Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost: Busch Stadium (St. Louis, Missouri)

Thursday, November 24, 2016

Busch Stadium (St. Louis, Missouri)

One of the reasons for our visit to St. Louis, Missouri in September was to catch a Cardinal’s baseball game at Busch Stadium. On September 11, 2016 we walked from our RV Park across the Mississippi River to catch an afternoon game between St. Louis and Milwaukee. Busch Stadium is set in the heart of downtown St. Louis and is dwarfed by the surrounding high rises, and most notably the impressive Gateway Arch. Milwaukee won this particular game 2-1 in the 9th inning, keeping things interesting up until the very end. It was definitely a full house that afternoon; the stadium seats 43,975 and attendance that day was 44,703. Not having to worry about parking was a huge relief!

It’s always fun to find out a little about the team we’re watching Here, possibly, are some lesser known and interesting facts about the Cardinals:

Formed in 1882, the original name of the St Louis Cardinals was the Brown Stockings; In 1891 they changed their name to the St. Louis Browns; In 1889 the names was changed to the Perfectos; and in 1900 the name was changed to the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Cardinals have won more than 9,300 games, 11 World Series Championships, 18 National League Pennants, 3 National League Eastern Division Titles, and 8 National League Central Division Titles.
The Cardinals teams in the 1930's were known as The Gashouse Gang. They got the nickname because of the unkept appearance. According to one version, the nickname stuck when shortstop Leo Durocher said, "they think we're a bunch of gashousers," referring to workers in the plants which produced gas for heating and lighting in cities.
Although St. Louis loves their Cardinals, 90% of their fans come from outside the city.
Cardinals legend Stan "The Man" Musial got his 3,000th hit off the arch rival Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. He finished with 3630 hits: 1815 at home and 1815 on the road.