Tag / Rams

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Ballpark Tour: Cardinals

With the offseason underway, we continue our tour of all of the different baseball stadiums I’ve been to over the years.  This week, we look at the St. Louis Cardinals, a team you would think I would have visited more often due to its proximity to Chicago but have only made the one visit.  So, without further ado, let’s take a deeper look at my history with Busch Stadium, the former home of the Cardinals.

Stadium Name: Busch Stadium

Years in Service: 1966 – 2005

Visits: 1

Busch Memorial Stadium, more commonly known as Busch Stadium, was the home of the St. Louis Cardinals from 1966 until 2005.  The stadium also played host to both the St. Louis Football Cardinals from 1966 until their move to Arizona in 1987 and then the newly relocated Rams in 1995.  Following the 1995 season, the stadium was retrofitted for baseball use only, replacing the astroturf field with grass and installing a new scoreboard.  The stadium was demolished during November of 2005, in part to make room for its replacement.

I made my one and only trip to the second Busch Stadium on June 21, 2001 for an exciting Cubs victory over the host Cardinals.  It was a packed house that day, and we had standing room only tickets, so I didn’t get to see much of the stadium.  I do remember a conversation with a local, who, in a deep southern accent, kept talking about his fascination with reserve outfielder Todd Dunwoody, who got the start in right field that day in place of Sammy Sosa.

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Travelling The 50 States – Missouri

Over my 48 years, I’ve done my fair share of travelling across these United States.  I thought it would be an interesting experiment go look back at those trips to each of the 31 states I have visited (62% isn’t bad, is it?) and see if, and when, I may be returning.  Working in alphabetical order, we continue today with the 24th state to be added to the Union: Missouri

State: Missouri
Joined the Union: 1821
Visits: 23

Despite being right next door, I’ve only made two visits to the Show Me State, first in 2001 and then again in 2018.

My first trip occurred in June of 2001, where a weekday day game between the Cardinals and the Cubs convinced my friend Pete and I to take a road trip.  Standing room tickets were all that was available, so we stood with the riff raff to watch the Cubs defeat the hometown Cardinals 5-2, despite Todd Dunwoody getting the start in right field over Sammy Sosa.

My second trip across the Illinois border came in 2015 while heading to Memphis for an Elvis-themed trip.  On the way to Memphis, we made a brief stop in Sikeston, Missouri for lunch at Lambert’s Cafe, where they throw dinner rolls at you, and so Michael could cross another state off his list.

My most recent visit came on my birthday weekend in 2018, when I headed down to St. Louis, with the rest of the family, for an exciting marching band competition.  After spending most of the day at the former home of the Rams, we found a late-night diner to celebrate birthdays alongside a population of drunks looking for Halloween fun.  Sunday morning breakfast, across the street from the Chess Hall of Fame, ended the trip before a long drive home.

by admin

Ballpark Tour: Cardinals

With the offseason underway, we continue our tour of all of the different baseball stadiums I’ve been to over the years.  This week, we look at the St. Louis Cardinals, a team you would think I would have visited more often due to it’s proximity to Chicago.  So, without further ado, let’s take a deeper look at my history with Busch Stadium, the former home of the Cardinals.

Stadium Name: Busch Stadium

Years in Service: 1966 – 2005

Visits: 1

Busch Memorial Stadium, more commonly known as Busch Stadium, was the home of the St. Louis Cardinals from 1966 until 2005.  The stadium also played host to both the St. Louis Football Cardinals from 1966 until their move to Arizona in 1987 and then the newly-relocated Rams in 1995.  Following the 1995 season, the stadium was retro-fitted for baseball use only, replacing the astroturf field with grass and installing a new scoreboard.  The stadium was demolished during November of 2005, in part to make room for its replacement.

I made my one and only trip to Busch Stadium on June 21, 2001 for an exciting Cubs victory over the host Cardinals.  It was a packed house that day, and we had standing room only tickets, so I didn’t get to see much of the stadium.  I do remember a conversation with a local, who, in a deep southern accent, kept talking about his fascination with Todd Dunwoody, who got the start in right field that day in place of Sammy Sosa.

by admin

2018: The Year In Travel

As I arrive home from California, I thought it would be nice to look back at the many trips I took last year.  Things got started in March, when I headed out to Las Vegas for the IBM Think conference.  Along the way, I took in a show, Absinthe, at Caesar’s Palace, a Barenaked Ladies concert at Mandalay Bay, and a show by The Chainsmokers at MGM Grand, where I was staying.

