Take me to the ballpark!

Before I was distracted by the back-to-back school incidents (one we played down, and the other, did I go overboard to try and reap learning points from?), here's what I was going to post from the other day.

That was when we went with some of Vern's schoolfriends, to catch everyone's favourite baseball team, the Cardinals, play a home game.



It was our second experience at the ballpark, but this time, at the new Busch Stadium that was opened with great fanfare earlier last year. Up till then, we've only seen it from the outside, whenever we drove by the area. (Now the city's not where we usually go, because it is infamous for its second highest crime rate in the country; well, at least for those shadier parts than others, that you would not want to wander to).



Then vs Now

Two years ago, our first time at the ballpark:




More pictures from the other day, our second experience:




The new ballpark boasts an awesome, even less obstructed view of the Gateway Arch in the background, that the rebuilding around its old premises must have taken into careful consideration.



And now, it also has what sounded like a topnotch sound system that'd bring the house down, with cheers of "Charge!" or "Go!", every time the bugle sounded, to signal a Redbird stepping up to the plate to bat!



I didn't always get what was going on, and it helped that now Jon who'd played one season of baseball with the school last year, could get me to follow the game better. But there was quite enough going on, to keep me quite erm, glued to my seat. Good for me, we brought our camera, so I had something else to do on the sides!

But you wouldn't want to leave before the sixth inning, because there would be that fun stretch break that would be your chance to keep those muscles from getting cramped! Not that you, and the kids especially, would really stay glued to your seats throughout the game, that by the way, could stretch to as long as 13 innings!



And of course, who'd want to miss out on that Take Me to the Ballpark song, to sing along to, as well? It was probably the best part of the spectator participation, besides those in-between innings' ad messages and sponsored contests.




But yes, things haven't changed all that much from our first experience (other than Ben having lost those chubby cheeks, and yes, yes, we're all older now!), that if you want to read about, here it is: Go Cards!

And if I may quote our dear friend D, "Baseball games are 1/3 ballgame, 1/3 food, and 1/3 socializing!"

So while the Cards played poorly that evening, and we left after the 7th inning (and they eventually lost -- the score was 18 to 1, but at least the Cardinals scored something towards the end!), it was a nice evening out! And like every one else here in "Cardinals' nation", we are still rooting for the Redbirds!

Was, is, and will be... once a Cardinals fan, always a Cardinals fan! Go, Cards, go!