Busch Stadium

Star Wars Night at Busch Stadium

Last night was Star Wars night at Busch Stadium:

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Tickets were expensive, so we couldn’t all go, but Ryan did get two tickets so that Bunny and I could take part. Why Bunny? Because the voice of her favorite character (Ahsoka Tano), from the Clone Wars was doing a meet and greet!

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Bunny had a great time meeting Ashley Eckstein, and Ashley was so nice! She talked to Bunny for several minutes, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but if you’ve ever been in one of those autograph lines, you know that a few minutes can seem like an eternity. Bunny learned that Ashley’s favorite episode of the Clone Wars is the one in which Ahsoka meets Chewbacca, which we haven’t seen yet, so we’re really looking forward to that. Ashley also told Bunny that Bunny’s eyes reminded her of Ahsoka, which, of course, put Bunny on cloud nine!

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Just in case you haven’t put two and two together yet, Ashley Eckstein is the wife of former Cardinal David Eckstein. He was with her, and was signing autographs and taking pictures, as well. I had hoped he might be, so I brought a baseball along…so we left with autographs of not only an actress, but a baseball player, too! He was also very nice…I was impressed with how gracious both of them were!

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The rest of the evening was a lot of fun, too. There were fans dressed in character, as well as characters stationed around the ballpark for photos. A highlight of the night was seeing “Jedi Fredbird!”

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We also saw Storm Troopers brining in the game ball and escorting the umps, and Princess Leia as a member of Team Fredbird. There was also a battle between Fredbird and Darth Vader, which ended with them dancing, Gangnam-style. It was a little surreal!

It was a great evening…I’m so glad Ryan sent us to the ballpark for a girls’ night out!

Coca-Cola Rooftop Deck

Today was a special day, because we had all-inclusive tickets to the Cardinals game. We sat on the Coca-Cola Rooftop Deck:

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First, we had to get into Busch Stadium, which wasn’t easy…there was an incredibly long line (the longest we’ve ever seen!), because of the Stan Musial statue giveaway:

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Stan Statue

We did finally make it into the ballpark, and made our way to our seats. When you first go to the Coca-Cola rooftop deck seats, you’re given a wristband, which gives you access to the food, and allows you to move around the ballpark, and come back without any troubles.

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There are bar-style seats, with a table in front of them:

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I loved these seats! There was room to walk with Chickadee, room for the children to move around without annoying the other fans around us, and it wasn’t too high up! Plus, you know, the food (hot dogs, nachos, BBQ chicken, beef, and pork, plus cookies and brownies)!

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I started with some BBQ pulled pork nachos:

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Chickadee loved them, so I had to go back for more food for me! Since she loved the pork so much (even more than the cookies and brownies!!!), I got more of that, plus a hot dog with sauerkraut. Yum!

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There was also a dedicated drinks server, which the children loved:

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We had a great view from center field:

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And a great view of the cameraman:

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The back-end of the deck overlooks the Ford Family Plaza:

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Fredbird hangs out there during the first three innings, so of course we had to go say “Hi!”

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And did I mention how much I love high socks Sundays?

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Of course, the best part of the game was that the Cards won!

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Day to Night at Busch Stadium

One of my favorite things about going to a night game at Busch Stadium is watching how much the ballpark changes as the light changes. When you first arrive, it looks pretty much as it does during the day:

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Dusk begins to creep up before too long, though:

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Before you know it, night is upon you:

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And, just when you think it can’t get any darker, it does!

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No matter what time of day, or what kind of lighting, Busch Stadium is always beautiful…one of the many reasons it’s known as “Baseball Heaven!”

Honoring Stan the Man

We had the privilege of going to the Cardinals game tonight where they honored Stan “The Man” Musial. As soon as we got off the train, we noticed tributes to Stan.

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The Gateway Harmonica Club, of which Stan was a member, was in attendance. They played outside the stadium as the gates were opening, and then played inside before the game. I was shocked to see that there are so many different types of harmonicas!

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The most noticeable tribute inside Busch Stadium itself was the giant “6” in the outfield.

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The outfield fence has a replica of the patch the Cardinals players are wearing in Stan’s memory this season, as well.

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There were other mentions of Stan around the park and in the Team Store…

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But the most meaningful of all were the tributes by the military. A B-25 flyover:

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And a group of sailors unveiling an additional to the Musial statue outside the ballpark. If you didn’t shed a tear when they saluted, I seriously think you might be lacking a soul!

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Stan’s grandchildren threw out the first pitch(es). They were led out to the mound by Stan’s longtime friend, Red Schoendienst, which seemed fitting.

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It was also harmonica night.

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During the sixth inning (of course), the fans were encouraged to pull out their harmonicas, and play “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” along with an old video of Stan playing on his own harmonica.

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It was a beautiful and fitting way to honor the greatest Cardinal to ever wear the uniform!

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