New stadium, same name

ST. LOUIS -- Two St. Louis institutions -- the brewery and the baseball team -- will remain intertwined for at least the next two decades.

The Cardinals announced Wednesday that the new stadium to open in 2006 will, like the current stadium and the one before that, be called Busch Stadium. Beer giant Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. agreed to a 20-year extension of its existing marketing agreement with the team, a deal that includes naming rights.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

"I just couldn't see the stadium being called anything else but Busch Stadium," said Whitey Herzog.

The longtime Cardinals manager attended the sun-drenched news conference along with legends Stan Musial, Red Schoendienst, Bob Gibson, Lou Brock and Ozzie Smith, current all-stars Scott Rolen and Albert Pujols, and manager Tony La Russa.

The new stadium is being built just south of the current Busch Stadium. Construction crews on a large tower at the construction site unveiled a banner that read, "Thank You Anheuser-Busch." The brewery and the team provided a thank-you meal for hundreds of construction workers, and Anheuser-Busch gave each a six-pack of Budweiser brewed on Wednesday.

City and team official hope the new $387 million, 46,000-seat stadium with a red-brick exterior is a catalyst that spurs redevelopment of downtown's south side.

Anheuser-Busch's connection to the Cardinals dates to 1953, when the brewery purchased the team. The Cardinals played in Sportsman's Park at the time, but it was renamed Busch Stadium beginning with the 1954 season.

The brewery built the current Busch Stadium, which opened in 1966. It is the forth-oldest ballpark in the National League, behind Wrigley Field, Dodger Stadium and Shea Stadium, respectively. Busch Stadium became a marketing haven, with signs, appearances by the Budweiser Clydesdales, even an organist's frequent rendering of the Budweiser advertising anthem "Here Comes the King" to rev up the crowd.

After August Busch Jr. died in 1989, his heirs seemed less interested in owning a baseball team. Despite the Cardinals' history of success and fan support, the team did not generate the kind of return to which the world's No. 1 brewery -- with about half of the U.S. market share -- was accustomed. The Cardinals were sold to the current ownership group in 1995. But Anheuser-Busch maintained marketing rights.

The new agreement gives Anheuser-Busch more than just naming rights. The company is the exclusive alcoholic beverage sponsor on all radio and television broadcasts and promotions for the Cardinals. The brewery has the right to use the team logo, and can put signs inside the stadium and out. Entrances will all include large signs proclaiming the stadium name.

"From the day we began planning for the new ballpark, we wanted to keep the name Busch Stadium," Bill DeWitt Jr., chairman of the board for the Cardinals ownership group, said.

Cardinals president Mark Lamping said the team did have discussions with other companies about naming rights before reaching the agreement with Anheuser-Busch.

The naming rights agreement was part of the Cardinals' plan to repay the $200 million in bonds sold to fund construction of the ballpark. The team paid $90 million toward the ballpark; the rest of the funding is through tax relief from the state, city and St. Louis County.