04/07/2022
Lynn Murphy Mark
Is there anything more exciting than the first Cardinals game of the season played at Busch Stadium? I won’t be there in person, but I will be stationed in front of the television with some popcorn and a coke zero. Three Cardinals icons will be playing: Adam Wainwright pitching, Yadier Molina behind the plate, and Albert Pujols as the DH. I think it is fitting that Pujols will finish out his career right here where it started and took off.
I’ve only been to a couple of opening day games in person. There is an atmosphere of pure joy before the game as the Budweiser Clydesdales pull the wagon around the perimeter of the field, their legs in synchronized motion, and that tune played over and over as they trot.
Actually that part brings tears to my eyes. It is so very St. Louis and for me it calls up visions of past years spent admiring my team. My baseball companion, Rose, and I were talking about the thought that at our age we really don’t know how many more opening days we will witness. That’s not a morbid thought, just an acknowledgement of our aging.
There are aspects of baseball that give me pause – mainly the salaries commanded by the stars and the inequality of such salaries when considering all position players. A stellar pitcher may get millions, while a hard working center fielder may get a small percentage of that amount. I understand that a pitcher can make or break a game, but when one of his pitches flies toward home-run-land it’s possible that a high jumping, fast running outfielder will catch the missile before it leaves the field, thus saving a score.
Anyway, Rose and I make it our business to attend a few games each year. We go as early as possible just to soak in the pre-game atmosphere. Well, and there’s hot dogs or brats, too. I don’t care what ingredients go into making a baseball hot dog. They are a taste of heaven to me. Sometimes, I confess, I am as excited about the dog slathered in mustard and relish as I am about the game…
I don’t need a radio to hear a play by play because Rose knows what happened sometimes before the announcers do. She is a huge sports fan and keeps the rules of different games in a handy spot in her brain. She announces the meaning of what just happened on the field while I’m still trying to find the ball.
In our younger days, we stayed until the bitter end of each game. Win or lose we were in the stands as long as players were on the field. We would watch other people leave in the seventh or eighth inning and shake our judgmental heads. Now, if it’s a stinker of a game we might join the exodus.
Anyway, today is Opening Day 2022. We have our tickets already for a game later this month. At some point pretty soon we will sit down with our calendars and a Cardinals schedule and figure out what the baseball budget is for the year. We will dig out our Cardinals T-shirts and I will find my red New Balance shoes somewhere in the back of the closet. We will start the season with hope for victories galore to lead us into post-season play. Hope springs eternal at Busch Stadium!