The United Cardinal Bloggers, of which this blog’s author is an associate, is spending October doing a series of Questions of the Day. Today was our turn to pose the question, which is a slight break in topic and perhaps a bit unexpected, given our reputation as "the stat guy": If you could change anything about the Busch Stadium game experience and money were no object, what would it be? Herein, the responses from our fellow UCBers.

You mean outside of spending the money that’s no object on the team payroll? : )

– Nick, Pitchers Hit Eighth

Overall I think the game day experience at Busch III is a good one. The stadium and views are nice. There are enough food options. I guess my complaint is that it all feels a bit too "sanitized." I like the dated and grungy inner concourses at Fenway. I love the old bleachers at Wrigley. This new stadium just doesn’t have a "signature" that draws people in.

Assuming the team has no plans to demolish Busch III and start over, I would suggest taking the large, outdoor, open-air concourse areas (for example the areas around the Hardee’s restaurant) and giving them more of "carnival" feel. Not so much that it needlessly distracts from the game itself, but enough to give the stadium some flavor. For example, put a theatre-sized screen on one of the outdoor concourses where they already have table seating. If people want to sit out on the concourse and eat their hotdogs, they can see what’s happening with the game instead of trying to view the small televisions located above the concession stands. Put in a small walk-in tavern (think Irish pub). More things that appeal to the upper deck crowds as opposed to the high dollar premium seat holders.

Most importantly, fill in the pit that sits on the north side of the stadium. Do something with it. Anything. Grass it over and make it a park. I understand the Ballpark Village project is delayed, but it seems like they could make some temporary fixes that would alleviate the eyesore.

– Don Daniel, The Redbird Blog

Very good question. I would like to see better quality food (not higher priced food). Often times the hot dog buns and nacho chips are stale… and the beer… come on! … they just have to ship it down the street why is it $8.50 for a tall boy!?

I agree with Don of The Redbird Blog that although Ballpark Village is delayed there needs to be something done with the surrounding areas. The area around the stadium is not pedestrian friendly meaning that there isn’t a lot of bar/eatery choices close by and because of this, the places that are close become WAY too crowded before and after the game.

This may surprise some people because I am a bit of a traditionalist, but I like some of the "sanitized" (to use Don’s word) happenings of Busch III. I like the scoreboard games in between innings, I like Fredbird running around, and the atmosphere in the outfield plaza before games. I could, however, do without the Hardee’s sign : )

– Scott Deaner, Cardinal Nation Globe

Well, I’d like to see a team that features Albert, Hanley Ramirez, Chase Utley … but I don’t think that’s the "game experience" you’re talking about.

I don’t really have any complaints about the current set-up. I know I’m supposed to be nostalgic for the old Busch, but it never seemed like more than a place to watch a game.

Is there a way that we can outlaw the wave without violating people’s First Amendment rights?

Oooh, oooh, I do have one idea: It’s not fair that only the rich people get to see the Team Fredbird girls up close. How about some "discount" babes for those of us in the 400s?

– Eric Ferguson, Bert Flex

I completely agree on the Team Fredbird note. I’m tired of ogling through my binoculars.

– Scott Deaner, Cardinal Nation Globe

I love the Busch Stadium experience. I love the knowledgeable and respectful fans that pack the place every night. I love the classic look and feel of the stadium, as well as the history and tradition that has been carried over from the previous parks. Now that I’ve lived in Miami for three years and suffer through Marlins games at Dolphins Stadium, I really have a ton more appreciation for the way St. Louis does baseball.

The obvious answer to what I would change would be for the damn Ballpark Village to be up and running, giving the fans a bigger variety of pre and post game activities while infusing some more life into the downtown area. I’m fine with the food, the beer, the music, and the Hardee’s sign, but would like some other options besides Paddy O’s, Hrabosky’s, and Shannon’s for my pre-gaming.

And, slightly off topic, but I worry about the Cardinals losing a couple of their traditions when InBev is completely in the driver’s seat. Maybe I have nothing to worry about, but it just wouldn’t be Cardinal baseball without the Clydesdales trotting around to "Here Comes the King."

– Mike West, Mike on the Cards

I have yet to get to a game at the new Busch. I got my foot inside the team store while they were out of town last year, that’s as close as I’ve come. So maybe they do some of this, I don’t know, but anything that ties in history is a good thing. Whether it’s more Jack Buck video clips, a small museum in the park (I think the larger Cardinal Hall of Fame is supposed to be in Ballpark Village, but something small should be doable), getting more of the Hall of Famers to be around for the average fan to see and be in contact with, that’s the stuff that I think enhances things at the ballpark.

