Actions by team owners make park stranger

Time to get it out. After attending my first game of the season, I have to share my thoughts on the new Busch Stadium.

First off, it's unquestionably a nice place to watch a ballgame. The design holds up well against the other old-is-new-style parks around the league.

I also appreciate that most of the seats have a clear view of downtown St. Louis. It makes the fan feel connected to the city instead of trapped inside a cement pod.

But even with all this going for it, I didn't feel at home in the new confines.

The unsettled feeling took root when I walked up the front entrance and saw the personalized bricks laid out along the sidewalk.

Inscribed with touching messages to lost loved ones and remembrances of times gone by, the bricks are a tribute to the best fans in baseball. Walk by and you'll see people clustered around and gawking at their own little legacies. I guess it's slightly more sophisticated than making a mark in wet cement.

For some reason, it gave me indigestion.

Maybe I felt the way I did because I remember the sales pitch for these things. The bricks were billed as "a once in a lifetime opportunity to be a part of history." For the meager price of between $155 and $300, dedicated fans were invited to "leave your mark on the stadium."

By my estimate, these loving tributes netted our beloved Redbird ownership $3.6 million.

And that, in essence, is the problem.

Cardinal fans care about their team with the unconditional love of a rescued pound puppy. Cards ownership returns the favor by opening a puppy mill.

I read recently that Cardinal ticket prices are the third highest in baseball even though the payroll is only ranked eleventh.

In this past off season, ownership said there wasn't enough money in the coffers to re-sign dependable second baseman Mark Grudzielanek. He was allowed to ink a deal with the deep-pocketed rivals across state.

"This new stadium is a money machine. Why worry too much about the product?" seemed to be the owners' message.

When I think about it, I can see their point.

I was on hand for the final out recorded in old Busch Stadium. After an incredible comeback in game five, the Cardinals returned home to play uninspired ball in game six. Roy Oswalt turned the Redbird lineup into straw men.

And as the Astros stormed the field in celebration, I noticed something: nobody in the crowd was heading for the exits.

Folks were standing and applauding, taking pictures, and writing messages on the walls. Everyone seemed intent on soaking in the last moments at the beloved park.

I wasn't in the owners' box that night, but I can imagine the prevailing sentiment must have been, "What a bunch of saps. If this is how they feel about this dump, imagine how much they'll pay in the new place."

Soon after, the new park went up. It's clearly designed to turn devotion into dollars and sentiment into cents.

So I'll just hand out a little unsolicited advice to Cards fans: be business-like with your passion. Say "thank you very much for the 100 wins each of the last two seasons, but where is our World Series trophy?"

Just remember, we built this stadium brick by brick. We deserve the most out of it.

TJ Greaney is a reporter for the Southeast Missourian.