700 Clark Ave, St. Louis, MO 63102 (8/18/2018) – CB
Two days and a 4-hour bus ride from Kansas City later, I arrive under the shadow of the Gateway Arch, and inside the third incarnation of Busch Stadium. From 18th and Vine to 8th and Pine, I couldn’t wait to experience a ballgame in a city which has fervently rooted for their local 9 since the Grover Cleveland administration, and within his first term to boot! At this moment, I was looking forward to being one of the many attentive spectators of this competitive 2018 NL Central race. Time for some sun and suds in the Rome of the West (sure, I’ll use this outdated city nickname)!
Game Time! (vs. Milwaukee Brewers – 8/18/2018): During game day, I noticed a little more of a buzz around Ballpark Village than what I initially expected. Walking over to Fox Sports Midwest Live!, an amalgam of bars and restaurants similar to that of South Philadelphia, there was a strong presence of echoes of microphones before stepping though the door. It was right then that I noticed that we strolled into the middle of the Cardinals Hall of Fame ceremony, where Ray Lankford, Vince Coleman and Harry Breechen (honor accepted by his son) were being enshrined as eternal Cardinals. After having a few apps and drinking a few Bud heavies at Budweiser Brew House (you know, because, when in Rome…), we entered the park through the center field gate, with our shiny new hats that commemorated that afternoon’s Hall of Fame ceremony. We got to see the new inductees to the Cardinal pantheon glide through their victory lap around the park, with the adoring crowd appreciating their newly-received honor and feats of days past. As far as the game time experience, for all the ballparks I’ve been to outside of Boston, this atmosphere was probably the most charged, with the future NL Central champion Brewers facing off against a Cardinal club that had been resurrected by the hire of Mike Schildt. Once again, the Cardinals were becoming the thorn on the side of the rest of the National League. In between the lines, we saw Brewers manager Craig Counsell get tossed, both Marcell Ozuna and 2018 NL MVP Christian Yelich went yard and the rejuvenated Miles Mikolas continued his master class season, which was probably his biggest accomplishment since he earned his nickname as the “Lizard King“. Apologies to lizard lovers everywhere, and to Jim Morrison. And I wasn’t going to leave the city without the name Harrison “Bae-der” etched in my brain via the glossy paper signs with his name in the stands, and his hustle on the field. I mean, anyone who is still running around in the late innings in this sweltering Missouri heat without seemingly breaking a sweat has my respect. I’m not sure what was more convincing, the Cardinal victory, or my desire for hydration after the final pitch.
Around the Diamond: As you may know, St. Louis doesn’t receive the best reputation when it comes to American cities. However, there are many pleasant distractions in downtown St. Louis, especially walking distance from the Ballpark Village. The obvious hangout point is the core of this village, Fox Sports Midwest Live!, an area where a combo of shops and restaurants surround a central bar, similar to the set-up in South Philadelphia. Whether you would like a taco at El Birdos, or some St. Louis sashimi at Drunken Fish, you get a decent range of pre-game eats. A 10 minute walk north will bring you to Sugarfire, a gem of a smokehouse, and Breakfast, Lunch and Tacos (BLT’s), where you can mix a Farmer’s Breakfast with a few steak and egg tacos before a Sunday afternoon game. Overall, the location of Ballpark Village in relation to downtown St. Louis allows baseball enthusiasts to be near the best of what St. Louis can offer, while being in an environment where you can easily interact with a populace who is well-educated in the sport. Oh, and there is a somewhat famous American monument that’s a 10 minute stroll from the park.
Home Runs: It is definitely one of those cities that you know when a game is happening, with a good chunk of the city’s residents rocking scarlet shirts and caps with birds and bats. Along with their attire, Cardinal Nation boasts the most loyal and baseball-savvy fans on both sides of the Mississippi. Busch III’s downtown location also is a huge plus to those who want to push their evening/night a few hours. In addition, you have a great view of the blend of bricks and greens from the walls and the grass. If you are lucky to be sitting in a more elevated spot, you have a great skyline view to go along with the park’s alluring backdrop. In terms of the overall spectator experience, the positive reality matched my previous expectations of what watching a game in St. Louis would be like. And on a side note, Missouri had had the friendliest and most verbose Uber drivers out of any place I’ve been to. Just in case anyone wants a reference point for a national ranking!
Fly Outs: I’m not sure if it its has anything to do with being a newer park, or being home to a marquee MLB franchise. But Busch III was pricier than I expected it to be, and this is coming from someone who has been to Fenway enough to have wasted an average school loan amount on hot dogs and D’Angelo’s cheesesteaks alone. But $15 for a chicken breast sandwich (Also, much smaller than the size of the one on the website)? Luckily, you can bypass this issue by bringing your own food and drink to the festivities. I’m not sure if this was particularly due to the near sell-out crowd, but I felt a bit claustrophobic in the lower right field box, or at least much more than I expected from a newer stadium. It also was bit like a sardine can leaving the stadium toward downtown, although this might have to do with people not wanting to get out along the 1st base side where Interstate 64 and Highway 40 are situated. Unrelated to the ballpark, the Gateway Arch is not exactly the Al Capone vault of American monuments, but let’s just say you will only want to be there just once.
The Final Play: Like many of the newer parks, Busch Stadium has yet to capture the historical prowess of its predecessors, and also of some of distinguished parks in the country. Maybe even of the park of their inner-state rivals 3.5 hours west. There are complaints that this park is too utilitarian with not too many frills and spills, but just don’t look above at the suites and premium seating. However, even though I’m not a fan of the ‘best fans in baseball’ title, it is always refreshing to watch a ball game in a city that is always engaged and maybe more importantly, always contending perennially to be the class of the sport. Even at its young age, Busch Stadium has been a witness to many classic moments and 2 World Series championships, with millions of passionate fans going through the turnstiles throughout the years. It’s a reminder that places like Fenway Park and Wrigley Field do not become iconic with just age and seat additions alone. With the club always competing thanks to the dogma of the Cardinal Way, along with their loyal fan base, I can easily foresee this stadium contributing more to baseball lore in future years. Add those ingredients with the classic look and feel of the park’s features, and you have a place that may become this city’s most beloved home by the time its gates close for good.
Well, now you know!: Ahh, the struggle of finding interesting factoids for teen-aged stadiums. But even some of the youngest stadiums can be home to history, even in its first season. Of the many major league ballparks that have come and gone, only five parks have been the home of the World Series champions in its debut season. In 2006, the underdog Cardinals defeated the Detroit Tigers (on my 21st birthday, no less) to christen their new home in the most fantastic way possible. The other four times this has happened was in 1909 in Forbes Field, 1912 in Fenway Park, 1923 with Yankee Stadium (senior) and in 2009 in Yankee Stadium (junior).
Can you smell Sugarfire’s ribs from your laptop? Click here to explore the views and scenery of downtown St. Louis.