SOUTHEAST NIGHT AT THE BUSCH STADIUM JUNE 3

Southeast Missouri: Are you ready to head to the ballpark?

The Southeast Missourian and Southeast Missouri State University are joining together to sponsor Southeast Night at Busch Stadium Saturday, June 3.

The aim is to bring between 1,500 and 2,000 Southeast Missouri residents to the St. Louis Cardinal game against the Cleveland Indians.

A ticket form can be found in today's paper on Page 10B. It features special discount pricing for adults and children's tickets in Terrace Reserved seating.

Southeast University has been sponsoring a night at the ballpark for nearly 15 years, according to Jane Stacy, interim director of Alumni Services. It was initiated by the St. Louis alumni chapter.

"At times, we sold 1,500 tickets for it," she said. But interest waned around the time of the baseball strike, and has been slowly building ever since. Last summer, 750 Southeast alumni and area residents attended Southeast night at the ballpark.

But Stacy is excited about the partnership between the university and the Southeast Missourian. She hopes it will help draw a record crowd to the ballpark June 3.

The Southeast Missouri contingent will be recognized on the stadium message board. In addition, the names of five individuals will be drawn from all ticket sales for a special prize.

One of the individuals will throw out the honorary pitch just before the start of the game. Four other individuals will get to go down on the field during batting practice for a pre-game ceremony. They will be photographed with a Cardinal player.

Another benefit available to the first 1,000 is admission to a special pre-game party on the Sverdrup Terraces across from Busch Stadium. Tickets for the pre-game party are $5, which includes a buffet of brats, hot dogs, hamburgers, chips, snacks, soda and beer.

The pre-game party is an economic way for those attending to grab a bite before the game, said Stacy. Last year, 550 attended the event.

A special Southeast Night at Busch Stadium T-shirt has also been designed for this special event. A bus will be chartered for drop-off service right in front of the ballpark if a minimum of 40 people is reached.

The block of seats are located in Terrace Reserved near Big Mac Land in the left field side of the stadium. Mark McGwire, nicknamed "Big Mac," has hit several home runs in the upper left field, giving the area its designation.

Stacy feels Southeast Night at the ballpark builds camaraderie among alumni and residents of Southeast Missouri. "It's a great way to keep alumni involved even when they leave Cape Girardeau," she said.

Co-sponsors of the event are Schaper's IGA, Schnucks, Pepsi, Kohlfeld Distributing, River Eagle and Charlie Pruitt of Little Debbie.

Mark McGwire and the fact the Cardinals have revamped its pitching staff has generated a lot of ticket sales so far, said Tom Chase, an account representative for the Cardinals who covers Southeast Missouri.

Group sales are important part of the Cardinals' attendance success, he said. Last year, St. Louis was one of only a handful of ballparks that passed the 3 million mark in attendance.

"It's pretty incredible," he said. "We had people lined up in front of the stadium on the first day to purchase tickets in the rain. We definitely receive a lot of support."

A number of games typically sell out at Busch Stadium, especially opening day, the last game of the season and most Cubs-Cardinals series.

The fact another home-run slugger has joined the National League Ken Griffey, Jr. with Cincinnati has also boosted overall ticket sales, he said.

Chase is the one who takes groups down on the field during batting practice, which begins two hours before game time. The individuals go to a roped off section behind home plate, and they get to watch the players hit and warm up. "Occasionally a player will come over and sign autographs," he said.

"That's great that you're letting anyone who buys a ticket have a shot at that," Chase said. "It's something I'm fortunate enough to do every game date, and I enjoy it every time I go down there."

He also accompanies people down to the field for the "first pitch," which he calls the honorary pitch. That's because there are sometimes more than one, depending on the number groups over 1,000 at the ballpark. The pitch can be thrown from mound or closer, depending on the individual's ability. It is typically thrown to one of the Cardinal catchers, and they get to keep the ball, he said.

Chase expects the Cleveland series to be popular. "We've had inner-league play for a handful of years, but it's been a couple of years since Cleveland has played here," he said.

For more information about the event, contact Alumni Services at (573) 651-5159 or Joni Adams at the Southeast Missourian (573) 335-6611 or 1-800-879-1210.

SOUTHEAST NIGHT @ BUSCH STADIUM

When: June 3 at 7:10 p.m.

Pre-game party from 5 to 6:30 across from Busch Stadium. Limited to first 1,000.

How much:

*$13 for adults

*$7 for children 4-15

*45 for pre-game party for ages 4 and up. Buffet includes brats, hot dogs, hamburgers, chips, snacks, soda and beer.

What's available: 1,500 to 2,000 seats in Terrace Reserved near Big MacLand in left field.

How to buy tickets: Fill out order form in today's newspaper, page 10B, or call Alumni Services at (573) 651-5159.