Cardinals – Ballparking It

Busch Stadium: It’s Nice to #StayHome

Social Distancing Day 30 (written mostly on Day 29) …

I’ve now gone almost an entire month without human interaction (with the exception of a brief exchange about ketchup with the Schnucks cashier on Day 17).

I’m watching a thunderstorm out my apartment window and thinking back to another stormy day – my trip to Busch Stadium, Ballpark No. 6.

And in the context of a stay-at-home order, when some people feel trapped at home and others miss wherever they consider home to be, this already multilayered homecoming tale takes on extra meaning.

No Place Like Home

I spent a good chunk of the first day of summer 2019 indoors at Ballpark Village waiting out a rainstorm. I didn’t mind. After five straight away games in 2018, I needed home-field advantage, even if it meant a long day of sitting and waiting.

It was my return to the place where I watched my team win a World Series, where I tasted my first ballpark hot dog, the gravesite of where I saw my first MLB game (old Busch) and where I fell in love with baseball.

This particular Friday (June 21) not only marked the return of summer and the return of me to my beloved ballpark but also the return of a Cardinals legend, a hero-turned-villain-turned-hero-again, to the place he once called home.

Albert Pujols spent 11 years in St. Louis, where he won two World Series, played in three, made nine All-Star Game rosters and was named National League MVP three times.

Then he left.

Going into this game, he had played seven and a half seasons for the Angels and hadn’t faced the Cardinals in St. Louis over that span … until June 21, 2019.

It was a series I (like most Cardinals fans) had anticipated for nearly eight years – first out of anger and a desire for revenge, then out of respect and a need for closure.

Ballpark #6

The game itself, a Friday-night matchup with the Los Angeles Angels, was a bit overshadowed by the magnitude of what it meant – a game with such a draw that it brought my brother back on a nearly four-hour, red-eye flight after moving to Oregon.

It was a hot ticket that drew a big crowd with even bigger ovations. And before the game, I had intended to have a big day in St. Louis. The weather said otherwise, so I skipped the Arch and sheltered in place with my family at Ballpark Village for nearly five hours.

While waiting out the thunderstorm, we ate at the Cardinals Nation restaurant and explored the Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum, where I noticed this quote among an entire wall of quotes at the start of the museum.

“We’ve got the best fans in St. Louis. A lot of people want to come and play in St. Louis because of the way the fans treat us.”
Albert Pujols

The quote from a man who chose to leave provided the perfect backdrop for his own reunion with those fans years later.

After a deep dive into Cardinals history, we ate more food (snacks) at the Budweiser Brew House (but I also had to save room for a hot dog in the ballpark).

After much eating, standing, sitting, waiting and eating again, we bought ponchos, walked to the the stadium and made our way to our seats (section 447, row 9) for what was about to be a magical night.

Roller Coaster of Big Moments

The rain let up about an hour before game time as if it knew we had an important engagement that couldn’t be postponed.

The first time Pujols came out of the dugout to stretch, I didn’t notice him on the field. Neither team had taken batting practice, and the tarp had been removed only minutes earlier. But I heard the roar of the crowd and caught on as it grew louder (or maybe because my brother told me).

It’s one of those snapshots in time I wish I could relive, screaming along with thousands of people who once felt betrayed by their one-time hero who was now simply stretching before a game. The second booming ovation came when the starting lineup was announced.

But the third ovation was the loudest … and brought a roller coaster of emotions.

Unfortunately, Cardinals starting pitcher Michael Wacha had already given up a run and had a man on third when Pujols came up in the first inning.

Despite the less-than-optimal game situation, we (all 48,423 of us) went from annoyed to ecstatic, greeting Pujols with an ovation that was as long as it was loud and resulted in the most touching moment of the game – a hug with Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina.

Pujols flew out to deep center. (I was relieved. If he was going to get a hit, I wanted it to be with no one on.)

Minutes later, Matt Carpenter led off the bottom of the first. Like Pujols’ extended at-bat, spurred by a crowd that wouldn’t stop cheering, Carpenter’s plate appearance was also interrupted. But this time, it wasn’t the crowd.

An ominous message played over the loudspeakers telling everyone to head to the concourse in a monotone (borderline eerie) voice similar to the National Weather Service messages that play on the radio during severe storm warnings.

But it didn’t say what kind of emergency was happening, and we knew it wasn’t weather-related.

Fans started filing toward the concourse in orderly fashion, impressive for how panic-inducing the situation felt. (Unspeakable thoughts like bombs and shootings raced through my head.) Luckily, before it was my row’s turn to leave, the public address announcer told us it was a false alarm, so everyone sat back down.

Game on.

In a matter of minutes, nearly 50,000 people went from frustration with a starting pitcher to pure adoration of a former superstar to thinking our lives might be in danger and back to wanting to win a ballgame again.

Game Highlights

The Cardinals ultimately ended up winning 5-1, but the box score took a back seat to the moments that made up the game. (And no, I wouldn’t look back on this game as fondly if the Cardinals had lost.)

Along with probably 30 minutes worth of Pujols ovations and a game-stopping emergency alarm, a couple other notable things happened (as in I literally made note of them on my phone).

First baseman Paul Goldschmidt hit a foul ball out of the stadium during his second plate appearance. (Think about that … out of the stadium.) He pulled the ball down the third base line and over the upper deck, making him the only player known to have accomplished this feat in the stadium’s 14 seasons.

And Wacha (a career .093 hitter) got a rare single to right field to add to a solid night on the mound, giving up just one run on five hits over six innings of work.

Left fielder Marcell Ozuna was the hero of the night (aside from Pujols obviously) with three hits and three RBIs, including a solo home run.

We showed our appreciation every time Pujols came to the plate, especially after his infield single in his last at-bat of the night and when he subsequently came out for a pinch runner.

