Archive for April, 2006

Busch Stadium: 4/6/06
Contractor Appreciation Night

Friday, April 7th, 2006

After raining all day, the weather cleared up just in time for sunset. I’m glad they got around to painting green the concrete between each deck. Say whatever you want about this ballpark, it’s going to be a damn fine place to watch a baseball game.

Fans gather in the main concourse behind home plate View of Arch and St. Louis skyline from behind home plate Press box and upper terrace behind home plate
Upper concourse on first base side Sun setting over highway 40 through open air rectangular windows View of left field from right field loge boxes
View of bleachers from right field loge boxes Sun sets on the new Busch Stadium First base side
Darryl Kile memorial in Cardinals bullpen First base side upper-deck View from center field behind bleachers
View from patio in dead center Bleachers and outfield scoreboard View from front row down the 3rd base line
View through section entrance tunnel Home plate entrance to the new Busch Stadium at night Eads bridge replica and Stan the Man statue

Busch Stadium: 2/26/06
Inside the new stadium

Saturday, April 1st, 2006

These pictures have been widely circulated on the Internet already, but I’ll re-post them here for completeness sake.

View of the Arch through a gap in the new stadium View of Cupples Station and Thomas F Eagleton Courthouse from the Eads bridge part of the new stadium View westward from the Eads bridge portion of the new Busch Stadium
View of Eagleton Courthouse through arch in new stadium Stairway to Baseball Heaven Unfinished sections in left field upper deck
View of the Arch through unfinished stadium stairwell View of outfield seating from standing room area Standing room area on 1st base side upper deck
Unfinished sections of partially installed seats View of seats behind home plate View of unfinished left field sections
Cardinals logo on backstop wall View from steps behind home plate Cardinals dugout
View of Cardinals dugout from front row seats next to dugout Insert Eckstein joke here Looking up at the highest sections from the lowest one
View of 1st base side and behind home plate Budweiser sign and clock in center field View from center field
Manual scoreboard from Old Busch Stadium View from 2-story luxury box right behind home plate Arches in the southwest corner of the stadium

Busch Stadium: 1/21/06
Inside the new stadium

Saturday, April 1st, 2006

These pictures have been widely circulated on the Internet already, but I’ll re-post them here for completeness sake.

View of infield, outfield construction, the Arch, and the Old Courthouse from behind home plate New stadium progress in left field View down 3rd base line from behind home plate
Green seats are being installed View from the home dugout steps View up the aisle from the edge of the home dugout
View from the top of the southwest corner of the stadium Upper deck seats behind home plate Future site of Ballpark Village
Stadium architects had standing room in mind when they designed this ballpark First base side upper terrace pavilion Lots of empty red seats
Lots of empty red seats New stadium progress in left field upper deck View of the Arch through the unfinished sections

Busch Stadium: 11/13/05
Demolition Photos

Saturday, April 1st, 2006

The atmosphere was surreal on this sunny November afternoon. It felt more like a Terminator movie than a baseball stadium. Busch Stadium joins The Arena, Kiel Auditorium, and Sportsman’s Park among the demolished St. Louis historical sports landmarks.

It's still good. It's still good. Oh. Thats much worse. View of Busch Stadium demolition from across the pedestrian bridge
Busch Stadium demolition Busch Stadium demolition Fans gather to watch the demolition of Busch Stadium
Fans gather to watch the demolition of Busch Stadium Busch Stadium demolition Still looking good from Broadway

Busch Stadium: 10/19/05
Cardinals vs Astros

Saturday, April 1st, 2006

This final game at Busch Stadium game wouldn’t have been possible without a 9th inning 3-run homer by Albert Pujols in game 5 at Houston. The crowd came out rocking and the atmosphere was electric early on, but as Oswalt quieted the Cardinals’ bats and the Astros built a lead the finality of the circumstances set it. Everyone stood in the 9th, desperately rooting for another miracle comeback that never came.

View from behind home plate View of outfield manual scoreboard from 1st base side You can see the fans autographs on the right field foul pole
Foul pole View of the first base side lower deck Mulder warms up in right field
Fans walk through the stadium before the game knowing the end is near Entrance to section in outfield upper deck One fan breaks out his Glenn Brummer jersey for the occasion
Pujols gets a standing ovation for his game 5 heroics Down 4 runs with just 3 outs remaining, the Cards fans rise for one final inning Rally caps were not enough on this night
Yadier Molina had the final AB at Busch Stadium Statue of St. Louis Browns legend George Sisler Time to say goodbye to Busch Stadium