View from the cheap seats

You can't come in here

Something I have tried to do since the new Busch Stadium opened is get ahold of some seats in different areas of the ballpark from time to time so I can see if from different perspectives.

The only place I always wanted to sit but never did in the old ballpark was the first row of the upper deck in straight away centerfield. I imagine that was quite a perspective... Anyway, I had some seats in section 241 during the last homestand with access to the Redbird club. And the whole situation left me with some mixed emotions.

If you haven't had a chance to go to the Redbird Club -- and most of us haven't because you have to be a personal seat license holder in some of the higher dollar seats behind home plate to gain access -- it spans the area between first and third base behind home plate. Ushers guard the doors like hawks to make sure none of the common folks get in there.

Busch Stadium ranks 5th on SI ballpark list

A formula that includes not just the bricks and mortar but also affordability, hospitality, food and other factors names Busch Stadium as the fifth-best place in the major leagues to watch a ballgame.

The top five were:

Progressive Field in Cleveland: I've never been to this park, but it's high on my to-do list. It scores high marks on the list for atmosphere (2nd), promotions (3rd) and traffic (4th).

Miller Park in Milwaukee: I have to disagree with this one. Unless you like watching baseball in a Jiffy Pop popcorn maker. When the roof is closed, this place is like a cave. When the roof is open, its more like riding in a car with a sunroof than in a convertible. But Milwaukee ranks first in food and promotions, second in price and somehow fifth in atmosphere.

PNC Park in Pittsburgh: Second in promotions and third in affordability and food. This is also a place I need to see... and soon. The Pirates would have fared better except that they ranked dead last in quality of the team on the field.

Commerica Field in Detroit: I really like this place. It has a nice look, a cool barbeque restaurant in centerfield and lots of neat touches like the carousel with tigers instead of horses. There are a lot more good seats here than at Busch and they are way cheaper all around. The Tigers can thank their high-powered team for their rank. They're rated first in that category and fourth in atmosphere.

Busch Stadium in St. Louis: Once a team that could be counted on to be at the top of the affordability list, the Cardinals now rank 25th out of 30 team in terms of affordability. It's the fans who make Busch a top contender. Redbird nation scored first in fan IQ and hospitality and third in atmosphere.

I give up on the giveaways

I know the trinkets the Cardinals give away before ballgames are supposed to be an attraction for casual fans.

Hopefully, the theory goes, people who don't care to pay $70 each for baseball tickets will be compelled to purchase them when you get a ticket AND a T-shirt with some company's name splashed all over it for your $70.

I don't care about 90 percent of the junk that's passed out. But I do collect the bobble heads, statues and similar items, like the model of Sportsmans Park that was given out Sunday.

And I use the word "crowd" loosely

Although a big deal has been made of the fact that new Busch Stadium didn't sell out for the first time in its history Wednesday... and again on Thursday... the crowd of just shy of 40,000 Wednesday and about 33,000 the next day was a far cry from the worst attendance days since the Redbirds moved to downtown St. Louis in 1966.

According to the Cardinals media guide, the team drew only 1,519 on Sept. 14, 1989, a game that was a makeup for a rainout the day before. The Cardinals announced after midnight that the game rained out on the 13th would be replayed just a few hours later -- on a Thursday afternoon -- making it the worst attended game in the history of Busch Stadium II.

To make matters worse, according to newspaper reports at the time, there was a fire across the street in the Cupples Station warehouses, shrouding the stadium in a spooky fog. Manager Whitey Herzog was quoted as saying that the atmosphere was "like a graveyard with lights."

Despite the bad day, the Cardinals went on to draw a then record of 3.08 million for a single season in 1989.

Cardinals new Busch Stadium sellout streak ends

Tuesday night's game against the Rockies marked a first for the new Busch Stadium: The first time the Cardinals didn't sell out a game at their new park.

The announced attendance at the contest was 39,915 while the new stadium has an official maximum compacity of 43,975.

Some blamed the shortfall on the weather, which included a temperature in the low 50s. But Major League baseball counts the number of tickets sold, not necessarily the number that show up. And very few people these days walk up to the ticket booth on the day of a game and try to buy tickets.

It's all about the cheese

We all knew 2008 would be a season of change on the field. But who knew that the Cardinals would change the concession stand nachos after at least 25 years as a ballpark fare staple.

Gone are the familiar round yellow corn chips, which date back at least to the 1982 World Series, replaced with triangular chips of white corn.

This was something that caused me great concern, because there is nothing that says "ballpark" to me like a steaming plate of chips with cheese. When I was a kid, I was on a quest to replicate the stadium nachos and I tried a countless combination of corn chips and spicy cheese. Eventually I had to admit that it would never be exactly the same without an industrial-sized vat of the yellow goo. The home made substitues were good. Heck, they were probably even better than the ones at the stadium. But they weren't the same.

It takes a Ballpark Village

It's a downer for the city of St. Louis that Centene Corp.'s hopes of building its world headquarters in Ballpark Village have been abandoned.

But even the loss of a $250 mil. development and 1,200 jobs at the site isn't all bad news. Now that company leaders have opted out, the Cardinals are now free to act on plans to build the complex without Centene. And the addition of the mixed use development is likely to encourage growth around the site, not to mention make a better experience for baseball fans.

Not only is it a disgrace to see a weed-choked, water-logged vacant lot on the site where Busch Stadium II once stood. But attending the new ballpark has been something akin to moving into your new house and not unpacking all of the boxes stacked in your living room for three years.

The real "rich man's ballpark"

While most Cardinals fans appreciate the new Busch Stadium, the most common complaint I hear about it is that it's a "rich man's ballpark."

Some say they're turned off by the exclusive areas that people who can't afford to buy premium season tickets are forbidden to enter. Others say that for the price of mid-level seats at Busch Stadium II, all you can get is something in the nosebleed section of Busch III.

Well, the Yankees have announced that they are $300 million over budget on the new Yankee Stadium, which is scheduled to open in 2009. The Cardinals' current home's TOTAL price tag was $365 million. So much for the "rich man's ballpark" moniker.

Farewell, Al Lang

If you're planning a spring training trip this year, you might want to put the Cardinals former home, Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg, on your agenda.

The Cardinals played in the stadium in its current configuration from 1976-96 -- and in St. Petersburg for more than 50 years -- before moving south to Jupiter. And, although the old ballpark is spartan compared to Roger Dean Stadium, it still holds lots of fond memories.

You couldn't beat the view from the first base stands, at what is now called Progress Energy Park, where you could see a clear view of the marina across the street. And foul balls down the third base line often ended up in the drink.

Lifestyles of the rich and famous

Got an extra $400,000 burning a hole in your pocket? The Cardinals are offering a rare opportunity for fans to purchase season tickets in the most exclusive areas of the new Busch Stadium. The team announced Wednesday the establishment of a Ballpark Founders Marketplace where people who bought PSLs to help fund the new stadium could sell their ticket rights to others.

A total of 20 sets of tickets were for sale early Thursday. Seven had already been sold. The priciest set was four seats in the exclusive Cardinals Club listed for $400,000. The cheapest were two seats in section 241 that were offered for $4,500.