Why do you go to St. Louis Cardinals games at Busch Stadium? I am assuming those of you within 100 miles of The Arch DO attend one or more games each year. Why do you do that? What makes it a “glad I went” experience?
I, alas, live 820 miles from The Arch. Our daughter now lives in Madison WI. I get my St. Louis Cardinals fix via MLB.tv 162 times each year. I know why I used to go to games. Why do you?
Your “why” relates to your particular demographic niche. Are you a mom/dad with several “little Cardinals” in tow? Are you a millennial on the dating prowl? In sales and you’re wining & dining clients? Just a dude who loves “going to ballgames?”
For me it is the sheer unmatched SPLENDOR of a major league ballpark. Only Augusta National at Masters time can come close to that “take my breath away” moment when I emerge within the stadium in all its symmetrical glory… WOW!
The perfectly manicured grass… the surgically carved clay infield… the white lines… the white bases 90′ apart… the sounds of mitts popping… the grandstands… the scoreboards… even the ad billboards… the concession barkers… and THE SMELLS: that unmatched “beer and hot dog mustard” smell of Big League Baseball.
And, only at our Busch Stadium – that incredible Arch beyond center field.
Simply “watching a game” on TV beats “being there” 100 ways to Sunday with close-ups, replays, et al. But “being there” is a sensory overload. At least for me.
You’ve spent the money and time and hassle of driving, parking, blah blah and three hours of your life… now what?
Are amazing plays by incredible athletes like Ozzie Smith or Jim Edmonds important?
How about Home Runs? When Albert Pujols and Mark McGwirewere bombing moonshots; wasn’t THAT cool?
Howsabout a 3-2 Cardinals win in a pitching duel with only 5-6 hits between the two teams? Boring or exciting?
Does the opponent matter? Other than, of course, the hated Cubs… Padres?… Tampa?… Dodgers with Clayton Kershaw pitching?… Nats with Bryce Harper?
These have all been trick questions until now.
How important is “The Cardinals winning” to your experience? In a best-case season the Cardinals will lose 25-30 of their 81 home games. The past season and a third have more home losses than normal. That’s baseball.
If you are a parent with little Cardinals PLEASE tell me that “Cardinals winning” is a nice but not necessary element of your experience. Your kids, like me, are thrilled by the sensory overload… and Fred Bird.
PLEASE don’t spoil it for them pissin’ and moanin’ about Brett Cecil, Mike Matheny, Mozeliak or whatever is stuck in your cynical constipated craw. Share their innocent thrill of the experience. Be “a Dad,” be “a Mom,” then come here and bitch.
I won’t be in St.Louis this season. Next time you walk into Busch Stadium – look around – take it all in – and say “WOW” for BobLee on RedbirdRants.com .
