A trip into the great unknown

First appeared on July 25th,
in The Lebanon Reporter

In sweeping the Washington Nationals in four games over the weekend the Chicago Cubs have come out of the All Star break firing on all cylinders. This of course comes as a punch in the gut for St. Louis Cardinals fans. Those who know baseball understand the rivalry between the Cubs and Cards is ugly and theirs is a dislike rooted historically, regionally and culturally.
The hatred for Cubs fans in St. Louis is legendary and the ability of Cards fans to heckle, harass and cut down anyone sporting Cub gear is well known throughout the baseball world. Stories of purported showers of stale beer, half eaten boxes of popcorn and vulgarities strike fear in the heart of Cubs fans in much the same way the prospect of a Joe Biden press conference makes Democrats jittery.
Cards fans are reportedly so skilled at making the lives of Cubs fans miserable that one is led to believe the entire city has received some type of formal training or attended a harassment seminar. And we’re not talking your run of the mill- Cubs fan:”Where’s the men’s room?” Busch Stadium Usher “Never heard of it” type of harassment. We’re talking about the no holds barred no family member or subject is off limits type of harassment.
With this in mind, one may feel somewhat sympathetic with yours truly knowing he ventured into Busch Stadium recently sporting what else but a Cubs hat. Of course had the Cards been playing the Cubs, solace surely would have surfaced by finding strength in numbers as Cubs fans notoriously travel well. Alas such was not the case as the Arizona Diamondbacks were in town; which of course made anyone wearing a random Cubs hat an easy target. Easy like fishing with dynamite or teaching a two legged dog to sit.
Unfortunately (or fortunately) the rumors proved to be mere over exaggerations and, as far as heckling goes, the night was pretty uneventful; the experience however was not.
For starters the new Busch Stadium (opened in 2006) is awesome. It probably goes without saying that anyplace that can boast fresh from the brewery Anheuser Busch products and a combination of a Hardees Monster thick-burger and Nathans Famous Hot Dogs all under the same roof is fairly dangerous to begin with. Toss in the modern conveniences of escalators, ATM’s, misting stations and a centerfield big screen large enough to double as a solar cover for Lake Michigan and the result is quite simply a wonderful ball park experience.
The structure is comprised of a stunning red brick which matches perfectly the rust colored turn of the century brewery works downtown. The main entrance and all light towers are rigged with ironwork in arch patterns designed to remind patrons of the historic Eads Bridge which spans the nearby Mississippi River. Between the brick and ironwork, the new Busch Stadium looks like something that fell out of some lost epoch of time before landing amidst the concrete and glass of a bustling modern city.
As if painted by hand, an inspirational view of downtown, including 2/3 of the Arch, hangs above the centerfield stands. The foul territory on both baselines is a vast expanse of grass and the quizzical placement of each bullpen gives the stadium the appearance of a massive waste of space considering the intimate quarters known as Wrigley Field holds nearly as many fans.
Despite this, with a capacity of nearly 44,000, chances are there is a good seat waiting for you in St. Louis and (Cubs fan or not) it is a seat I highly recommend you take.