That moment may have been the final time I ever see Albert Pujols play in person. And if it is, this time, he left on good terms.

Busch Stadium’s Where My Heart Is

Away games are fun, colorful and new, but after watching the Cardinals exclusively on the road for five straight games, it felt nice to click my Keds together and end up back at Busch Stadium.

There’s something refreshing about cheering along with your own family and 48,000 fans all wearing the same colors, wanting the same thing.

I’m still going to follow that yellow brick road that leads to the other 29 stadiums, but home will always be my happy place.

Dog Days of March: Ranking Hot Dogs by Memory

Social Distancing Day 9 …

The sports are gone. The good food is gone. I haven’t interacted with a human in nine days. So here we are.

I’ve been to eight ballparks in the past two seasons, and I ate hot dogs at six of them. I’m no food critic, but I do love ballpark hot dogs and ranking things … and I kind of remember how hot dogs taste (like I kind of remember what baseball is like … or you know, human interaction).

#7 (unofficial) Miller Park

The hot dog at the ballpark famous for sausage races may have not lived up to the hype. I was recovering from an unfortunately timed stomach bug at the time, so I didn’t get to eat one myself (thus, the “unofficial” ranking), but from what I hear, Miller Park hot dogs don’t impress.

My brother’s take? “Grossest hot dog I’ve ever eaten in my entire life.”

That seems dramatic, but some people around us shared the same sentiment. The biggest redeeming factor? It was Dollar Dog Day. At Brewers games, maybe you get what you pay for. Let’s hope the everyday dogs are better.

Miller Park’s baked potato game, however, was on point.

Verdict: I don’t know. Maybe eat a baked potato.

#6 Coors Field

In the Mile High City, I went all in on the Denver Dog. This hot dog was not bad. It just wasn’t MY kind of hot dog.

Topped with green chili sauce, jalapenos and what seemed like a mile-high pile of shredded cheddar cheese, the Denver Dog looked delicious, and on paper, it should have been. But I didn’t like all the textures mixed together, especially with the sheer amount of shredded cheese.

It was also incredibly messy to eat … and I may have forgotten what I was doing and touched my eye after eating but before washing my hands. I won’t do that again.

Verdict: Sorry, Rockies, it’s not you. It’s me.

#5 Great American Ball Park

These next two were tough. I thoroughly enjoyed all the hot dogs from here on out, and there wasn’t really anything that set Nos. 4 and 5 apart from each other (I’ve flipped them multiple times.)

It all came down to regretting my decision at Great American Ball Park. I’m not trying to penalize the Reds for offering hot dogs that sound more delicious than the one I chose, but I chose a Nathan’s all-beef frank, and in a weird turn, I wish I would’ve gone with the other basic hot dog option … which means I must’ve not completely loved the one I ate.

(In reality, I wish I would’ve chosen Skyline Chili, but again, I can’t dock Great American Ball Park for having options.)

Verdict: Pretty great American hot dog, but I would change my order next time.

#4 Busch Stadium

I love Busch Stadium hot dogs, and as a Cardinals fan, I’ve eaten a lot of them throughout my life. But the one I ate on the particular night in question wasn’t as great as I know a Busch Stadium hot dog can be.

I had also eaten a giant lunch at Ballpark Village before sitting around for hours waiting out a thunderstorm, so I probably wasn’t the hungriest. I’d still order it again if given the chance and recommend it to anyone asking.

Verdict: Great, but not greatest.

#3 Target Field

I’d consider this one a sleeper. Target Field was fairly generic in my opinion, but the hot dog (even on $1 Wednesday) was anything but.

I respect a hot dog tasty enough to stand on its own without condiments, and this one did just that, packing in a ton of flavor with every bite. And at the low price of $1, it packed in even more value.

The Minnesota Twins don’t skimp when it comes to dollar dogs.

Verdict: The dollar dog at Target Field may be one of the best ways to spend a buck.

#1 (tie) Guaranteed Rate Field, Wrigley Field

Chicago-style hot dog at Guaranteed Rate Field (White Sox)

I get it. Ties are disappointing, but we all root for them when it comes to multiple teams winning a division we have no stake in, so let’s pretend this is that.

I’m putting my anti-Cubs bias aside and handing over the top trophy to both Chicago teams because let’s face it, the town knows its hot dogs.

In most cases, my favorite way to eat a hot dog is plain, on a bun and dipped in ketchup … with the exception of the Chicago dog, which is the real champion here.

(And yes, I realize it’s weird to eat a plain hot dog and dip it in ketchup.)

I can’t crown one single champion. They both exceeded my high expectations, delivering on big flavor from both a hot dog and condiment standpoint.

For those not familiar, Chicago-style hot dogs feature mustard, sport peppers, tomatoes, neon green relish, a dill pickle spear and onions, all on a poppyseed bun. Basically perfection. (I always leave off the onions, though.)

The South Side dog was slightly more beautiful than the North Side one … but only because I loaded up the Wrigley one myself.

Chicago-style hot dog at Wrigley Field (Cubs)

Verdict: As much as it hurts me to say it, Chicago is king when it comes to hot dogs.

Honorable Mention: T-Mobile Park

This one didn’t make the list only because it’s pretty much impossible to rank a fish sandwich against a hot dog. But honestly, if I could have any food right now, I might choose the Ivar Dog (brought to you by a regional fish chain in Washington.)

Maybe I’m just hungry. (I am.) But this fish sandwich is one of the best fish sandwiches I’ve ever eaten in my life. Topped with tartar sauce and coleslaw, this fried cod was also one of the best things I’ve ever eaten at a sporting event.

With a stunning view of Puget Sound just outside the ballpark, a fish dog is the perfect answer to a landlocked stadium’s hot dog. Plus, it’s Lent-friendly if that’s your thing.

Dear Mariners, I want one right now.

