Digging up the future

ST. LOUIS -- If there had been a game scheduled Saturday, it would have been postponed by steady rain and 40-degree temperatures.

Instead, hundreds of fans attended groundbreaking ceremonies just outside Busch Stadium for the St. Louis Cardinals' new stadium, due to open in 2006. The ground was saturated by the end of the many speeches, introductions of Cardinals past and present and the harmonica playing of Hall of Famer Stan Musial, who led the crowd in a rendition of "Take me out to the ball game."

"Better today," team president Mark Lamping said, "than on opening day."

Work outside the $387 million stadium, which will have a capacity of 46,000 and will occupy virtually the same space, has been going on for about a month. That includes destruction of a highway ramp near Busch, which opened in 1966 and was home to two World Series championships and Mark McGwire's record-setting 70th home run in 1998.

Manager Tony La Russa was among the dignitaries at the ceremony and he's ready for a new facility, although last season he said he didn't know if he'd still be around when it opens. Next month, La Russa will hold his ninth spring training with the team.

"It plays real well," La Russa said. "But underneath, more and more every year, there's problems -- leaks, smells and all kinds of nasty stuff. So it is time for a ballpark to be built."

Broadcaster Wayne Hagin was looking forward to working in the new stadium after viewing models and plans.

"It is going to be gorgeous," Hagin said.

Civic boosters see the new ballpark as part of a renaissance in the city. On his way to the ceremony, Frank Viverito, president of the St. Louis Sports Commission, took note of the loft apartments being renovated in the immediate area.

"I've thought all along that its greatest success is being part of a downtown that's actually, really, coming back," Viverito said. "The timing for everything is really good."

The ceremonies, capped by a fireworks display, came during the opening day of the team's annual three-day Winter Warmup at a downtown hotel. Virtually all of the current players, along with stars from the past, are in town for autograph signings that will raise money for Cardinal Care, the team's charitable arm.

The event also features clinics on baseball techniques and strategy, plus interactive games and silent and live auctions for Cardinals memorabilia.