Busch Stadium

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.

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!”).

  1. 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!
  2. 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!
  3. 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!
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. Go to a playoff game. Just to say I’d been, even if it was the wild card round.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.

Marine Week at Busch Stadium

It’s Marine Week in St. Louis, and that event spilled over into last night’s Cardinals game. Directly across the street from Busch Stadium, there’s an area known, (somewhat sarcastically to those of us who live here), as “Ballpark Village.” As nothing else is on that land, it was the perfect place for the Marines to set up their static aircraft display. We didn’t have a chance to go walk around it, but we did get a good view of it from the bridge connecting the parking garage with the stadium area.

The Marine Band played before the game, including one of my favorites, “Stars and Stripes Forever.” They were very good, and it really added a festive air to the pre-game rituals. There is also something very grand about seeing such precision in a musical performance–just a reminder of the great ceremony that accompanies everything military!

The Marines also present the colors before the game. There was something really cool about seeing them standing at attention in the outfield, in the middle of the players warming up–it was like they were oblivious to everything around them but their task, which, I guess, they actually probably were!

At the end of the National Anthem, there was a Harrier jet flyover. I don’t think I’ve ever been at game with a flyover before, although I’ve certainly seen plenty of military aircraft at all of the air shows we’ve been to. It was really cool to see them go right over the stadium, (although a few of our children thought it was a bit too loud!) and it certainly added a little something to the end of the anthem.

In addition to being Marine Week, the Cardinals were also on ESPN last night. Guess who showed up to be filmed for the filler shots?

In all the times I’ve seen the Clydesdales at Grant’s Farm and the Anheuser-Busch brewery, I’ve never seen them all dressed up in their finery. They attracted quite a crowd–even the police officer assigned to keep people at a respectable distance was taking pictures. They are quite a magnificent sight to see!

It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment decision to go to the game, and in the end, the Cards lost, but it was still a really cool game to be at–full of unexpected moments and very unique events!

The Commissioner’s Box

It’s been a week and a half since we sat in the Commissioner’s Box at Busch Stadium to celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary, and I’m just now coming up with words to describe how cool it was!

We got to the stadium before the gates opened (of course!). We weren’t going to miss a moment of our special day, plus, it gave us a chance to take some pictures. While Ryan was busy getting the perfect shot of the statue of “Stan the Man,” I took a picture of him. Taking a picture of someone who is, himself, taking a picture, amuses me for some reason.

Finally, the gates opened, and we headed down to the Commissioner’s Box (the section of green seats–yeah, those were ours!). That’s right, I said down. It’s not often that we have field level seats, so it was strange to not have to go up endless ramps, stairs, and/or escalators! We were greeted by a team of Busch Stadium employees–two women, who were in charge of the seating, and two men, who would be our waiters for the evening. We were invited to go down onto the field for batting practice, to get our picture taken in the Cardinals dugout, (so cool!), and to get started on ordering the endless amounts of food we could have.

There are so many things you notice being that close to the action. I watched the players warm-up before the game–fascinating, especially when the trainer gets involved. It occasionally looked painful, but I’m assuming they knew what they were doing.

I especially liked this sign–it reminded me of a certain notorious incident involving the Cubs. I’m assuming those signs have always been there, but again, I’ve never been close enough to see it before!

For some reason, I was also especially amused watching the catcher, (Molina), pitcher, (Lohse), and pitching coach, (Dave Duncan), walking to and from the bullpen before the game. Yet another little detail I might have *seen* before, but not really processed who the players were, or where they were going.

Our view of the field during the game was amazing. We had an especially good view of first base, but the rest of it was also fantastic!

The game itself wasn’t the most exciting–not that I’m complaining. It was pretty obvious the Cards were going to win, and that was fine by me. It would have been a major bummer to see a losing game from those seats on our anniversary! But, because it wasn’t a particularly tense game, we could pay attention to some other things we might have missed. We could see players blowing bubbles with their gum–funny. We got to watch the photographers working in the camera pit, and we were so close, we could even hear the shutters on their cameras. We had a great view of the police officer assigned to the Cardinals dugout, which was a little weird, but also comforting when the guy sitting next to me, and the guy across the aisle from Ryan looked like they were about to get into a fist fight (the only downside to our evening).

