New Busch impressions

Hey all,
Spent the evening in St. Louis watching Springfield and Memphis. I'm bleary-eyed and skipped work yesterday afternoon, so I'll have to keep this (semi) brief.

My wife, grandfather and I drove up from Springfield to see the game. As Springfield season ticket holders, we had dibs on upper deck, first-base line seats. We had a rooting interest, but the game was secondary. More on the players at the end.

The stadium is beautiful. There's no other word for it. It's clean, it smells good, the Jumbotron is crystal clear and the concourses are delightfully wide, with concession stands every four feet. I'm not joking. Even on the next-to-top row, I felt like I was on top of the game, though the players looked like ants. The staff was friendly, as expected for a dress rehearsal, if not totally competent. It reminded me of my first weekend working at a huge theater here in Springfield. None of the staff even knew where the broom closets were. This was similar.  You can tell there's some serious luxury built in to this stadium. Darkened glass shows off corporate-sponsored party rooms. Two levels of luxury boxes and a bigger -- though more subtle, Homer's Landing (though I think it was renamed the Coca-Cola Scoreboard Patio ... such is life).

The vibe of the crowd wasn't overwhelming. You could tell a lot of people were there to gawk, and many of them didn't bother to sit down, as evidenced by lots of empty seats. Springfield represented (I saw Double-A GM Matt Gifford at a rest stop on I-44, strangely enough, riding a bus full of Springfield fans to the Lou. I was cruising in my grandfather's '91 Caddy. Awesome.)

What more can I say. It was incredible. The best part was the third- and fourth-deck concourse. It was so big and comprehensive, you never have to leave that deck. It felt like a big baseball-themed  Disney World. It even included a Hardee's, with a huge, gaudy sign down the third base line. I didn't like that sign, but the man with the microphone said it had regular Hardee's prices, which was good--because the rest of the concessions caused sticker shock.

$7.75 for a beer. Not even a big one. $4.75 for a very tasty jumbo dog. There were a lot more offerings (namely at the delightfully named Gashouse Grill), where a buddy of mine had a Brat Burger (basically a sausage patty on a bun, or that's what it smelled like).

A few other gripes (besides that Hardee's sign). I miss the over-the-top charm of the old stadium ... the bigger-than-lifeness of it . The hand-operated scoreboard has been moved to the first-level concourse ... not visible from the field of play (but still working). The flags with the retired numbers and names have been removed. Now there are signs on the center field entrance/exit arch. You can see them, but unless you know the numbers by heart, you won't know who they represent. I also thought the signage was ... just too much. I know that's how they make money and we'll get used to it, but I found myself searching for baseball information. I'm sure that'll get better. I do like that they track pitchers' pitch count (though it didn't seem to be working ... Ponson showed 17 pitches in the 6th inning ... in only, if only) and men left on base for both teams. That's sweet.

Again, most of my gripes were cosmetic (like steeper stairs and less leg room in the cheap seats) but were expected. When the escalators are working, most discomfort will cease. Getting in is much better ... more and bigger gates, less logjam right inside the turnstiles.

Uh oh, this is getting long and my boss is getting huffy. To the players: As a Springfield fan, it was a delight in our second season to see a bunch of people we fielded last year playing for Memphis (I don't know how good that is for Memphis, though). CF Shaun Boyd, DH Juan Diaz-he's huge, and I think he got some ABs for the Red Sox several seasons ago--,SS Kevin Estrada, 1B Gabe Johnson and 3B Travis Hanson all started for the Redbirds. Boyd hit the "first homer" in new Busch history off of Ponson, but was overall underwhelming last year. Memphis starter Dennis Tankersley looked okay. Chris Duncan can hit, and looked pretty good in LF, too.

As for Springfield, I didn't know as many of the players. Cody Haerther looked lost at the plate. Reid Gorecki (not sure how to spell that) was back in AA after making the 40-man and crashing and burning last year. The really interesting thing was Sidney Ponson starting for Springfield (presumbaly to get some AAA work during the stop-and-go first week of the season). He looked solid, if not great. He scattered seven or so hits over five or six innings, giving up that homer to Boyd and a couple of gappers.

Again, the players were secondary, and I'm looking forward to opening day here in Springfield (Thursday) to get a look at a non-starstruck team. I'll try to keep my diary updated with pearls of wisdom--in June I'll be living only a couple of blocks from Hammons Field. If you're ever passing through Springfield, stop in for a game. The field is beautiful--retro style and comfortable--if not as magnificent as the new Busch.

Thanks for sticking through this. It was a great night, and I was happy to share it with my grandfather, who has now been to every stadium the Cards have played in since 1920 (his first trip to Sportsman's Park was in Musiel's rookie season of 1941). I also got to go to the opening of Hammons Field here in Springfield last year, when the St. Louis club was in town, and these are the fondest memories I'll ever have.

Baseball rules.
Too long ... must work now.