Verdict: Does a fried fish sandwich make a good substitute for a hot dog? No. It makes a great one.

Have a good hot dog suggestion? Let me know in the comments.

October: A Love Letter from a Spoiled, Dramatic Cardinals Fan

Everything about October is my favorite, and for the last three years, I’ve had some of the most Octobery Octobers you can imagine.

Pumpkin patches, apple orchards, bonfires, football games – you name a stereotypical October activity, and I probably did that … multiple times, complete with leggings and an oversized sweatshirt.

I lived in shades of mustard, burnt orange, maroon and brown and baked batch after batch of pumpkin cookies.

And you know what all that was? A cry for help.

I’ve come to realize that no amount of candy corn, blanket scarves, corn mazes or scary movies can heal a broken, baseball-less heart.

Ghosts of Octobers Past

Pumpkin is my favorite fall scent, and Mike Shannon is my favorite fall sound. Luckily, Cardinals fans have been spoiled with plenty of postseason baseball for Shannon to call.

In my lifetime, the Cardinals have made 13 trips to the postseason (not counting 2019), 10 to the National League Championship Series and four to the World Series.

I went to my first postseason game in 2002 with my dad. The Cardinals played the Giants in the NLCS. They lost, but my fandom shot to the next level. After seeing a postseason game firsthand, I wanted nothing more than to get there again and win the next time.

Postseason baseball is all the big moments.

It’s Jeff Suppan besting Roger Clemens in Game 7 of the 2004 NLCS with the help of a Jim Edmonds diving catch.

It’s Edmonds’ walk-off homer the night before.

It’s Adam Wainwright striking out Carlos Beltran in Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS to send the Cardinals to the World Series.

It’s being at Busch Stadium with my family in 2006, when the Cardinals won the World Series for the first time in my lifetime.

It’s watching Game 6 of the 2011 World Series with a bunch of Cubs fans.

But it’s also the little things.

It’s stopping on a country road to celebrate a home run in my Mitsubishi Eclipse as I raced home from high school to watch a game.

It’s wearing a Cardinals shirt almost every single day in October during my senior year of high school in 2006.

It’s pouting around a fire after hearing a gut-wrenching Cardinals’ loss at my family’s yearly bonfire in the woods – one of my favorite days of the year under normal circumstances.

It’s crying on my college apartment balcony an hour or so after Game 6 because I still couldn’t believe the Cardinals won.

I want that back.

The Cardinals missed the playoffs the last three seasons, and in their most recent appearance, they lost to the Cubs in the NLDS. It’s time.

Road to the Postseason

On Sunday, the Cardinals locked up the National League Central title with a 9-0 win over the Cubs in St. Louis. They had clinched a playoff berth in Chicago the weekend prior with a four-game sweep against the same foe.

Sound stress-free? It wasn’t.

Much like the entire season, the series in Chicago was a wild ride.

In the first game, the Cardinals gave up a 4-1 lead in the ninth, only to kill the Cubs rally with a Matt Carpenter homer in the 10th.

That home run set the stage for three more dramatic one-run wins, each in come-from-behind fashion. The final win secured at least a wild card spot and knocked the Cubs out of the division race.

Later that week, the Cardinals, riding a six-game winning streak, found themselves in a 19-inning marathon in Arizona after scoring one run in the first and giving up one run in the ninth.

A frustrated me was glued to the TV for the nearly seven-hour affair that ended after the clock struck 3:30 CT on a Wednesday morning.

The early-morning loss in the desert sent the Redbirds on a four-game losing skid. The second-place Brewers wouldn’t go away, and the magic number was still three going into the final weekend.

That weekend, the Rockies swept the Brewers. (Thank you, Colorado.) And the Cardinals salvaged a game after dropping the first two to the Cubs, winning 9-0 on Sunday to clinch the division title.

October Baseball

It’s October, and postseason baseball is in the air on this NLDS eve as I burn a pumpkin candle with “Nightmare on Elm Street” playing in the background.

I don’t intend to miss out on the pumpkin patches, bonfires or haunted houses.

But tomorrow, the Cardinals play baseball. And that’s my favorite kind of October.

Ready to Rock(ies) in Colorado

It’s a week into September. The Cardinals have a 4.5-game lead in the NL Central, and the magic number is 16 (as of Sunday night).

I’m heading to Coors Field for my eighth of 30 ballparks on a mission to increase that lead and decrease that magic number in a Tuesday-night duel with the Colorado Rockies.

It’s been a three-season eternity since the Cardinals last made the playoffs, and I miss my baseball-centric Octobers. After a season of hairpin turns, dizzying drops and equally dizzying ascents, here we are with 19 games left.

But even this coaster enthusiast would prefer a drama-free push in the final three weeks. And that final three-week push begins Tuesday night in Denver, when the Redbirds take on the Rockies in the first of a three-game set.

Rockies History Lesson

What do I know about Rockies history and Coors Field? Not much. Expansion team, Matt Holliday, Todd Helton, altitude-induced home runs galore. That’s about it without researching. (Oh yeah, and Larry Walker.)

The Rockies played their first season in 1993, making Coors Field the first venue I’ve visited that houses a team younger than me. They played in the original Mile High Stadium for two seasons before moving to Coors in 1995.

Coors Field is over 5,000 feet above sea level and has a humidor to store baseballs in an attempt to offset the effects of altitude.

The Rockies have made the playoffs in five seasons (1995, 2007, 2009, 2017, 2018), most recently beating the Cubs in the wild card game last year before losing to the Brewers in the NLDS. (So yeah, they’re kind of a hero.)

The Rockies only World Series appearance came in 2007, when they were swept by the Red Sox. (Sound familiar?)

Notable Cardinals Connections

Former Cardinals Holliday and Walker each spent much of their stellar careers in Colorado, and the Cardinals acquired the late Darryl Kile from the Rockies in November 1999.

