“All right people, we got 10 minutes ’till game time, let’s all gather ’round. I’m not much for giving inspirational addresses, but I’d just like to point out that every newspaper in the country has picked us to finish last. The local press seems to think that we’d save everyone the time and trouble if we just went out and shot ourselves. Me, I’m for wasting sportswriters’ time.” James Gammon as Manager Lou Brown in Major League
baseball
Baseball Night in America
This is a great article about what most baseball fans will remember as one of the single greatest nights of baseball ever, and how much baseball, more than any other sport, mimics the unpredictability of life:
“Baseball, like life, revolves around anticlimax. That, in many ways, is the beauty of it. I realize that’s a hard thing to explain to someone who doesn’t love baseball. No, more than hard, it’s an impossible thing to explain, because many people want sports to be more than life. They follow sports to jolt them out of the steady rhythms of the shriek of alarm clocks, the monotony of morning meetings, the rush to get the kids to soccer practice by 4 p.m. They want sports to be bigger than life. What’s the point, otherwise? There is nothing in baseball as jarring as a blind-side hit, as jaw-dropping as a perfect alley-oop, as tense and heart-pounding as a breakaway.
And the hard thing to explain, the impossible thing, is that many of us love baseball not in spite of these failings, but because of them.”
The Big Puma
I was so happy to read this morning that Lance Berkman signed a one-year extension with the Cardinals. He has really become a family favorite, partly because he’s just a really good, Christian guy, (I’m always happy to find a good baseball hero for Turkey to admire, because it seems like they’re few and far between), and partly because his career was supposedly in “decline,” which made him something of an underdog in my opinion. Hey, if this season was decline, (batting .300 with 31 home runs so far), I’ll take it!
I was really worried that the Cards weren’t going to be able to afford to keep him, and even though he’s only been with us for one season, the idea of him leaving and going somewhere else really made me sad. The children couldn’t even comprehend that he might go–they just don’t grasp the whole trading, money aspect of the sport. I’ve been waiting with bated breath to see what would happen–I’m so glad the wait it over! I know it’s only a year, but at least it’s another year, right?
Busch Stadium Party Suite
Ryan hosted the most recent Automattic Happiness Team gathering here in St. Louis, and one of their scheduled activities was a trip to Busch Stadium to see a Cardinals game, from the vantage point of a party suite. There was enough space for the children and me to tag along, and it was a really cool, once-in-a-lifetime experience!
Each of the suites is named after a former Cardinal star. We were in the Bob Gibson room, which was right next door to the Ozzie Smith room. Turkey was a little disappointed we couldn’t be in Ozzie’s room, because Ozzie is his favorite Cardinal, but I think he decided the Gibson room was pretty OK, too!
When we got there, our bartender was already waiting for us. We had unlimited access to Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Lemonade, water, and beer, although the beer wasn’t served the whole time we were there. She was very friendly, did an amazing job of remembering everybody’s names, (which I found to be very impressive), and was just fun to be around during the game.
The decorations in the room were very cool. In addition to the many photos of Bob Gibson and information about his playing career, there were also tables that looked liked baseballs, and chairs with the Cardinals logo carved on the backs. Looking across the row of party suites in the stadium, the walls of the rooms alternated red and white paint jobs, which looked very cool from the outside.
Then there was the food. We had an unlimited buffet that started a half-hour before the game, and lasted for two hours. The items included a nacho bar, (yum!), hot dogs and brats, (complete with sauerkraut–also yum!), brisket, and pasta, plus cookies and brownies for dessert. Another employee was responsible for setting up the food, and checking back periodically to make sure we had enough of everything–she also did an awesome job!
The view was also pretty good. There were 24 outdoor padded seats, (the suite area can hold up to 32, including those outside), and the rest of the seats were inside. In addition to the seats at the baseball tables, there was also a row of seats directly in front of the windows, and those seats had just as good of a view as those that were outside. The only thing that was hard to see from where we were at was the scoreboard–the overhang, (which would have been fantastic in the event of rain), obscured a good part of it. We did have an amazing ariel view of the bullpen, though–I’m not sure I’ve ever really seen the bullpen like that before!
The view from inside the suite.
In the Redbird Club
On Thursday, we had tickets to the Cardinals/Astros game. But not just any tickets. We had tickets to the Redbird Club.
For those who aren’t familiar with the Redbird Club, here’s how it works. When you purchase your ticket, (the seats are really good–on the second deck, and the seats are cushioned), you also gain access to an indoor area of the Stadium. In the Club you can purchase all sorts of food–typical ballpark fare such as hot dogs, brats, and nachos, as well as fancier options, such as stir-fry, hand-carved sandwiches, and gourmet cupcakes–there’s even a bar in there! You have to love any club that requires a directory!
My favorite part was the nacho bar–it was so much fun getting to choose what I wanted on my nachos, (I had the pulled pork).
This is also the part of the ballpark with the wallpaper designed after one of the Cardinals owner’s personal baseball card collection.
It was nice to have the option of going inside for a while, and watching the game on one of the many big-screen TVs while cooling off. They even had couches to sit on, just like at home. It’s not the same as sitting outside and watching, but on a day where the temperature at the start of the game was 97 degrees, it was quite a welcome relief!
