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Photograph by Margaret Bauer
The field at Busch Stadium during a rehearsal of the 80th MLB All-Star Game's opening ceremony, Saturday, July 11, 2009.
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Photograph by Margaret Bauer
Empty upper-deck stands at Busch Stadium during a rehearsal of the 80th MLB All-Star Game's opening ceremony, Saturday, July 11, 2009.
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Photograph by Margaret Bauer
The field at Busch Stadium during a rehearsal of the 80th MLB All-Star Game's opening ceremony, Saturday, July 11, 2009.
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Photograph by Margaret Bauer
A dead-on view of the carefully mowed field at Busch Stadium during a rehearsal of the 80th MLB All-Star Game's opening ceremony, Saturday, July 11, 2009.
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Photograph by Margaret Bauer
The field at Busch Stadium during a rehearsal of the 80th MLB All-Star Game's opening ceremony, Saturday, July 11, 2009.
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Photograph by Margaret Bauer
A Home Run Derby arch towers over the entrance to Ballpark Softball Field, Saturday, July 11, 2009.
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Photograph by Margaret Bauer
Ballpark Village, Saturday, July 11, 2009.
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Photograph by Margaret Bauer
The view from within one of those strange, inflatable State Farm, er, canopies, Saturday, July 11, 2009.
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Photograph by Margaret Bauer
The actual Arch, towering over downtown, as viewed from Ballpark Village, Saturday, July 11, 2009.
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Photograph by Margaret Bauer
Six-legged State Farm canopy in Ballpark Village, Saturday, July 11, 2009.
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Photograph by Margaret Bauer
One of the signs gracing the sidewalk outside All-Star Sponsor Zone, Saturday, July 11, 2009.
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Photograph by Margaret Bauer
A movable feast for the eyes, Cardinals-style, located on the north side of Busch Stadium on Saturday, July 11, 2009. (This was later moved to Busch's first-floor concourse for the All-Star Game itself.)
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Photograph by Margaret Bauer
The All-Star crowd gathers outside Busch Stadium's western entrance around 3:30 p.m., Tuesday, July 14, 2009.
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Photograph by Margaret Bauer
An aerial view of the All-Star crowd, taken from Busch's gangway, Tuesday, July 14, 2009.
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Photograph by Margaret Bauer
A packed crowd at Busch Stadium for the opening ceremony of the 80th MLB All-Star Game, Tuesday, July 14, 2009.
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Photograph by Margaret Bauer
A packed crowd at Busch Stadium for the opening ceremony of the 80th MLB All-Star Game, Tuesday, July 14, 2009.
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Photograph by Margaret Bauer
A packed crowd at Busch Stadium for the opening ceremony of the 80th MLB All-Star Game, Tuesday, July 14, 2009.
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Photograph by Margaret Bauer
A packed crowd at Busch Stadium for the opening ceremony of the 80th MLB All-Star Game, Tuesday, July 14, 2009.
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Photo by Margaret Bauer
A packed crowd at Busch Stadium for the opening ceremony of the 80th MLB All-Star Game, Tuesday, July 14, 2009.
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Photograph by Margaret Bauer
The world-famous Anheuser-Busch (InBev?) Clydesdales on the warning track at Busch Stadium for the 80th Annual MLB All-Star Game, Tuesday, July 14, 2009.
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Photograph by Margaret Bauer
A packed crowd watches soldiers unfurl the American flag during the opening ceremony of the 80th MLB All-Star Game, Tuesday, July 14, 2009.
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Photograph by Margaret Bauer
A packed crowd watches soldiers unfurl the American flag during the opening ceremony of the 80th MLB All-Star Game, Tuesday, July 14, 2009.
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Photograph by Margaret Bauer
A packed crowd watches the opening ceremony of the 80th MLB All-Star Game, Tuesday, July 14, 2009.
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Photograph by Margaret Bauer
A packed crowd watches soldiers unfurl the American flag during the opening ceremony of the 80th MLB All-Star Game, Tuesday, July 14, 2009.
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Photograph by Margaret Bauer
A first glimpse of a mysterious Cardinals fan in rather religious attire, Tuesday, July 14, 2009.
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Photograph by Margaret Bauer
The opening ceremony of the 80th MLB All-Star Game, Tuesday, July 14, 2009.
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Photograph by Margaret Bauer
Soldiers unfurl the American flag during the opening ceremony of the 80th MLB All-Star Game, Tuesday, July 14, 2009.
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Photograph by Margaret Bauer
Soldiers unfurl the American flag during the opening ceremony of the 80th MLB All-Star Game, Tuesday, July 14, 2009.
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Photograph by Margaret Bauer
Soldiers unfurl the American flag during the opening ceremony of the 80th MLB All-Star Game, Tuesday, July 14, 2009.
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Photograph by Margaret Bauer
Soldiers unfurl the American flag during the opening ceremony of the 80th MLB All-Star Game, Tuesday, July 14, 2009.
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Photograph by Margaret Bauer
The opening ceremony of the 80th MLB All-Star Game, Tuesday, July 14, 2009.
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Photograph by Margaret Bauer
Soldiers unfurl the American flag during the opening ceremony of the 80th MLB All-Star Game, Tuesday, July 14, 2009.
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Photograph by Margaret Bauer
The opening ceremony of the 80th MLB All-Star Game, Tuesday, July 14, 2009.
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Photograph by Margaret Bauer
Pujols was a crowd favorite at the 80th MLB All-Star Game, garnering louder applause than Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton, respectively. Tuesday, July 14, 2009.
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Photograph by Margaret Bauer
Soldiers unfurl the American flag during the opening ceremony of the 80th MLB All-Star Game, Tuesday, July 14, 2009.
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Photograph by Margaret Bauer
The sun sets a deep red-orange over Busch Stadium at the top of the sixth inning of the 80th MLB All-Star Game, Tuesday, July 14, 2009.
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Photograph by Margaret Bauer
The top of the sixth inning of the 80th MLB All-Star Game, Tuesday, July 14, 2009.
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Photograph by Margaret Bauer
The sun sets a deep red-orange over Busch Stadium at the top of the sixth inning of the 80th MLB All-Star Game, Tuesday, July 14, 2009.
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Photograph by Margaret Bauer
The top of the sixth inning of the 80th MLB All-Star Game, Tuesday, July 14, 2009.
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Photograph by Margaret Bauer
Finally, around the seventh inning, we caught up with the mysterious figure as he strolled the upper deck. His name? "Cardinal Carl," he said. "Last name, Nation." Tuesday, July 14, 2009.
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Photograph by Margaret Bauer
No fewer than a half-dozen different people came up to Cardinal Carl as we were snapping his photo. It's too soon to tell, but we think this guy could really go somewhere with this. Tuesday, July 14, 2009.
Photographs and reporting by Margaret Bauer