Current Cardinals outfielder Dexter Fowler started his career in Colorado, playing five seasons there after being called up in September 2008.

Game Preview
Cardinals vs. Rockies
Coors Field
Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2019
6:40 p.m. MT
Probable starting pitchers: STL Michael Wacha (RHP) vs. COL Chi Chi Gonzalez (RHP)

The Cardinals are 81-62 and 7-3 in their last 10 going into the series. The Rockies are 60-84 and 1-9 in their last 10. They’re currently last in the NL West.

Personal Game Notes
– The Cardinals are 5-2 when I attend games specifically for Ballparking It.
– This is my second Tuesday game, the other resulting in a win over the White Sox for Ballpark No. 4.
– This marks my first game at an NL West opponent’s stadium in the Ballparking It era.
– This ballpark is home to the youngest organization (the first younger than me) that I’ve seen the Cardinals face in the Ballparking It era.
– This is my first game as a 31-year-old.

#SpookySummer Continues

On my last trip, I tagged on two hotels famous for being tied to spooky on-screen tales – the Timberline Lodge (as seen as the Overlook Hotel in Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of “The Shining”) and Salish Lodge (as seen as the Great Northern Hotel in “Twin Peaks”).

This time around, I’ll be taking a night tour of The Stanley Hotel, which helped inspire Stephen King’s “The Shining” … because well, all work and no play makes Nicole a dull girl.

(Spoiler alert, that line isn’t in the book, but it’s still pretty relevant.)

Ballpark #7: Bring the Fireworks

After an emotional Ballpark No. 6, I headed out west to compose myself and to experience the Pacific Northwest, including Ballpark No. 7 – T-Mobile Park, home of the Mariners.

That Pacific Northwest feeling at Yaquina Head Lighthouse

I arrived in Oregon on Friday night (more accurately, Saturday morning) and plan to drive up to Washington on Wednesday for Fireworks Night and a July 3 meeting between the St. Louis Cardinals and Seattle Mariners.

I don’t have any significant memories of the Mariners other than playing “Ken Griffey Jr.’s Slugfest” on N64.

(It was never my favorite MLB video game, but the commercial was definitely something.)

The only things I knew about Mariners history before researching it were that they boast a couple megastar alumni (Junior and Ichiro Suzuki) and strung together one phenomenal regular season at some point in my lifetime.

Mariners History Lesson

The Mariners are a 1977 expansion team that didn’t finish a season above .500 until 1991. They originally played in the Kingdome and moved to Safeco Field (renamed T-Mobile Park in 2019) in 1999.

Two years later (Ichiro’s rookie year), they posted the most-ever wins by an AL team, finishing 116-46. They went on to lose to the Yankees in the ALCS that season.

The Mariners have made three American League Championship Series appearances (1995, 2000, 2001) but haven’t made it to the postseason since.

Cardinals Connections

Three former Redbirds play for the Mariners, and one is scheduled to start on Wednesday, when Mike Leake takes the mound against former teammate Adam Wainwright.

(The other two are starting pitcher Marco Gonzales, which is how the Cardinals acquired Tyler O’Neill, and Sam Tuivailala, who is on a rehab assignment after an Achilles injury sidelined him last season.)

Game Preview
Cardinals vs. Mariners
T-Mobile Park
Wednesday, July 3, 2019
7:10 p.m. PT
Probable starting pitchers: STL Adam Wainwright (RHP) vs. SEA Mike Leake (RHP)

The Cardinals had a magical Albert Pujols weekend but have since struggled yet again. Going into the series, they are 41-41 but only three games out in the division (as of right now when I’m writing this because the Brewers already lost today).

Seattle got off to a hot 8-1 start in April but quickly crashed and burned. The Mariners now sit at a dismal 37-51 going into the series and are 18 games out of the AL West.

Personal Game Notes
– The Cardinals are 4-2 when I attend games specifically for Ballparking It.
– This marks the second time they’ve faced a former Cardinals starting pitcher when I’m in attendance. (The last resulted in a Cardinals victory over Lance Lynn and the Twins at Ballpark No. 2.)
– This is my second stadium with a retractable roof. (The last resulted in a loss to the Brewers at Ballpark No. 3.)
– The Cards are 2-0 when I’ve seen them at AL stadiums in the Ballparking It era.
– This is my second Wednesday game (the other being Ballpark No. 2) and first time repeating a specific weekday on this journey.

On Deck: #SpookySummer

I’m in the middle of Spooky Summer 2019 – Halloween all year long, so I’m making a pit stop in Snoqualmie, Washington, to channel my inner special agent Dale Cooper and celebrate Fourth of July Twin Peaks style. Who killed Laura Palmer, anyone?

I’m also planning to hit up Timberline Lodge (as seen in “The Shining”) on my way back to where I’m staying in Oregon.

Maybe I’ll even find Bigfoot. #believe

Six Is a Serious Number

And … we’re back – Season 2, Episode 1, Ballpark No. 6.

Like any good Cardinals fan, I saved the best for sixth. It’s Busch Stadium time, and it’s a very special episode.

My sixth of 30 ballparks and first as a 30-year-old takes me to St. Louis for the grand return of Albert Pujols. And after five road games, I’m ready to root, root, root for the home team.

Six is special. Stan Musial (lovingly known as Stan the Man) wore No. 6.

Stan Musial statue — “Here stands baseball’s perfect warrior. Here stands baseball’s perfect knight.”

The stadium opened in 2006. The first World Series the Cardinals won in my lifetime was in 2006, and all Redbirds fans probably know On the Run Mobil’s “six is a serious number” bop.

I’ve been to Busch Stadium many times but never as a 30-year-old on a ballparking mission.

