Photography by Alvin Reid
Among the throng of fans that braved a rainy day to see Ballpark Village and the Cardinals' home opener were Marion Clark, Gloria Melton, Dee Brown, Terry White, Maria Sampson and Anita Roberts.
Ballpark Village opened its doors more than a week ago, but the real opening act began early Monday, just before the Cardinals' home opener.
Redbirds owner Bill DeWitt Jr., his son and team president Bill DeWitt III, six members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and scores of Ballpark Village employees wearing Redbirds gear descended on the venue before 8 a.m., despite a cold, steady rain. It would be a long day that didn't end until the Redbirds defeated the Cincinnati Reds by a score of 5-3 in the team’s home opener.
As the rain fell, two lines formed to enter the spacious atrium at FoxSports Midwest Live. More than 1,000 people waited for the doors to open at 10 a.m. (Entry to the Cardinals Nation restaurant and bar wasn't permitted until later because of the official opening of the Cardinal Hall of Fame and Museum on its second floor.)
Both of the DeWitts used the term “worth the wait” in describing the Hall of Fame and Ballpark Village, which filled to capacity.
With Ozzie Smith, Whitey Herzog, Red Schoendienst, Bob Gibson, Tony La Russa, and Lou Brock sitting behind him, Cardinals broadcaster and fan favorite Mike Shannon began the Hall of Fame dedication ceremony by saying, “I haven’t seen this much excitement about a new venue in 53 years [with the Cardinals]. A lot of naysayers said [Ballpark Village] would never happen. You’re here today.”
Though the scaled-back version of Ballpark Village isn't what was initially promised, it is impressive. The Cardinals Hall of Fame—with more than 15,000 artifacts and 80,000 photographs—is second only to the National Baseball Hall of Fame as the largest collection of baseball antiquities. Plaques for the Cardinals Hall of Famers are located near the end of the self-guided tour; the inaugural class includes Jim Bottomley, Ken Boyer, Brock, Jack Buck, August A. "Gussie" Busch Jr., Dizzy Dean, Frank Frisch, Gibson, Chick Hafey, Jesse Haines, Whitey Herzog, Rogers Hornsby, La Russa, Joe Medwick, Johnny Mize, Stan Musial, Branch Rickey, Schoendienst, Enos Slaughter, Smith, Billy Southworth, and Bruce Sutter.
The museum is divided into sections, the first of which is “The Cardinal Way.” It honors the late, longtime Cardinal George Kissell’s philosophy of how to play baseball and develop players. An accompanying video includes statements from broadcaster John Rooney about how the players conduct themselves (the very thing that led manager Mike Matheny to say last week that he is sick of the “Cardinal Way” talk). Other sections of the museum are devoted to teams and players from the era of Sportsman’s Park, which saw the Cardinals win World Series in 1964, and Busch Stadium II, where the team won the 1967 Fall Classic and a National League Championship in 1968.
While there are bats, gloves, uniforms, and other expected baseball memorabilia, the Cardinals Hall of Fame has many small items that might escape attention. Among them is the 1926 contract of Rogers Hornsby. It notes that he would be paid $30,000 “for his skilled services during the playing season of 1926 including World Series or any other official series in which the club may participate.” The “6” in 1926 was drawn with a pen over an “x” with a slash over it. (In case you're wondering, $30,000 in1926 is the equivalent of about $390,500 today, according to a dollartimes.com calculator. Today’s league minimum salary for Major League players is $500,000. Now a member of the National Hall of Fame , Hornsby likely would be making at least 25 times that 1926 season if he played today.)
Another highlight is the rotunda, where the Cardinals’ World Series trophies are on display. It is designed so that when visitors are in the center of the room, it is as if they are reduced in size and standing in the middle of a World Series trophy. In the hall of fame's “Look of the Cardinals” section, the team’s logo is examined over the years. It also contains several interactive displays, including an area where fans can broadcast part of a game.
One thing that seems to be missing is a dedicated area to the history of African-American players and their impact on the Cardinals. It's possible that I missed it, but I saw no mention of the team’s first African-American player, Thomas Edison Alston. The first baseman didn’t take the field for the Cards until April 13, 1954, two days before the seventh anniversary of Jackie Robinson joining the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.
The cost of the Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and military personnel, $8 for children ages 15 and under, and free for children under 3.
As for the menu prices at Cardinals Nation, here's a sampling of the bar prices: A 12-ounce Budweiser is $5, a house-brand cocktail is $6, a premium cocktail is $7, a house glass of wine is $6. In the FoxSports Live! area, a 16-ounce bottle of beer is $5.
In a world where automation is taking over, Ballpark Village is no different. You can buy tickets at kiosks and, surprisingly, there were still tickets available at noon on Opening Day.
Nonetheless, the game set a new record, with an announced crowd of 47,492—despite an otherwise overcast day.
Commentary by Alvin Reid
