I Live For This

I am in HEAVEN right now!

Last weekend I was told that working in sports for the first home game would not mean that I would be able to go to Busch Stadium for interviews or anything. Not wanting to break the bank on tickets, I search craislist and stubhub all day for the cheapest, yet best deal. I ended up getting some tickets in right field. Wasn’t too happy with them, but hey, I was there right!

Got to the game an hour and a half early to get some yummy concession stand food (haha. yeah right). It was $4 for the tiniest little dog, but you HAVE to have a hot dog at your first baseball game of the season. Got to my seats just in time for the ceremony to begin. Of course it started off with the Budweiser Clydesdales. Then they had Cardinals legends like Ozzie Smith, and Red Schoendienst, Lou Brock, Bruce Sutter, and Bob Gibson come to home plate. So then when they brought all the Cardinals players out on the Ford trucks (Mike Shannon was emceeing the event and commented on the trucks and called them Chevys and the crowd proceeded to boo. Haha. He quickly recovered and said how great Fords are. Haha.) the players shook the hands of all the Hall of Famers as they went to line up on the first base line. It was a great ceremony. LOVED when David Freese got some good cheering from the crowd. Hometown boy.

Then they brought out Stan “the man” Musial, circling the field on a golf cart, to throw out the first pitch. But he handed the ball off to Red to do it instead. I love what the AP story said about the game. “There’s nothing like Opening Day in St. Louis.”

I have wanted to be here for this day for so many years. I can’t believe I was able to experience it! Too bad it was 40 degrees with a 30 mph winds. Oh and about the 5th or 6th inning there were snow flurries. Brings me back to the many BYU baseball games in February and March that are sooo cold. One thing is for sure; no one can ever call me a “fair weather fan.”

The game was good… until the 9th inning of course. But I got to see Luddy go long. Pujols had a few good hits. Man that guy is good on opening day. David Freese came up to bat in he 8th inning and then played 3rd. Didn’t get a hit. But that’s ok. Still love him. Even though we lost, I walked back to the car that day a VERY HAPPY GIRL.

Tickets- $40
Parking- $10
Hot Dog and Soda- $10
Going to Opening Day for the St Louis Cardinals- priceless

Tuesday is my day off so I went to the game that night also. This time I thought for sure Freese would get the nod to start at 3rd so I was looking at tickets on the 3rd base line only a few rows up. I wanted to get up close and personal. Haha. I figured I would spend a bit more money for this game because it’s his first game starting there. But then a few minutes before I was going to give some guy a call back about tickets I saw that Thurston would be starting at 3rd base. LAME. So I chose some nice but cheaper seats behind home plate.

This game was THE game to be at as far as offense goes. (Carps almost no hitter yesterday would have been fun to go to also.) First inning, they walk Pujols. Duncan comes up to bat. BANG! 2-run homerun. They didn’t intentionally walk Pujols again…

Next inning. Yadi comes to the plate. TRIPLE! Second triple of his career. Man I love that guy. 3rd inning they pitch to Pujols and he knocks one out. Cards up 5-1.

5th inning Yadi comes up to bat again and hits a solo shot to left!

Freese comes in to pinch hit for Lohse. They walk him. LAME.

Found my new Ray King. I think I will love Reyes. More than Motte that’s for sure.

Cards end up winning it 9-3. What an amazing game. Love my Cards.