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TEAM ::: St. LOUIS CARDINALS
LOCATION ::: SAINT LOUIS,
MISSOURI
MY FIRST VISIT ::: JULY 2, 2005
OPPONENT ::: COLORADO ROCKIES
MY MLB STADIUM RANK ::: 8 OF 40
RATINGS
BALLFIELD ... A
SCOREBOARD ... A
FOOD ... B-
FACILITIES ... B
MASCOT ... A
 
MY TAKE ON THE PARK
I LOVE GOING TO A BALLPARK WHERE YOU CAN FEEL THE ENERGY OF THE PLACE FROM A MILE AWAY. FEW BALLPARKS ACCOMPLISH
THIS AURA BUT IS SEEMS THE ONES THAT DO ARE LOCATED IN THE DOWN TOWN AREA OF THE CITY. FROM ABOUT 6 BLOCKS BEFORE STADIUM
CIRCLE YOU ARE SITTING IN MOVING TRAFFIC WHILE CARDINAL RED IS WALKING WITH YOU.
GETTING TO THE GAME LESS THAN AN HOUR BEFORE FIRST PITCH, I WAS SURPRISED TO SEE THAT PARKING WAS AVAILABLE RIGHT
ACROSS THE STREET. $13 PUT ME INTO THE MULTI LEVELED GARAGE ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE STADIUM, IT WAS VERY CONVIENIENT AND
GAVE ME A GREAT VIEW OF THE STADIUM AND THE ARCH.
LOOKING AT THE ARCH WAS SOMETHING I HAD NOT SEEN, LOOKING ACROSS AT THE SAME STADIUM I'VE SEEN 3 OTHER TIMES
HAD ME WONDERING, UNTIL I LOOKED DOWN AND SAW A SEA OF RED SHIRTS. YOU HAVE TO WEAR RED HERE, YOU'LL FEEL OUT OF PLACE AND
WANT TO BUY A RED SHIRT IF YOU AREN'T WEARING ONE. ONE OF THE FEW PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED WAS THE LINE GOING INTO THE STADIUM.
I SAW A CROWD OF PEOPLE AND NOTICED THIS CROWD HAD A TRAIL OF PEOPLE BEHIND IT, I FOLLOWED THAT TRAIL AROUND THE STADIUM AND
REALIZED IT KEPT GOING. THE LINE DIDN'T SEEM TO BE UNUSUAL SO I JUST LOOKED FOR A SHORTER ONE, WHICH WAS PROBABLY THE FIRST
ONE I SAW, AND WENT TO THE BACK OF IT. IT MOVED QUICKLY AND BEFORE I KNEW IT, I MADE A COUPLE OF FRIENDS AND ENTERED THE HOME
OF THE CARDINALS.
UPON ENTERING THE PARK I QUICKLY MADE MY WAY ACROSS THE CORRIDOR TO THE BLEACHER SEATS IN CENTER FOR MY FIRST
LOOK AT THE PARK. WALKING OUT, I WORRIED I'D CLOSE MY EYES AND OPEN THEM AND NOT BE ABLE TO TELL IF I WERE IN CINCINNATI,
PHILADELPHIA, OR PITTSBURGH. ALL OF THOSE STADIUMS ARE GONE AND THIS ONE HAS BEEN IMPROVED .. VERY IMPROVED. THE MINI ARCHES
THAT RUN AROUND THE TOP OF THE STADIUM, WHICH ADD SO MUCH TO THE GAME, BUT I'LL TOUCH ON THAT IN A MOMENT, THE RED SEATS SURROUNDING,
AND THE BUILDINGS OF THE CITY THAT WANT A VIEW OF THE GAME ALL HIT YOU AT ONCE.
I THEN TURNED AROUND TO SEE THE SCOREBOARDS .. THE HAND OPERATED LINE SCORE, THE HAND OPERATED AMERICAN AND NATIONAL
LEAGUE BOARDS ALL BORDERED BY THE WORLD CHAMPION DISPLAY AND THE RETIRED NUMBERS. THE WAY THE NUMBERS ARE DISPLAYED IS GREAT
AND JUST SHOWS HOW MUCH A PART OF THE COMMUNITY THE CARDINAL PLAYERS ARE, THE NUMBERS ARE DISPLAYED WITH NUMBER AND NICKNAME
(1- OZZY, 2 - RED, 6 - STAN THE MAN, etc.).
OF COURSE, WHAT MAKES ALL OF THIS EVEN MORE PLEASANT IS WHAT YOU HEAR, ORGAN MUSIC IS PLAYED DURING BATTING PRACTICE
AND IT JUST FEELS LIKE YOUR IN A GREAT BALLPARK.
THE MOST UNIQUE FEATURE ABOUT THE STADIUM ARE THE MINI ARCHES THAT SURROUND THE STADIUM, THEY EVEN EFFECT THE
GAME. DURING THE TWI-LIGHT HOURS, FLY BALLS CAN BE LOST IN THE SUN BECAUSE OF ITS LOCATION TO THE STADIUM, SHADOWS CREEP OUT
ON TO THE FIELD LEAVING A SMALL SUNNY ARCH IN THE SHADE. BECAUSE OF HOW THE SUN SETS, THE SCOREBOARDS ARE NOT VERY CLEAR
DURING THE EARLY PARTS OF THE GAME. AS THE LIGHTS START TO TAKE EFFECT, THE WHOLE LOOK OF THE STADIUM CHANGES, NEON CARDINALS
ARE ILLUMINATED IN THE OUTFIELD AND THE ORANGE LIGHTS IN THE ARCHES GIVE THE PLACE A FEEL THAT IS JUST AS GOOD AS IT WAS WHEN
BATHED IN SUNLIGHT.
