In honor of baseball making its grand return, I’m looking back at one of my favorite ballpark experiences, Opening Day at Busch Stadium in 2006.
Opening Day is like a holiday. By the time baseball finally comes out of hibernation, we’re hungry. We’ve watched an embarrassing number of TV shows throughout the winter and have the college basketball blues (or at least that’s true for me).
Then, baseball comes along and saves us from our TV-bingeing selves.
If your team opens on the road, you basically have two full days of celebration, Opening Day of Major League Baseball and Opening Day at home.
I’ve only been to one home opener in person, but that particular one was extra special, the inaugural game of Busch Stadium III on April 10, 2006.
I was a junior in high school and used an absence to go to the game. I had gone to my first prom two days earlier, so I was pretty tired, probably from walking around in a 10-pound dress, too much hairspray and a headful of bobby pins (and dancing to too much Lil Jon), but Opening Day woke me right up.
I’m a nostalgic person and can find sentimental value in almost anything, so at first, I wasn’t sure how I would react to my favorite stadium in the world being destroyed and replaced.
(Spoiler alert: The 2006 season ended with the Cardinals’ first World Series title in my lifetime, so I moved on pretty quickly.)
Despite my initial hesitance, I fell in love with the look and feel of new Busch Stadium almost immediately. I had been to AT&T Park (then-Pac Bell) in San Francisco a few years prior, so I was familiar with and already liked the retro look.
The new ballpark food was (and still is) amazing. I was fortunate to be at the stadium long enough to eat two meals, chicken tenders for lunch AND a hot dog for dinner. My dad tried the barbecue sandwich and ice cream and enjoyed both as well.
Although I loved (and still love) the beautiful view of the Gateway Arch in the outfield, I disliked (and still dislike) that new Busch isn’t nearly as loud as old Busch because of all that openness.
All in all, the good outweighed the bad, and I decided Busch Stadium III was a worthy replacement for the former stadium. I mean, it is Baseball Heaven and all.
My dad had only gone to one home opener prior to 2006. He and my brother went in 2004, when then-President George W. Bush threw out the first pitch. (They still reference seeing Secret Service snipers on top of the stadium.)
I’m told by pretty much all St. Louis media that Opening Day at Busch is like no other. I don’t know for sure because I haven’t witnessed Opening Day in any other baseball city, but I can confirm that Opening Day in St. Louis lives up to the hype.
Downtown St. Louis basically shuts down for a daylong party. Adults take off work, and kids skip school to head over to the game and welcome back their beloved Redbirds.
The pregame ceremony features a lap by the famous Budweiser Clydesdales, followed by the parade of Cardinals Hall of Famers riding around the warning track in the backs of Mustang convertibles. Then, the current players come out in their own motorcade.
The current players shake the hands of Cardinals legends, like Bob Gibson, Lou Brock and Ozzie Smith, at home plate. (I’ve definitely teared up watching it a time or two.)
It’s magical. The Cardinals pack so much tradition and history into one day and somehow still manage to offer something new.
Opening Day of a new stadium made the whole experience even more unique (and historical). My dad and I were two of the first 41,936 (according to Baseball Reference) fans to explore the ballpark, and I’m grateful I had that opportunity.
Oh, and I almost forgot … what happened in the game?
Well, despite falling behind early, the Cardinals came away with a 6-4 win over the Brewers. Mark Mulder served up the first home run in the new ballpark, but he later (shockingly) hit one of his own. A guy named Albert Pujols did, too.
In the end, I had a great and memorable day skipping school for Opening Day and ballparking it in a brand-new stadium with my dad.
Opening Day 2006 Sights and Swag
