Ballpark Village shines bright on gloomy day

The weather was bad for my first tour of the Ballpark Village and the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum. Correction -- the weather was atrocious.

Everything else was stunning.

From the outside view, to the added feel downtown, Ballpark Village is a fantastic addition to this baseball town.

While in some cities such a venture would not be easy to pull off, in St. Louis, baseball is the first priority -- everything else comes second.

The day began with a semi-private (100 people) tour of the museum and Hall of Fame. We were fortunate to join all of the Cardinals Hall of Famers for their inaugural tour and see their reactions to the museum and artifacts from their own playing career.

All of them seemed impressed with the new facility, which houses one of the largest baseball memorabilia collections in the country.

Bill Dewitt, Jr., principal owner and CEO of the Cardinals, referred to the museum and Hall of Fame as "second only to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown."

It's not an exaggeration.

In fact, the plaques inside the Hall of Fame were made by the same company that made the ones used at Cooperstown.

"Today is a special day in Cardinals history," Dewitt, Jr. said.

Lou Brock, one of the Legacy Inductees into the Hall of Fame, was excited about the opportunity to tour the facility and talk about the importance of opening day in St. Louis.

"It's such a big deal here," Brock said. "You want to have you're 'A' game ready for them. Most of the times you do. Those opening days where you didn't have you're 'A' game, you will always remember that."

While no specific opening day stands out in his memory, that doesn't mean they aren't fond memories for him.

"They're all special here in St. Louis," Brock said.

The beginning of the 1967 season, however, still holds a special place in his memory -- though not opening day itself.

"I started out the season that year with five home runs in the first three games," he said. "In game one, I must have hit a home run."

He did. In the first inning off of San Francisco Giants pitcher Juan Marichal, jump-starting a 6-0 home opener rout April 11, 1967.

Opening day at Busch Stadium is an experience every baseball fan should have at least once. Think of it like a trip to Cooperstown or a visit to Yankee Stadium.

It's just one of those things a fan needs to do.

"You've got so many things going on all day on opening day," Brock said. "The fact is that we have made this a baseball heaven right here in St. Louis."

Lou summed it well. With a win in the books and Ballpark Village open, never before has the testament that this IS a baseball town been brighter and more exciting.

Corey Noles is a columnist for The Daily Statesman and semoball.com.