I THINK IT IS APPARENT THAT I REALLY LIKED BUSCH STADIUM. OF THE MAJOR LEAGUE PARKS I HAVE VISITED I RATE IT
8TH, BEHIND DODGER THE HOT DOGS WERE BETTER IN BUSCH BUT WHILE I WAS EATING IT THE BUN FELL APART, AND YOU JUST CAN'T
BEAT DODGER STADIUM PARKING. A PARKING GARAGE IS GREAT BUT GETTING OUT ONTO CITY STREETS IS A SLIGHT PROBLEM WHEN THERE IS
ONLY 1 EXIT AND MANY OF THE SEATS HERE ARE KIND OF SLOPED, BUT THEY WILL HAVE NEW ONES NEXT YEAR . I RATED BUSCH AHEAD OF
PITTSBURGH (PNC PARK) BECAUSE THE PEOPLE IN ST. LOUIS (FANS AND EMPLOYEES) MADE THIS A MUCH FRIENDLIER ATMOSPHERE. PLUS, ST
LOUIS REALLY HAD TO WORK TO GET THE PARK TO THE LEVEL IT IS AT, PITTSBURGH DOESN'T HAVE TO DO ANYTHING AND THEY STILL HAVE
A SPECTACULAR PARK, PROBLEM IS, THEY DON'T.
A FEW OTHER NOTES ABOUT BUSCH STADIUM ..
THE VENDORS HERE WORK VERY HARD, AN INNING DOES NOT GO BY WHERE A VENDOR WITH A SODA, BEER, OR ICE CREAM DOES
NOT VISIT THE SECTION. FOR SOME REASON THEY DON'T SELL HOT DOGS BUT THEY SELL EVERYTHING ELSE. ON A HOT NIGHT IN JULY, YOU
REALLY HAVE TO HAND IT TO THESE GUYS WHO WERE TIRELESS IN GETTING FOOD AND BEVERAGE TO THE SECTIONS.
IN THE 8th INNING YOU ARE REMINDED WHERE YOU ARE, IN BUDWEISER COUNTRY. NOT ONLY IS THE BUDWEISER THEME PLAYED,
TO AN OVATION GREATER THAT "TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME" BUT THE BUDWEISER VIDEO IS SHOWN. SOMEHOW, IT JUST SEEMED TO FIT.
WITH THE VIDEO, I BEGAN THE BOTTOM OF THE 8th WITH A BEER IN MY HAND, HOW BAD CAN A PLACE BE THAT SELLS BEER IN THE 8th???
PROGRAMS WERE $5 AND THE PENCIL WAS 50 CENTS, BUT IF YOU COME BACK, ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS SPEND $2.50 FOR
THE SCORECARD. I'M HAPPY TO SAY THAT I WAS NOT THE ONLY ONE KEEPING SCORE, IN FACT, THERE SEEMED TO BE MORE PEOPLE KEEPING
SCORE THAN NOT .. AHHH, BASEBALL IN THE MIDWEST!
FINALLY, YOU MUST SEE THE STADIUM FROM THE ARCH, IF YOU'VE DONE IT AND THINK I'M CRAZY, ALL I CAN SAY
IS I WON'T DO IT AGAIN BUT I'M REL GLAD I DID. ALSO, IF YOU SHOULD HAPPEN TO BE IN ST. LOUIS AROUND 4th OF JULY REMEMBER,
FEW CITIES CELEBRATE THE WHOLE WEEKEND OF THE 4th LIKE ST. LOUIS. THE SHOW THEY PUT ON AT THE ARCH IS REALLY ONE TO BE REMEMBERED.
THE LINE UPS
COLORADO ROCKIES MANAGER :::
13 CLINT HURDLE
St. LOUIS CARDINALS MANAGER :::
10 TONY LaRUSSA
COLORADO ROCKIES
25 Eddy Garabito 2b
31
Cory Sullivan cf
17 Todd Helton 1b
27 Garrett Atkins 3b
11 Brad Hawpe rf
3 Jorge Piedra lf
4 Luis Gonzalez
ss
7 J.D. Closser c
16 Jamey Wright p / WP
40 Brian Fuentes S
St. LOUIS CARDINALS
22 David Eckstein ss
15
Jim Edmonds cf
5 Albert Pujols 1b
33 Larry Walker rf
27 Scott Rolen 3b
47 John Mabry lf
3 Abraham Nunez 2b
4
Enar Diaz c
21 Jason Marquis p / LP
ROCKIES 000 002 100 3 8
1
CARDINALS 000 000 100 1 8 1
TIME ::: 3:02
ATTENDANCE
::: 47,913
WEATHER ::: 82 CLEAR BREEZY
SEND ME AN E-MAIL
UNCLEBOBSBALLPARKS@GMAIL.COM
LINKS
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