I don’t remember my first Cardinals game. I vaguely remember going to a game at old Busch with my cousins, sitting in the shade because it was hot and eating ice cream, but I have no idea whether or not that was my first game or how old I was.

I do remember my first game at new Busch Stadium, which also happened to be its inaugural game, Opening Day 2006.

I also remember the game I truly fell in love with the new ballpark, allowing it to surpass old Busch on my list of favorite places – Game 5 of the 2006 World Series, the clincher.

I (along with all Game 4 ticket holders) ended up seeing Game 5 rather than Game 4 because of a fortunately timed rainout two days prior. But that’s a story for another time.

I’ve been a Cardinals fan my entire life, and it got serious in 2002 when I went to a playoff game between San Francisco and St. Louis at old Busch, and former Giant Kenny Lofton almost got in a fight. I’ve been a die-hard fan ever since.

New Busch Stadium may be only 13 years old, but in that time, it’s hosted three World Series (2006, 2011, 2013), five National League Championship Series (2006, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014) and has seen postseason play in two additional seasons (2009, 2015).

It’s boasted two World Series champions (2006 and 2011) and hosted an All-Star Game in 2009.

Ballpark No. 6 is the most decorated venue I will have visited thus far.

Quick Cardinals History Lesson

The soon-to-be Cardinals joined the National League in 1892, when they were known as the Browns. They changed their name to the Cardinals in 1900.

They’ve since won 11 World Series (1926, 1931, 1934, 1942, 1944, 1946, 1964, 1967, 1982, 2006, 2011), the most in the National League and second-most in all of Major League Baseball (behind the Yankees’ 27).

The Cards’ current home is the third iteration of Busch Stadium, preceded by the coliseum-style Busch Stadium II (1966-2005) and original Busch Stadium, first called Sportsman’s Park (1920-1965). The Redbirds also played at Robinson Field, League Park and Union Park.

Pujols Homecoming

This game will mark the first time Albert Pujols and the Los Angeles Angels will play in Busch Stadium since No. 5 left in 2011. The three-time MVP will get one of the longest ovations of all time. Welcome back, Pujols. You can read all about what it means in my Pujols Homecoming post.

Game Preview
Angels vs. Cardinals
Busch Stadium
Friday, June 21, 2019
7:15 p.m. CT
Probable starting pitchers: LAA Griffin Canning (RHP) vs. STL Michael Wacha (RHP)

The Cardinals had the best record in baseball (20-10) at the end of the day on May 1 with a three-game lead in the NL Central. Then, the rest of May happened. The Cardinals went 9-18 that month (including the May 1 win).

As of the wee hours of June 20 (when I wrote this), they’ve stabilized somewhat, sitting only two games back in the division (thanks to a weak NL Central) at 38-35, and they’ve won seven of their last 10 (thanks to playing the Marlins a lot in the last week and a half).

The Angels are 38-37 and are also 7-3 in their last 10.

Will the Cardinals get back to their winning April ways, or were we all just April fools? We might not know until late September.

Note: I’m 3-2 in the Ballparking It era, and this will mark my first Friday game.

Pujols Homecoming: One More Dance

I don’t remember the first time I saw Albert Pujols play. He just kind of slipped into my everyday consciousness in the early 2000s and stayed there for a decade.

Pujols was a phenom, the lead singer on the soundtrack to my summers from junior high to college. I was lucky enough to see him play at both old Busch and new Busch on many occasions.

I wore his T-shirt, once bright red, until it was faded and stained. He gave me two rings. The bobblehead version of him was my voice of reason during the 2006 World Series run.

Me: Will we score this inning?

Pujols: Nods

Me: Nods back

With Pujols, the highs were oh so high. The Cardinals were perennial contenders. It was almost shocking if they weren’t in the NLCS.

During his St. Louis tenure, he brought home two World Series championships and made it to a third, won three MVPs, made nine All-Star rosters, was named Rookie of the Year … I could keep going.

He hit for power and for average, and in some ways, that feels old school now.

He was (and still is) one of the good ones, a family man, a charity guy. His Pujols Family Foundation helped (and still helps) kids with Down syndrome.

I consider Oct. 27, 2006, one of the greatest nights of my life, the first time my team won a championship in my lifetime. I was 18, a senior in high school. I wrote a 15-page paper about that World Series run, and Pujols was instrumental in making it all happen.

He was never my favorite player. That would have been like picking Michael Jordan. Too easy. No, he was my hero.

My hero gave me too many memorable moments to count – playoff runs, multi-home run games, clubhouse celebrations.

Both World Series wins and the 2004 NLCS top my list for Cardinals moments involving Pujols, but my favorite purely Pujols moment came in Game 5 of the 2005 NLCS when he broke Houston Astros closer Brad Lidge.

The Cardinals were down 3-1 in the series and trailing 4-2 in the top of the ninth. A David Eckstein single and Jim Edmonds walk set the stage for the knockout punch, one of Pujols’ most dramatic home runs of all time.

He sent the ball into orbit, Lidge’s career into a tailspin and the series back to St. Louis for Game 6, which the Cardinals ultimately lost, but that night, he was superhuman.

Six years and two World Series wins later, I was on the receiving end of the gut punch.

The Breakup

On Dec. 8, 2011, I went to my graduate assistant job as usual. Cardinals fans (including me) were on Pujols watch, waiting to see when he’d sign a contract and where he’d end up.

I knew he would stay in St. Louis, be a lifer, get a statue equal in size to Stan Musial’s, become a legend. I just knew it. No amount of money would take my hero away from Baseball Heaven.

I was wrong. I got a text from my brother sometime that morning (or maybe I texted him), and everything went downhill from there.

At some point, I realized I had been pulling all of the tape out of the tape dispenser for no reason. I spent the morning staring off into space in a haze and apparently making a mess.

I remember someone in the office saying, “It’s OK. Pujols wasn’t even the best player anyway,” in reference to 2011 World Series hero David Freese. Girl, please.

