Smoking banned at Busch Stadium

ST. LOUIS -- Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals, is going smoke-free starting next month.

The club announced Monday it will prohibit smoking inside the ballpark beginning opening night April 1.

Busch Stadium will become the 15th of 30 ballparks in Major League Baseball to go completely smoke-free. Smoking has been prohibited in the stadium's seating areas since 1995.

Smokers will be allowed to exit and re-enter the ballpark at three designated exit and re-entry gates.

"Unlike old Busch, which generally had open-air concourses, the new ballpark is designed with many services, amenities and access areas such as stairwells which are enclosed," Cardinals president Mark Lamping said.

"Smoke collects in these stairwells and other enclosed areas, and that works against our goal of providing a healthy, fan-focused environment."

Lamping said fans asked for the no-smoking policy.

-- AP