Tag: St. Louis

First Up, Great American Ball Park

My birthday is still more than four months away, but I’m starting the party early by kicking off my 30-ballparks-for-turning-30 multiyear celebration this weekend.

My first stop? Great American Ball Park, home to professional baseball’s first team, the Cincinnati Reds. (I didn’t know that fun fact when I bought the tickets.)

I’m not a Reds baseball buff, but I remember when Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 500th home run on Father’s Day at old Busch and recognize the names of some of their Hall of Famers (or would-be Hall of Famers if not banned from baseball … looking at you, Pete Rose).

Griffey is one of my favorite non-Cardinals of all time, and weirdly enough, my favorite Cardinal of all time, Jim Edmonds, played his final major league game in a Reds uniform.

On this particular ballpark adventure, I’m hoping to learn more about the Big Red Machine at the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum and see what all the Skyline Chili hype is about.

I’ve been to Cincinnati once to go to Kings Island, probably around the year 2000, but I’ve never been to a baseball game there. (Kings Island had a strong roller coaster game, though, so I recommend going if you like that sort of thing.)

I have some fond memories of watching games at Great American Ball Park on TV (or in one case, listening on the radio), and I hope to see in person where these special moments took place.

Here are my top three Great American Ball Park moments as a Cardinals fan.

3. Cardinals’ seven-run, ninth-inning comeback on May 2, 2005

When the inning started, the Cards were down 9-3. After a couple walks and a hit, Reds closer Danny Graves was brought in to clean up the mess and instead, basically imploded.

I believe it was the Cardinals’ biggest ninth-inning comeback at the time, and I got to enjoy the whole thing from my parents’ living room. (Looking back at the box score and play-by-play still makes me pretty happy.)

2. First-inning brawl on August 10, 2010

Brandon Phillips had run his mouth the night before. Yadier Molina didn’t appreciate it. Tempers flared, and we got ourselves an old-fashioned baseball brawl.

I eventually saw the fight on TV but first heard it on the radio while driving home from college. Mike Shannon called the fight beautifully, and that’s when I decided he’d be an excellent boxing commentator.

Disclaimer: I recognize that this brawl contributed to ending then-Cardinals backup catcher (and coincidentally, former Reds catcher) Jason LaRue’s career, and that’s not OK.

1. Jim Edmonds’ home run robbery skills from July 16, 2004

Edmonds had multiple great plays at Great American Ball Park … and pretty much everywhere else, too. His reaction makes this catch one of my favorite defensive plays of all time.

Game Preview
Cardinals vs. Reds
Great American Ball Park
Saturday, April 14, 2018
1:10 p.m. ET
Probable starting pitchers: STL Miles Mikolas (RHP) vs. CIN Cody Reed (LHP)

Going into the series, the Cardinals were 5-7, and the Reds were 2-9. The Cards cruised to a 13-4 win in the first of the four-game series. Then I wrote this blog post.

I’m ready to hit the road for my first of 30 destinations. Will Great American Ball Park live up to its name? I’m about to find out.

Opening Day Vibes

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.

Clydesdales 2006
Clydesdales on Opening Day 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.

Opening Day 2006
Me on Opening Day 2006

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.

Me eating chicken tenders on Opening Day 2006

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.

Motorcade on Opening Day 2006

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

I’m Doing This

I turn 30 later this year, and to celebrate, I’ve decided that, along with eating a LOT of birthday cake (obviously), I’m going to start making progress toward my goal of visiting all 30 major league ballparks.

Me and my dad at Ballpark Village in 2017

I’m a baseball fan, more specifically, a St. Louis Cardinals fan. I’ve been one for as long as I can remember. I’ve also enjoyed writing for as long as I can remember, and in fact, I’m a copywriter by day and (very slowly) working on a novel in my free time.

I’ve always wanted to start a blog, and I’ve always wanted to see all 30 ballparks. Around the time I turned 29, I realized 30 parks for turning 30 is the perfect excuse to do both.

I’m not exactly sure how my journey will play out, but I plan to visit 4-6 new MLB stadiums, plus some other venues, each year and share my adventures, tips, successes and failures here. Aside from that, I’m going to work out the details as I go. (If you know me, you know that’s not typically how I operate, so this is a big step.)

I’ve already been to Busch Stadium (II and III), Dodger Stadium, AT&T Park, Wrigley Field and Guaranteed Rate Field (ha, sorry, it’s a great ballpark, but I can’t type the name without laughing).

I’m visiting all five of those ballparks again. St. Louis and Chicago are close to where I live, and I’ll be traveling to Anaheim and Oakland anyway, so why not head over to L.A. and San Francisco while I’m out west?

It’s been a long offseason, and I can’t wait to get started. Follow along as I knock off all 30 ballparks, eat plenty of hot dogs, explore the surrounding cities and chat about all sorts of other stuff along the way. And don’t worry if you’re not a Cardinals fan. This isn’t a blog about the Cardinals. (I’m just stating my biases and loyalties upfront.)

Plus, I’m also a huge college basketball fan and an Olympics nerd, so I’ll probably be talking about other types of “ballparks” if baseball isn’t your thing. I’m passionate about good television as well, and nothing is off limits as long as it’s in the ballpark. (Get it? I’m trying to be punny.)

I’m more than a little proud of myself for typing this here and publishing it. Anyone who knows me knows I’m one of the most indecisive humans on this planet … but here we go. I’m doing this.