Money, dollar signs, cha-ching – my hero is a sellout. Everyone has a price. Those were the lessons I thought I learned that day.

I went through the motions of my afternoon, narrating them as I went.

“This is the first time (insert action) since I heard the news.” Again and again and again. I was a really strong mixture of sad and angry.

I threw away my overworn Pujols T-shirt, once much loved by its owner as evidenced by its stains. It was an intentional decision, not just a spur-of-the-moment reaction. I wanted to burn it but refrained.

Life moved on, and so did I. It didn’t hurt that the Cardinals also moved on quite well. The Redbirds reached the NLCS in 2012, World Series in 2013 and NLCS once again in 2014.

Over time, just as Pujols slipped into my everyday consciousness in 2001, my animosity toward him slipped right back out.

In recent years, I’ve occasionally flipped to Angels games to watch him chase milestones. He still makes me smile.

He’s no longer my hero, but he was for some of the most formative years of my life, and nothing will ever change that.

Homecoming

There have been seven full seasons of Pujols-less baseball in Busch Stadium since he left, but it’s finally time to welcome back an old friend.

(Cue whatever homecoming-themed song is your preference. Mine will always be Diddy.)

On Friday night, Yadier Molina, one of three remaining Cardinals who played with Pujols, will slowly dust off home plate while we give Pujols an hourlong standing ovation. (If there’s a rainout, he better at least give the fans a tarp slide.)

It will be a final magical chapter in the Pujols saga, but I still like to think that in a different timeline, Pujols stayed.

I keep my stained and faded T-shirt packed away for special occasions – all seven World Series titles we’ve won since then. His plantar fasciitis keeps him out of the lineup from time to time, but there is never any question of who will be playing first base each spring.

He stayed in my everyday consciousness, and his bobblehead has stood on my desk the whole time. Cardinals fans lose their minds every time he nears his next milestone. His statue is already being built, and everyone knows which hat he’ll wear when he inevitably goes into the Hall of Fame.

He still gets regular curtain calls and messes with Fredbird once in a while. He’s a St. Louis legend, always a Cardinal, the greatest of all time.

A Pujols highlight reel still runs through my head every now and then, and on Friday, I’ll be looking at the real thing for the first time in a long time.

Someday, maybe I’ll watch a game with bobblehead Pujols again, reminiscing about the old times while witnessing yet another World Series championship run.

Albert, thanks for being a big part of my summer soundtrack for all those years. Thanks for the rings, the smiles, the stories, the memories. You’ll always be my generation’s baseball hero. Let’s forget the bad times and do this thing again. One more dance?

It’s a Metaphor

My brain typically works in metaphors, oftentimes sports-related, other times fairy tales or sci-fi plots … the usual. I can connect almost any life situation to an episode of “Community” or (more recently) a Queen song.

I like connections, symbolism, finding hidden meanings, surprise jokes. I’m better at math the more abstract it is. (For instance, I aced algebra through calculus, but I can’t make change on the spot at all whatsoever.)

Anyway, when I started this blog and chose a name, I realized it was a pun, and I liked it because it gave me a cushion, a little room to play around.

I would physically go to ballparks, but I could kind of talk about anything because I could relate almost any topic and claim it’s “in the ballpark.” Nothing needed to be exact because I’d just be “ballparking it.”

I’m disappointed it took me over a year to figure out the real metaphor.

I recently spent a week battling allergies (or a cold?) that hit all the usual stages – sore throat, uncontrollable sneezing, runny nose, congestion and uncontrollable coughing (the stage I’m in as I type this). My living room is a mess, and so are my kitchen and bedroom. I feel like I’ve lost a week to this surprise sinus misadventure.

The idea of my trashed apartment, Rudolphian nose and the ever-changing pressure in my head (which reminds me of a Queen song) got me thinking. This week didn’t go as planned, but hey, that’s life.

This led to another thought – how neglected my blog has been. Part of it has been actual busyness and legitimate excuses, and part of it is how indecisive I am and that I would rather watch a television show or baseball game than commit to what I want to say and publish it.

And that thought led me one step further. No matter how much planning, plotting or daydreaming goes into a project, we all kind of (educatedly) guess and check our way through life to some degree. Sometimes the result is what we imagined, and sometimes it isn’t.

We’re all just kind of ballparking it.

I thought Ballparking It was a symbol and celebration of turning 30 and starting a new chapter, and it is, but maybe that’s secondary. It turns out, I’ve been “ballparking it” since 1988, and my baseball road trips are no exception.

I got rained on at my first ballpark, threw up before the Brewers game, made what seemed like every wrong turn trying to get to Target Field, found out I don’t understand roundabouts at all, did the Mall of America with a next-level migraine and have revised my year two ballpark itinerary probably more times than I even remember right now.

Did I quit? No. I popped open an umbrella, rallied with a ballpark baked potato, found the Target Field parking lot, made it out of each and every roundabout I entered, discovered just how soothing the Mall of America Ninja Turtles ride can be and fully intend to visit multiple ballparks this year.

Shell Shock at Nickelodeon Universe in the Mall of America

Sometimes you put your hand in bird poop at the Ozzie Smith statue, and you know what? That’s OK. You can wash it off at Ballpark Village.

(This is literally what I did the night before the 2018 PGA Championship.)

Birds poop. (And that is not a commentary on any Cardinals losing trend, but it could be.) Does that mean they poop all over your dreams and you give up if something isn’t quite how you’d guessed it would be? Nope. You just keep ballparking it.

Maybe I accidentally (on purpose) get months (or a year) behind on posts. Maybe I’d rather rank songs or write about a TV show one day than recap a ballpark. Maybe I realize I’m more of a vacationer than a traveler. Maybe the Cardinals lay a big fat turd in the month of May. (Birds do poop, remember?)

