Cardinals Candids

July 18, 2009 – Haren Returns

Cody — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 03:15:46 +0000

Former Cardinal Danny Haren started the game for the Arizona Diamondbacks, in his first appearance against his old team. He pitched 8 innings and picked up the win against his former Memphis Redbirds teammate, Adam Wainwright.

Also of note was Mark DeRosa’s return to the lineup after a stint on the disabled list. Coincidentally, I was at both the game where DeRosa left with injury, and now at his return from that injury. Both times I was hoping to see his first hit as a Cardinal, and both times I was denied.

2009 Home Run Derby & All-Star Game

Cody — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 02:05:26 +0000

During the “second chance” All-Star Game ticket sales, I was able to get a single ticket strip in the right field bleachers.
I attended the Fan Fest on Friday evening. Most of the lines were really long, so I just browsed around and took in the sights. I enjoyed all of the old memorabilia and trophies on display.
I skipped the Futures Game on Sunday, which was a good decision considering the four hour plus rain delay. I was happy to see Brett Wallace (2 walks) and Daryl Jones (1 for 2, with a run scored) do well in the game while watching it from home though.
Albert Pujols’ fan-assisted home run was one of my favorite moments from the Home Run Derby on Monday night, especially since it helped him make the second round. I wasn’t too disappointed that he didn’t win though, because Prince Fielder and Nelson Cruz put on a good show.
Ryan Franklin was impressive in his one inning of work in the All-Star Game, and Yadier Molina delivered a 2-out RBI hit to help the National League tie the game early. Pujols was hitless and had an error that led to a run for the American League, but he made a couple of slick defensive plays later to make up for it.
All in all, I enjoyed the All-Star experience. Working downtown, I was able to watch the transformation of the city as it prepared for the game. It was a quite exciting time.

June 30, 2009 – Albert Pujols vs. the San Francisco Giants

Cody — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:53:25 +0000

It’s been a while. I’ve gone to a few games since April, but only in seats that aren’t very conducive to picture-taking (Bleachers & Terrace Reserved).

When I saw that the pitching match up for the game was Chris Carpenter vs. Randy Johnson, and that all tickets were half price, I decided it would be a good night to get a seat with a better view so that I could take some pictures.

I was in the dugout boxes down the 3rd base line, just seven rows from the field, so I had a good view of the action. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much action to speak of from the Cardinals, with the exception of two home runs from Albert Pujols.

April 25, 2009 – Cardinals vs. Cubs

Cody — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 00:00:29 +0000

My seats for this game were in the same section as those on Opening Day, and I also had La Russa pack tickets very near there last season, so I’m getting bored with trying to take pictures from this angle. I only took a few pictures at the start of the game so that I could add some more names to the list in the sidebar, and then didn’t get the camera back out until the bases were loaded and Pujols was coming up to bat.

The highlights of the game besides Pujols’ grand slam and 1,000th career RBI were Mitchell Boggs pitching very well in his first start of the season, and Yadier Molina receiving his Gold Glove award before the game (that was unexpected, so I didn’t have my camera ready to capture the moment).

April 6, 2009 – Opening Day

Cody — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 01:27:45 +0000

It was a cold (and just a bit snowy) day at the ballpark, but that didn’t keep me from attending my 2nd Opening Day. It was a fairly exciting game overall and I was happy to see Stan Musial make an appearance on the field for the first pitch, so that made up for the weather. Unfortunately the Cardinals couldn’t hold on to the lead in the 9th.

September 6, 2008 – First Appearances

Cody — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 23:59:58 +0000

I’ll be adding some new names to the list on the left with this post. For the first time, I had seats directly above the Cardinals’ bullpen, so I was able to get a lot of pictures of the activity going on down there.

August 2, 2008 – Picture Day

Cody — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 22:12:36 +0000

Today was Picture Day at Busch Stadium, where we were allowed to go down onto the field (on the track only – don’t touch the grass!) and then all of the players and coaches made a lap around the stadium. Most of the veterans kept a safe distance, posing for pictures but not signing autographs or shaking hands. A lot of the younger guys were more enthusiastic though, so I got high fives from the likes of Joe Mather, Brad Thompson, Brendan Ryan, Rick Ankiel, Kyle McClellan, and a few others.

July 19, 2008 – Christian Family Day

Cody — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 01:44:36 +0000

June 2, 2008 – Green Seats

Cody — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 01:41:20 +0000

May 18, 2008 – Stan Musial Day

Cody — Mon, 19 May 2008 01:37:51 +0000