Heartland of Baseball Tour 2003
July 27, 2003
Pirates vs. Cardinals at Busch Stadium today. The weather was hot, which made the afternoon game a little bit uncomfortable, but the game itself was a lot of fun. The Cardinals came back from a 2-run deficit with two out in the ninth inning to win 4-3. Orlando Palmiero drove in two with a clutch single, then a few batters later Albert Pujols drove in the winning run with a bases loaded single.
Our seats were in the upper deck but near home plate, so we had a good view of the action. Fortunately our seats were shielded from the sun by the stadium's overhang, which kept us from getting too hot and allowed us to stay in our seats for the entire game without ducking for shade on the concourse.
As for the stadium itself, it's not bad for a seventies-era "cookie-cutter" circle. In fact, it is probably the best of the breed. The layout of the stadium is pretty standard, but the Cardinals do a nice job of highlighting the franchise's history with statues of Cardinal greats, "great moments in Busch Stadium history" markers, and prominent reminders of their many pennants and World Series titles. Also nice are the mini-arches ringing the top of the stadium (and evoking the city's famous Gateway Arch landmark), and the Cardinal red worn by many of the fans. Speaking of which, Cardinal fans may be the best in baseball. I generally make a practice of keeping a scorecard at most games I attend. Usually I only see a few others keeping score, but in St. Louis many fans in our section were keeping a scorecard. The fans were very courteous, but obviously passionate about their team.
The day we were there was "Family Day", and after the game the kids were allowed to run the bases while us parents walked the perimeter of the field. My kids have grown rather blasé about running bases after games at our local minor league park, but they still got a kick out of doing it at Busch Stadium, where so many great ballplayers have trod the same ground.
All-in-all, we loved St. Louis and hope to make it back there someday.
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The view down the left field line at Busch Stadium, with the Gateway Arch in the background. |