This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, April 8, 2013 - The 2013 season opened a week ago, but baseball doesn’t officially start in St. Louis until the Clydesdales say so.
And that will be at 2:30 p.m. Monday, when Budweiser’s "gentle giants” will take their traditional jaunt around the warning track at Busch Stadium, kicking off the home opener’s pre-game ceremonies.
Then the Cardinals and their fans will Stand for Stan once more in tribute to their beloved No. 6, who passed away in January.
Yes, it’s been a long winter in Cardinal Nation, but baseball is finally back at Busch. Fans will pack the place and try to forget that postseason disappointment in San Francisco which kept the Redbirds -- who were just one win away -- from another shot at the World Series.
The festivities will include many of the usual -- and expected -- touches, including the motorcade of Cardinals Hall of Famers and current team members.
So, never mind that it's already game 7 of the season. (Opening week should never count when it's played in a distant time zone, with fans back home watching games late at night.) Forget about those 16 frustrating innings in Phoenix and do NOT peek at the Central Division standings; they don’t matter yet anyway.
The season starts Monday.
11 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Pre-game pep rally
Restaurants, bars and local TV and radio stations will host pre-game parties throughout downtown. The official pep rally will be at the corner of Clark and Eighth streets in front of the Team Store. Fredbird will be there, and the band Trixie Delight will perform from 11:30 to 1:30 p.m. There will be giveaways and a photo booth.
1:15 p.m.: Gates open
2:30 p.m.: Pre-game ceremonies
The Clydesdales will lead off. Fredbird will be on the field, along with Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley and Mayor Francis Slay.
Cardinals Hall-of-Famers will ride in 2014 Ford Mustang convertibles; players will be in 2013 Ford F-150 Raptors. (The Cincinnati Reds will be walking.)
Stan Musial, the Hall of Famer, Cardinal for life and all around good guy, will be honored all season. Players are wearing No. 6 patches on their jerseys, and there will be a memorial on the outfield wall. The Gateway Harmonica Club of St. Louis will perform the opening day National Anthem to honor Musial who played the harmonica with gusto. Unveiling the memorial marker will be the four children of Stan and Lillian Musial: Dick Musial, Gerry Ashley, Janet Schwarze and Jean Edmonds.
There will be a giant American flag on the field and a color guard from Scott Air Force Base. An American bald eagle from the World Bird Sanctuary of St. Louis will provide the flyover. Here’s a link, if you’d like to know more about that cool bald eagle.
There will be a moment of silence for the victims who died in the December shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. The Cardinals will also note the passing of baseball great Earl Weaver, who was a St. Louis native; outfielder Chuck Diering; stadium organist Ernie Hayes, and longtime stadium employee Fanny Scholl.
Ceremonial first pitches will be thrown by former outfielder Jim Edmonds and closer Jason Isringhausen.
3:15 p.m.: Game time
Lefty Jaime Garcia is scheduled to start for the Cards vs. righty Mat Latos of the Reds.
Some things to know if you’re going:
Changes around the stadium:
Due to construction at the Ballpark Village site, Eighth Street is now a two-way street between Clark and Market. Walnut is now a two-way street between Eighth and Broadway. The pedestrian bridge from the Stadium West parking garage was torn down and the intersection at Clark and Eighth has been redesigned. Clark Street will be open to pedestrian traffic for the home opener.
Changes inside the stadium:
If the field of dreams looks greener to you it might be because 100,000 square feet of new sod was installed last fall. (For you lawn buffs: The sod is a blend of Kentucky bluegrass and was grown in Fort Morgan, Colo.)
In keeping with the stadium’s green initiative, 150 energy-efficient flat-screen TVs have been installed throughout the place.
On the menu:
Here’s a little tidbit gleaned from media food tasting day last week, sponsored by Sportservice, the Cardinals’ concessionaire for more than 50 years: Of the 10 Major League stadiums served by Sportservice, Busch Stadium sells the most nachos, according to Norman Taylor, chef at Busch.
That would be 426,984 orders of nachos, should you be counting. (Build-your-own nachos are available in sections 131, 151 and the Redbird Club.)
New on this season’s menu:
- Burgers stuffed with cheddar or macaroni and cheese (you read that correctly) and served on pretzel buns. They’ll be served at the Double Play Tap and Grill in Section 135.
- A version of “The Horseshoe” that consists of two beef patties topped with fries and cheese sauce at Dizzy’s Diner.
- Fried pickle spears in sections 271 and 509 and Bavarian pretzel sticks in sections 139, 161, 271 and 446.
Here’s another interesting factoid. Despite all the menu tweaks, Sportservice says the stadium food that ranks No. 1 with fans is still the classic hot dog.
If you’re not going:
TV: The game and pre-game ceremony will be broadcast by Fox Sports Midwest.
Radio: Mike Shannon and John Rooney will be calling the game on KMOX (1120 AM).
Online: Follow the game on cardinals.com using Gameday.
Follow on Twitter: #OpeningDaySTL and #6.
