so I couldn’t get a photo, but while we wandering around a part of Busch Stadium that I don’t think we’ve ever been through before, we found two of them. Mission accomplished!

The other awesome part of the evening? The game’s end. Not that the game was over, but the way it ended–and RBI single to win it in the ninth. Perfect. Fireworks, players celebrating on the field, fans celebrating in the stands, the requisite drum line outside the stadium–just what you hope for at a baseball game.

And the scene outside the stadium was something else. Throngs of happy Cardinals fans, making their way back to cars, train stops, buses, bars…wherever. And the line of buses waiting for passengers! Amazing. Street musicians. Rickshaws. All of the typical post-game sights and sounds you’d expect after a baseball game, with a festive air following a really close couple of innings.

Tonight was the perfect baseball game. But, just like we had a rehearsal the night before our wedding day, this was just the trial-run for tomorrow’s baseball-related events. Details to follow…