Photography courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, pdsphil
Busch Stadium
Update: The St. Louis Cardinals announced on Wednesday that they are postponing Thursday's home opener against the San Diego Padres until Friday due to weather. Friday's game will start at 3:15 p.m., and gates will open at noon. All of the previously scheduled activities, listed below, will start at the same time, just on Friday.
Original story:
On April 4, the Cardinals play the San Diego Padres during the season's home opener, practically a city-wide holiday in St. Louis (remember the time Budweiser and Ozzie Smith campaigned to make it a national holiday?). We hear it's a great day to call in sick to work, cough.
This year at the ballpark, you might notice a few new features besides number 46, our new first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. There's the Budweiser Burger Bar on the fourth level Bud Terrace, where you can pick up a Taste of the Hill Burger topped with two toasted ravioli. The outfield grass got a makeover this season (Tuckahoe Bluegrass from New Jersey, to be precise). All 680 of the stadium lights were replaced with LEDs.
But there are a few practical things to know before you go to Opening Day, as well, starting with the schedule.
Kicking off, the pregame: The first Ballpark Village venue to open will be Cardinals Nation, at 8 a.m. At 9 a.m., FOX Sports Midwest Live! and Budweiser Brew House will open. Thirty minutes later, the official pep rally begins in parking lot C—highlights include an appearance by Muny teen and Voice finalist Kennedy Holmes.
The real deal starts at noon, when the stadium gates will open, and guests can start funneling through the security checkpoints. At 2:30 p.m., the on-field ceremonies begin with the Budweiser Clydesdales, and the first pitch will be thrown at 3:15 p.m. (Note that during the regular season, gates open one and a half hours before games on Monday through Thursday, and two hours before starting times on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.) And if you don't have tickets but still want to watch the game at Ballpark Village, it will be broadcast inside FOX Sports Midwest Live!
Any tips for getting through those security lines faster? "The less you bring, the better off you are," says Matt Gifford, vice president of stadium operations for the Cardinals. The MLB's website lists all banned items, but some highlights: The official rules permit bags that are no bigger than 16 inches by 16 inches by 8 inches, but backpacks of all kinds are prohibited. Don't try to bring in alcohol—it's not allowed—and if you forgot to leave your pocket knife (knives longer than 4 inches when unopened) at home, don't try to ditch it in the bushes and come back for it later. Gifford's team checks those. (Firearms or weapons of any kind are not welcome in Busch Stadium, by the way.)
As for what time to line up? Gifford recalls that last year, some folks who didn't queue up quite early enough missed the on-field ceremonies. The sooner you can make your way through security, the better.