– Daniel Shoptaw, Cardinal 70 at the Bat

If I could change any one thing about the new Busch, huh? Well, I think that I would probably a) open up the concourses to the field, the way they were promised to us in the first place and you’ll find at places like PNC, Petco, and the like, and b) do something about the outfield. I’m sorry, but perfectly symmetrical, plain padded walls just don’t do anything for me. I love AT&T and places like that with brickwork and asymmetrical outfields.

More realistically, though, I would like to see more variety available in the refreshment department. Invite in local restaurants to open up stalls in the open areas and sell their wares. Offer more interesting fare. Seems to me like a gyro joint would go over like gangbusters in the stadium. And above all, offer some beer that isn’t freaking Anheuser-Busch! This is the beer capital of America; there should be some variety available. We have three fantastic breweries in town that aren’t owned by large, multinational corporations. How about being able to get a Schlafly, or something from Sqware One or O’Fallon at the game? The Cardinals need to realise that it’s a slightly different breed of fan that’s going to these games nowadays. And no amount of complaining or hankering for the old days from crusty old purists is going to change that. The times, they are a changing, and the team needs to be willing to change with them.

– Aaron Schafer, RFT’s The Rundown

And, of course, you know that this "crusty old purist" has a comment or two on the matter. So in conclusion, we present our Top 10 Improvements to the Busch Stadium Game Experience:

1. Remove Big Mac Land: The team hasn’t exactly cleaned up its image much, employing three known PED users (Ryan Franklin, Rick Ankiel and Troy Glaus), but it’s a little much to have a shrine dedicated to one of the most enduring icons of baseball’s steroid problem, not to mention a constant reminder of a forged record. Isn’t it enough that we still have to travel on Mark McGwire Highway?
2. Convert Team Fredbird into "stat ambassadors": With all due respect to our colleagues Ferguson and Deaner, we’re tired of hearing these glorified cheerleaders blowing whistles like we’re dogs or at the public swimming pool. We’re sure these ladies are talented — why not put them to work employing their minds? As the team’s web site notes, "entertaining fans from the field and on the dugouts … is only one of the many aspects of their job." Perhaps Team Fredbird could take a cue from Jacobs Field, where local SABR members staff a baseball-information booth each game and answer fans’ questions on everything from scoring to biographical history to stats.
3. Meaningful scoreboard stats: If they had had fancy electronic scoreboards in the 1900s, batting average and win-loss records would’ve been swell. But it’s a new millenium, and, as Aaron Schafer notes, the park needs to change with the times. Change Batting Average, Home Runs and RBI to OBP, Total Bases and Runs Created. (We’d settle for merely adding OBP as a start.)
4. Push corner fences out: It’s almost as though the outfield configuration, in which the last 10 feet on either end slant in like Pesky’s Pole in Boston, was intentionally designed to promote cheap home runs. It’s bush.
5. Give fans an inner mecca: Many parks have some kind of homage inside, whether it’s a display of artifacts from team history (Detroit) or an artistic tribute to legends (Cincinnati). The old Busch had the Cardinal Museum inside for several years; the new one needs something to answer a visiting fan’s question, "What one thing do I need to make sure to see here?"
6. Organ music only: Longtime Post-Dispatch writer John Archibald leaned over to us one night and asked, "Don’t they play organ music anymore?" We answered yes, occasionally, but Mr. Archibald’s point was taken. We doubt that losing "Brass Monkey" is going to hurt Ryan Ludwick’s production, and if Skip Schumaker figures to bat leadoff in ‘09, consider how many times we won’t be subjected to his annoying intro music. And do "songs" like "Let’s get loud,""Everybody clap your hands!" and the ear-piercing "Somebody scream!" mix really add to your enjoyment of the game? Furthermore, hearing ACDC’s "Thunderstruck" when the imposing Aaron Miles approaches the plate is simply embarrassing.
7. Display leaderboards by league, not by majors: We’re not sure when exactly this happened, but this inane practice needs to stop. It’s bad enough that we have to deal with the failed experiment that is interleague play. It’s like there’s some kind of Seligian scheme going on to inure fans to his sinister One-World League plot.
8. Display all the team’s NL pennants on the visitor’s dugout: The Cardinals have won 17 NL pennants. But that’s not apparent, looking at the roof of the visitors’ dugout, which only displays the seven years in which they lost the World Series. Put all 17 on.
9. Ban the cam — kiss cam. The kiss cam is a trainwreck — it’s hard not to watch. But we’ve seen one too many chuckleheads act like they’re the stars of an x-rated film to make the kiss cam worth it. That, and our mom and dad were once on it.
10. Repaint Bud Light sign on the press box roof: No amount of ad money generated can pay for the gaudiness on display; paint it solid green. While they’re at it, tear down that Hardee’s light, which is visible from East St. Louis.

This entry was posted by Pip on Monday, October 20th, 2008 at 9:59 pm and is filed under analysis, group blogging. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.