First game at Busch will feature Cardinals' minor league teams

ST. LOUIS -- It turns out the first game at the new Busch Stadium won't even involve the Cardinals.

The team announced Thursday that its top two minor-league affiliates, the Class AAA Memphis Redbirds and Class AA Springfield Cardinals, will play a "warm-up" game at 6:10 p.m. April 4 at the new stadium currently under construction just south of the site of the demolished Busch that was home to the Cardinals for 39 years.

The game will launch a week of events leading up to the Cardinals' home opener at 3:10 p.m. April 10 against the Milwaukee Brewers.

The game involving the minor-league teams "will serve as a 'dress rehearsal' for everyone -- the stadium operations staff, concessionaires, vendors, ushers, grounds crew, broadcasters, umpires, news media and even our fans," Cardinals president Mark Lamping said.

Lamping said the warm-up game "will give us a chance to iron out any wrinkles in anticipation of Opening Day and the entire 2006 season, as well as give our hometown fans a glimpse of our top minor league prospects."

Ticket prices for the warm-up game will range from $5 to $20.

--AP