One example of the popularity of this team is the lines to get into the Cardinals Hall of Fame. After two days, the shortest line that we saw was about an hours long, so we said "maybe nest time."Outside the stadium, there are numerous memorials. The first that you come across is the Jack Buck statue. This is accompanied by the audio of some of his most significant calls.
At the main entrance to the stadium is a series of statues of past Cardinal greats. This is Cool Papa Bell, first player from the Negro Leagues to join the Cardinals. His speed and power were legendary
The Cardinals have been blessed with legendary pitchers over the years. The f
irst one on display is Dizzy Dean.
The second great and possibly even more dominant pitcher was Bob Gibson. Known for being aggressive and direct, he was as feared as any pitcher of his day. Both Willie Mays and Hank Aaron single him out as the toughest pitcher that they had to face.
The Wizard of Oz is also featured. I have left his plaque below in a sideways orientation on purpose. When you watch Ozzie, you never knew what orientation you would find him in when the ball was hist to him. You only knew that he would come through.
Stan Musial is also featured at the main entrance, but this statue is just down the block. Unquestionably the largest statue at the stadium, Musial is simply synonymous with Cardinal success.
Of course, the current stadium is new. This plaque shows how the two overlapped.
The Cardinals were dominant in the first game. Even their relief pitching was reliable--a major problem for the Cardinals this year.
As we were not able to get into the Cardinals Hall of Fame, we decided to do the tourist thing and visit the St. Louis Arch. This was actually a good deal. I strongly recommend a visit to anyone in the area.
At the main entrance to the stadium is a series of statues of past Cardinal greats. This is Cool Papa Bell, first player from the Negro Leagues to join the Cardinals. His speed and power were legendary
The Cardinals have been blessed with legendary pitchers over the years. The f
irst one on display is Dizzy Dean.The second great and possibly even more dominant pitcher was Bob Gibson. Known for being aggressive and direct, he was as feared as any pitcher of his day. Both Willie Mays and Hank Aaron single him out as the toughest pitcher that they had to face.
The Wizard of Oz is also featured. I have left his plaque below in a sideways orientation on purpose. When you watch Ozzie, you never knew what orientation you would find him in when the ball was hist to him. You only knew that he would come through.
Stan Musial is also featured at the main entrance, but this statue is just down the block. Unquestionably the largest statue at the stadium, Musial is simply synonymous with Cardinal success.
Of course, the current stadium is new. This plaque shows how the two overlapped.
The Cardinals were dominant in the first game. Even their relief pitching was reliable--a major problem for the Cardinals this year.
As we were not able to get into the Cardinals Hall of Fame, we decided to do the tourist thing and visit the St. Louis Arch. This was actually a good deal. I strongly recommend a visit to anyone in the area.
There is a museum and learning center under the arch. It is really well done. We spend 4 hours there and we could have spent many more.
The hotel where we stayed in St. Louis, the Drury Inn, had an extensive display display that discussed the Louis and Clark exhibition. The display was complete with bronze statues of the main characters
of the expedition. One was a New Foundland Retriever
The second game did not go as well. It was photo day and I snapped this one of Tony LaRusa from field level before the game. It was a precursor of things to come as the Cardinal (especially their bull pen) left one on the table, losing to Philadelphia in the late innings.
The hotel where we stayed in St. Louis, the Drury Inn, had an extensive display display that discussed the Louis and Clark exhibition. The display was complete with bronze statues of the main characters
of the expedition. One was a New Foundland RetrieverThe second game did not go as well. It was photo day and I snapped this one of Tony LaRusa from field level before the game. It was a precursor of things to come as the Cardinal (especially their bull pen) left one on the table, losing to Philadelphia in the late innings.
The Cardinals stadium and the fans make this a premier venue in MLB. So the rankings to this point are:
First Division:
Wrigley Field
PNC Park
Turner Field
St. Louis
Second Division
Baltimore
Milwaukee
Cincinnati
Toronto
Philadelphia
New York Yankees
Cleveland
Washington
Chicago White Sox
Boston
Minnesota
No comments:
Post a Comment