My favorite part, though, was watching the players in the dugout. The pitchers, especially, seemed to be having a good time, and they were always all hanging out together. We saw Adam Wainwright throwing sunflower seeds at this teammates, and we also saw how good-natured he is–he tipped his cap to a group of fans behind us who were chanting his name. (They also got a wave from Jose Oquendo.)

We also got to see Pete Kozma in his Major League debut, which was really cool. He even got an RBI double, which was very exciting, and for that night, he was batting 1.000! Guess who they named the “star of the game” afterward? He said the first thing he was going to do was call his parents–how sweet!

Ryan arranged to have our names on the scoreboard, but in all of the Kozma excitement, I almost didn’t see it. As a matter of fact, Ryan didn’t see it at all, and it will always annoy me that I didn’t get a picture of it. At least one of us saw it, though!

It was a great night–such a fun experience to be treated like a VIP for the game. And the ending was just what we hoped for–a Cardinals win!

Busch Stadium Tour

Between lunch and the actual baseball game on our anniversary, we went on a tour of Busch Stadium. We had a really good tour guide, who shared lots of interesting side stories in addition to the stadium talk, and who also had a great sense of humor. It was a nice group, too–not too many of us, and most of the people, like us, had tickets to that night’s game.

It was really strange seeing all of the seats empty, and the scoreboards turned off!

We got to tour the Cardinals dugout. It was much bigger than I was expecting!

We also got to check out the view from the “best seat in the stadium”–the press box. The view truly is astounding–and we even got a glimpse of a few players beginning their warm ups down on the field.

The press box is Mike Shannon’s space, so it’s fitting that there’s a tribute to him. We also learned that the press box at Busch Stadium is so large because Mike has a large family, and they are often up there with him during games–pretty cool!

A view outside the most exclusive area of Busch Stadium, (aside from the players’ clubhouse)–The Cardinals Club. Yes, that’s a statue of “Gussie” Busch out front. Did you know that on his 85th birthday, while he was still the owner of the team, the Cards retired the number 85 in his honor? There’s a full-size, fancy sit-down restaurant in the Club. The folks that hold the tickets for the green seats behind home plate have full access to this club, and they never have to pay for any of the food there (or any that they order from their seats in the stadium, for that matter). On the other hand, one seat costs $14,000 per year, and you have to buy at least two seats together, with a 10 year lease, so I guess the least they can do is throw in the food!

Another exclusive area of the ball park–the Redbird Club. The wallpaper in this fancy concessions area is really cool. One of the Cards owners, Bill DeWitt, has an extensive personal baseball card collection. He used his Cardinals cards to have this wallpaper made. The only exception is Satchel Paige, who was actually a St. Louis Brown. This also led into an interesting discussion about the 1944 World Series, (The Streetcar Series), which was a match-up between the Cardinals and the Browns. It’s the only World Series to ever be played on 6 consecutive days, and a rare example of both teams having called the ballpark, (the old Sportsman’s Park), home field.

A view from the Musial Bridge, looking out on the statue of The Man himself.

Speaking of the statue, here’s a better view of Stan the Man. “Here stands baseball’s perfect warrior. Here stands baseball’s perfect knight.” (Ford Frick)

This is one of the Cardinals’ old logos–Slugger Bird. This is my favorite of the old logos, both because it’s really cute, and because the name is awesome!

There’s no end to the cool plaques you can find scattered around Busch Stadium. This is my favorite, showing the proximity of the old and new parks. There really is a white stripe on the ground below!

I thought this was some cool wall art, too.

Immediately following the tour, we walked by this tribute to Jack Buck outside the stadium. “Go crazy, folks!”

It was a great tour. There is so much history to be learned when you go on one of these things–local and world history, and of course, baseball history. We’re definitely going to go back with the children, someday–it’s a can’t miss St. Louis experience!

Tweet Me in St. Louis

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…

An Early Mother’s Day

We celebrated Mother’s Day a day early today–at the ballpark!

I think these seats were the best ones we’ve had at Busch Stadium so far. They were on the top deck, but they didn’t feel as high up as the last time we went. We were also on the third base side of home, so our view of the game was awesome! The skyline view was equally as awesome–especially the Arch. It’s also the first time we’ve really had a good view of the arch mirrored in the grass of the outfield, which has always amused me as far as ballpark aesthetics go.

The day was perfect–sunny and in the low 70s, with a nice breeze. It was also hat day, which was fun, and I think the hats are actually really cool. The only downside to the game was the fact that the Cards lost. I think Moose’s face sums up how we all felt about that!