On the way up to the Redbird Club, Turkey finally got to see on of the arches left from the All-Star game in St. Louis in 2009. He was very excited to finally see one in person!
It was a really fun way to see the game, even if it was one of the hottest days of the year, and the Cardinals didn’t win.
Wordless Wednesday
Quote of the Day
Heard during the Cardinals game tonight:
“The Cubs are trailing 3-2. It may not be relevant, but it’s always good to know when the Cubs are trailing.” Cardinals broadcaster Dan McLaughlin
Most awesome quote ever!
Every Time is the First Time
It struck me when we were at the Cardinals game two weeks ago that no matter how many games I go to, every one is like my first big league game.
First, there’s the very grandness of the stadium. There’s something about walking out toward your seat, and seeing just how big the stadium is, and how green the grass is, and how many people are there, and the city skyline all around, that just takes your breath away. It never gets old, and I always feel like a little kid for just a second, seeing the ballpark for the first time.
The different people around you make every game a different experience, too. Sometimes you get to sit by someone funny, or entertaining. That’s always fun. Or maybe someone chatty–often a season ticket holder who just wants to talk baseball. Occasionally, you even get stuck by a jerk…someone who is a poor sport, or doesn’t really care about the game, or doesn’t know any words that don’t have four letters. It’s unpleasant, but even that’s an experience.
Different vendors make every game different as well. Sure, there’s a lot of forgettable vendors out there. But every once in a while, you come across one with a lot of personality–one with a voice that literally carries across the stadium (I’m not even exaggerating), or that has some really good line to push the sale. You start looking forward to them coming through every inning or two, and your realize that the vendors are part of the game experience, too.
Ushers can also do a lot to make every game a different experience. A lot of the time, you don’t really notice them at all, unless you need help finding your seat, or you’re having some other kind of problem. But every once in a while, there’s an usher assigned to your section who has good information about a special event occurring around the game, or who likes entertaining children, or fancies himself a stand-up comedian. Just another fun part of the baseball experience, and you never know what to expect!
The constantly changing line-up can also make the game feel new, and our line-ups change a lot! (Tony La Russa is our manager, after all!) There’s always the possibility of seeing something totally bizarre–a player at a position that’s totally unexpected, the major league debut of a new player, a truly spectacular event like a no-hitter or a grand slam….each game itself has the possibility of something completely new.
I hope that going to a baseball game never becomes so routine to me that I forget just how magical it is. I want to always feel like a kid going to her first game as I walk into the stadium and take in all that is baseball all around me!
My Cardinals Bucket List
I got this idea over at Diamond Diaries…a list of Cardinals-related activities I hope to do before I die (even though I really hate the term “bucket list!”).
- Go back to the Commissioner’s box…with the children. We had such a good time sitting in those seats on our anniversary that we’d really like to share the experience as a family. Plus, it would be really fun for the children to go to a game where they could get as much food as they wanted, (within reason, of course), and not worry about how much it costs. And the seats are six across, which works out well for us!
- Attend Social Media Night. OK, this one is kind of cheating to list, because I already did it this year. Up until last month, though, it was still something I wanted to do “someday.” Since it’s still fresh in my mind, I’ll include it anyway–I really wanted that “Tweet me in St. Louis” t-shirt!
- Go to Opening Day. This is another hopeful family event. Ryan has been to Opening Day once, and he told us all just how cool it was, so of course, we all want to go. Busch Stadium is awesome any day, but I can’t even imagine the atmosphere on Opening Day. I especially want to see the Clydesdales in action!
- Visit all of the minor league ballparks. I’d like to take road trips to Memphis, Springfield, Palm Beach, and the Quad Cities to see the “baby birds” in action.
- Get tickets to the Redbird Club. Again, cheating a little, because we have Redbird Club tickets for later this summer. But I didn’t even realize until last week that that’s where our seats are located, and I haven’t even technically been there yet, so it’s still on the list.
- Attend Spring Training. I think it would be so much fun to escape the lovely St. Louis winter weather and go to spring training one year.
- Get something autographed. If it was a Lance Berkman autograph, that would be fantastic. But really, I’m not choosy…I’d just like a Cardinal autograph. Maybe even Red Schoendienst, since he’s one of the coolest Cardinals ever, and he’s still on the field for batting practice on a regular basis.
- Go to a playoff game. Just to say I’d been, even if it was the wild card round.
- Be a season-ticket holder. This is a way in the future dream. But someday, when the children are out of the house, I’d love for Ryan and I to have season tickets. I don’t even care where in the stadium–I’d just love to have the option of going to all of the home games.
- Meet Fredbird. The children and I technically did meet Fredbird a few years ago at a Qdoba grand opening. But it was really more the children than me. And I didn’t even get “beaked,” so it doesn’t really count.
Quote of the Day
I know he was referring to the Cardinals recent situation, but I found this quote from right fielder/first baseman Lance Berkman in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch to be relevant to pretty much any situation:
“It’s rarely a good time to panic. And when it is, it’s usually too late.” Lance Berkman