If any of these not-so-hypothetical situations come up, I can just roll up my sleeves, rinse my hands, write the posts I want to write and enjoy (and hope the Cardinals have a better June).

Yes, I’m literally visiting 30 ballparks for turning 30, but no matter how old I am, like every other human, I’ll always be ballparking it.

That’s what this blog is, not a travel blog and not just the next chapter, but all the bird poop, random thoughts and roundabouts along the way.

How Friendly Are These Confines? A Cardinals Fan at Wrigley

For my fifth of 30 ballparks, I’m back in Chicago with yet another set of free tickets, but this time, it’s on the North Side at the second-oldest ballpark in the MLB. This one is special. (Let me explain.)

Cardinals win at Wrigley — My first game inside Wrigley (Cardinals win!)

I’ve been to two games at Wrigley Field, both pre-Ballparking It and both Cardinals-Cubs. The Cardinals won the first (2016), and the Cubs won the second (2017). I preferred the first. Plus, I’ve watched one game from a rooftop (2012).

This is the first time I’ll be at the Friendly Confines on this 30-ballpark adventure. Wrigley was built in 1914, and the Cubs have won three World Series, including back-to-back titles in 1907 and 1908. (You do the math. Before 2016, no World Series winner had ever called Wrigley Field home.)

Me and the Cubs

I’m a die-hard Cardinals fan.

As any good fan of the Redbirds, I dislike the Cubs almost as much as I love the Cardinals. Some of my favorite historic moments in Cubs history are Steve Bartman in Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS and the 1964 Lou Brock trade.

My favorite player to ever wear Cubbie blue is Jim Edmonds. (And the fact that he ever did still makes me slightly queasy.)

My favorite moment of this season so far (and maybe one of my favorite endings to a game ever) happened when Cub-turned-Cardinal Dexter Fowler hit a walk-off homer in the wee hours of the morning in the bottom of the 14th after two rain delays and after the Cubs had taken the lead in the top half of that inning. (The Cardinals had walked it off the day before as well.)

I was sleepy and had almost gone to bed but decided I had come too far and didn’t want to miss a potential comeback. As soon as Fowler hit it, I was bouncing around my living room and laughing uncontrollably. I was suddenly wide awake and full of energy as the clock hit 1 a.m. CT on a work night.

Coming from central Illinois, where the Cardinals-Cubs rivalry is red hot, I’ve seen how fun the rivalry can be. I grew up with Cubs fans. In fact, some of my best friends from grade school through high school were Cubs fans. One of my uncles is a Cubs fan.

Was I happy for any of them when the 2016 World Series rolled around? Absolutely not.

That’s not how rivalries work.

Let me take you back.

It was a dark and stormy night … literally. I sat on my loveseat, alone in my living room, typing away on a writing project I’ve yet to finish nearly two years later.

The only light was the soft glow of my laptop and the flickering of the candles I had lit that evening.

The Cardinals had missed the postseason for the first time since 2010, and when that happens, I don’t watch postseason baseball. (For reference, I didn’t realize who won the 2010 World Series until spring training was about to start the following year.)

This particular night, the unthinkable was about to happen. The Cubs had played their way to Game 7 of the World Series after being down three games to one.

I didn’t dare turn on my TV, and I do not regret that decision one bit.

The game had a rain delay in Cleveland, and I believe I stayed on the phone with my brother from the delay to when the 108-year World Series drought came to a close.

In the aftermath, I did what I typically do when I’m feeling down – listen to sad music. It was a cold, rainy November night, so I ended up listening to “November Rain” (obviously) on repeat, still alone, still in the dark.

I’m dramatic. I get that. (In retrospect, it was maybe a little too on the nose, but I was sitting in the dark with candles, so …)

The next day, I discovered that so many people I never even thought knew the word baseball were apparently Cubs “fans.” How exciting. Yay.

I was told over and over that I should be happy for them and that the moment was historic. Cool. The entire ordeal was pretty nightmarish.

Would I wish any of these feelings on my worst enemies (or in this case, dear friends who happen to be die-hard Cubs fans)? Yes. Every single year.

I hope they were just as angry and dramatic when the Cardinals won in 2006 and 2011 and that they are just as angry and dramatic every time the Cardinals win the World Series from now through eternity. I have to believe they’d want the same for me.

I would never want a Cubs fan hopping on a Cardinals bandwagon, and I believe my Cubs counterparts feel the same.

That’s how rivalries work.

You can be friends, but you also each hope the other ends up feeling a little bit miserable at the end of every season.

Is the rivalry at its most fun when both teams are good? Nope. I had a really fun time all those years the Cubs weren’t in the division race at all.

Again, that’s a rivalry. It’s hoping your team is always great and that your rival is always a bottom-dweller.

Can I still appreciate Wrigley Field? I tend to romanticize old things. I can tell you right now, I don’t have that problem with Wrigley, but I do appreciate it as a ballpark and as a place for me to get my hot dog fix (and I fully intend to get another Chicago-style hot dog at this game).

I realize that for every fan like me, there is probably someone who grew up a die-hard Cubs fans, cheering every time the Cardinals came up short in the NLCS or World Series.

It’s almost fun to think the mirror image of me exists somewhere cheering and hoping for exactly what I’m cheering and hoping against.

For every Cardinals fan who adores Stan Musial or Bob Gibson, there’s probably a Cubs fan who feels the same way about Ernie Banks. Our histories are different (eight World Series rings different to be exact), but maybe (for the long-time fans) our passion is the same.

I’m going to experience Wrigley Field the only way I know how – as a Cardinals fan. There are other teams I dislike but none as much as I dislike the Cubs, so this is the first (and only) ballpark where I can feel this particular way.