Following the conference, I took a detour to Phoenix for a long weekend, where I took in some Cactus League action at Camelback Ranch and Peoria Sports Complex, seeing the White Sox, Cubs, and Mariners (twice!).  I also enjoyed a trip to the slot canyons and Horseshoe Bend in Page, followed by a quick trip to the Grand Canyon.

About a month later, I took a short weekend trip to New York.  Danny, Michael, and I flew to New York on a Friday night, where we met up with Angelina and had dinner with the family she was nannying for.  Saturday was a glorious spring day, spent sight seeing at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, the Museum of the City of New York, Central Park, the Guggenheim museum, and the Empire State Building.  Sunday was spent at the Lyric Theatre, watching both parts of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, before heading home early Monday morning.

My next trip came at the end of July, as Val and I headed down to Roanoke, Virginia, to celebrate Jeff’s 50th birthday.  After a day of “work”, the highlight of the trip was Saturday’s hike up Catawba Mountain to McAfee Knob.  Sunday was spent recovering, before heading home.

I spent most of September in Europe, starting with a week in Belfast, Northern Ireland.  Aside from work, there was a trip to Castle Ward in to look at Game of Thrones filming locations, a hockey game featuring the Belfast Giants, a trip to the Ulster American Folk Park and a nip across the border to the wonderful town of Muff in Ireland, and a Black Cab tour of locations in Belfast related to the Troubles. Continue reading →

by jim

The Jay Cutler Probelm

12-13 cruze bears packers 21As the Bears brass watched them lose to the Rams and drop yet another opportunity to take control of the NFC North, they find themselves with an uncomfortable decision to make: what to do with starting quarterback Jay Cutler.  No, this is not a call to install Josh McNown as the starter once Cutler is healthy, as many have done since McCown has impressively stepped in for the injured QB.  Instead, this is a look to the future, as Cutler’s contract expires at the end of the season.  Strangely, the problem the Bears may face is that Cutler is too good.

Too good to find a replacement, that is.  Quarterbacks with the skill and talent of Jay Cutler do not normally find themselves looking for employment.  When the Bears acquired Cutler, it took 2 first round picks and a third round pick.  With the current state of the defense, they can ill afford to give away draft picks to get another quarterback should they choose to let Cutler walk.  Nor is there likely to be anyone available via free agency that would match Cutler’s abilities, let alone represent an upgrade.

So, the obvious answer would be to sign Cutler to an extension, right?  This is where the Bears find themselves in a bit of a pickle.  Cutler may be too good to replace, but is he good enough for the Bears to win with him?  The last 5 seasons would not necessarily lead one to believe that they can.  2010 was the only season of Cutler’s NFL career that his team made the playoffs, and, while the Bears did make it to the NFC Championship game, it was more due to the defense than Jay Cutler and the offense.  With today’s loss, the Bears remain tied for first place in the NFC North, but they have already lost the tie-breaker to the Lions and are not likely to earn a wild card berth.  Is one playoff appearance in 5 seasons the pedigree of a franchise quarterback?

by admin

Ballpark Tour: Busch Stadium

Stadium Name: Busch Stadium

Location: St. Louis

Home Team: Cardinals

Years in Service: 1966 – 2005

Visits: 1

Busch Memorial Stadium, more commonly known as Busch Stadium, was the home of the St. Louis Cardinals from 1966 until 2005.  The stadium also played host to both the St. Louis Football Cardinals from 1966 until their move to Arizona in 1987 and then the newly-relocated Rams in 1995.  Following the 1995 season, the stadium was retro-fitted for baseball use only, replacing the astroturf field with grass and installing a new scoreboard.  The stadium was demolished during November of 2005, in part to make room for its replacement.

I made my one and only trip to Busch Stadium on June 21, 2001 for an exciting Cubs victory over the host Cardinals.  It was a packed house that day, and we had standing room only tickets, so I didn’t get to see much of the stadium.  I do remember a conversation with a local, who in a deep southern accent, kept talking about Todd Dunwoody, who got the start in right field that day in place of Sammy Sosa.