I’m sure die-hard Cubs fans feel the same way about Busch Stadium, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Like I said earlier, this ballpark is special. Here’s to being friends but wishing each other miserable baseball seasons for years to come.

Game Preview
Cardinals vs. Cubs
Wrigley Field
Thursday, July 19, 2018
6:05 p.m. CT
Probable starting pitchers: STL Carlos Martinez (RHP) vs. CHC Kyle Hendricks (RHP)

The Cardinals are 7 1/2 games behind the Cubs in the NL Central coming out of the All-Star break and fired manager Mike Matheny last week. My trip to Guaranteed Rate Field was his final win.

Side note, to fact check, I searched for “Cleveland Indians postseason 2016.” I wasn’t about to type that unmentionable event any other way on my laptop.

Back at It for Illini Night at Guaranteed Rate Field

Occasionally, you get lucky enough for someone to offer you free baseball tickets. If you get really lucky, those tickets are for seats right behind the dugout on a night your team is in town, and it just so happens, so is your alma mater.

This is the dream scenario I’m living this week at my fourth ballpark, Guaranteed Rate Field, when the Chicago White Sox host the St. Louis Cardinals and former Flyin’ Illini great Kendall Gill throws out the ceremonial first pitch.

Low-quality photo of my first White Sox game, pre-Ballparking It

The Tuesday evening affair will mark my first night game of the season and the second time I’ll see a DH in the lineup.

I could have used this post as a cautionary tale about the importance of naming rights (or the lack of importance of the DH). I didn’t, but I do find it worth mentioning that the state of Illinois (my home state) owns the ballpark, so the White Sox are kind of Illinois’ MLB team.

In fact, if I had to pick an American League team to follow, I might pick the White Sox, somewhat due to proximity but mostly due to the whole enemy of my enemy thing. (Side note, I’m pretty sure White Sox was the name of my team during the rookie season of my two-year T-ball career.)

Like two of the other teams whose ballparks I’ve visited this season (the Reds and Twins), the White Sox won a World Series in my lifetime before the Cardinals did.

In 2005, the year the White Sox won, the Cardinals were 100-62 in the regular season but lost (heartbreakingly) to the Houston Astros in the National League Championship Series. The Sox were 99-63 in the regular season and beat the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the American League Championship Series.

I have a tendency to avoid any mention of baseball once the Cardinals are eliminated (I’m a baby like that), so I’m pretty confident I did not watch any of the White Sox-Astros World Series. The only thing I vaguely remember about the South Siders winning it all is their rendition of “Don’t Stop Believing” and how glad I was that the Sox made it to three rings before their North Side rivals did.

The White Sox have been around since 1901 and have three World Series titles (1906, 1917 and 2005). Guaranteed Rate Field (formerly called U.S. Cellular Field) opened in 1991 as a second Comiskey Park. The Sox played at the original Comiskey Park from 1910 t0 1990 and before that, they played at the 39th Street Grounds from 1900 to 1910.

My History with the Ballpark

I’ve been to the current ballpark before but not during the Ballparking It era and not when it was called Guaranteed Rate. (As I declared in my original post, I started back at zero.)

Low-quality photo of my first White Sox game, pre-Ballparking It

The first time around (Aug. 20, 2014), I also had a free ticket and great view, thanks to a friend from college. The Orioles beat the Sox that night, but he, another friend and I shared a nacho helmet, and nothing says friendship like eating nachos from a helmet.

This Time Around

I’m not a huge fan of Chicago. Is that mostly because of the Cubs? Maybe. But I cannot deny that Chicago does two things really, really well – hot dogs and pizza.

(It’s almost 1 a.m. while I’m writing this, and I really want a hot dog covered in sport peppers with a dill pickle spear right now.)

Last time I went to a White Sox game, I got a basic hot dog (in addition to the nachos). This time, I want a Chicago-style one. At Guaranteed Rate Field, it’s called a Comiskey Dog.

(If I don’t eat a Comiskey Dog, it better be because I ate deep-dish pizza instead.)

I enjoy baseball history as much as the food, so I’m excited to check out the White Sox Legends Sculpture Plaza in the outfield to learn more about the franchise.

I wish the White Sox also had a full museum at the ballpark to offer an inside look at both the good and the bad of their history, including the 1919 Black Sox Scandal. It would be fascinating to see how they approach the topic of allegedly throwing a World Series. (The Reds were on the winning side of that World Series, but I didn’t specifically look for anything about it in the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum when I was there in April.)

Illini Night

Like many teams, the White Sox host special theme nights, and the game I’m going to happens to be one of my personal favorites, Illini Night. (I didn’t realize it until a couple days ago, but I’m glad it worked out that way.)

I’ve been to one Illini Night at Busch Stadium (in 2017) and had a blast.

I had to miss Illini Night at Busch Stadium this year (because I was still in Minnesota after the Twins game). I did, however, see former Illini and current PGA golfer Steve Stricker throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Brewers game in May, so I will have seen former Illini stars throw out first pitches in back-to-back games.

Game Preview
Cardinals vs. White Sox
Guaranteed Rate Field
Tuesday, July 10, 2018
7:10 p.m. CT
Probable starting pitchers: STL Miles Mikolas (RHP) vs. CWS Dylan Covey (RHP)

The Cardinals have struggled off and on this season and have hit a rough patch as of late. The White Sox have struggled the entire season and are in somewhat of a rebuild mode. They’re on a five-game losing skid.

Recent All-Star Game selection Miles Mikolas (9-3, 2.63 ERA) will be on the bump once again for the Cardinals, marking the third time (out of four) he has pitched in a game I’ve attended this year. (The Cardinals are 2-0 when I see a Mikolas start so far this season.)

Big thank you to my brother’s work friend, who hooked us up with these awesome tickets. Thanks, man.

Also, another thank you to my brother’s college friend, who gave me my first White Sox ticket.