Seven days, three ballparks

Above: A rabid baseball fan gets a souvenir photo at Busch Stadium in St. Louis MO with the iconic Gateway Arch in the background. (Click to enlarge.)

On the seventh day, God rested. On the seventh day, I went to my third major-league baseball park -- Busch Stadium, home of my beloved Cardinals. Don't forget that last Friday I was in Atlanta and saw the Braves play the Miami Marlins, and Saturday I was in Cincinnati to see the Reds take on the San Diego Padres. Yesterday, I was in St. Louis.

Game-time temperature for the 12:45 start was 70 degrees F. with clear skies and a light breeze. If you've ever been in hot St. Louis in August, you know that was a treat. The game was a thriller with the Cards winning over Pittsburgh in 12 innings.

I have a 10-pack of tickets this year. I remember when they came in the mail, I quickly opened them to see which games were included. When I saw Pittsburgh in August, I remember thinking "Well, they can't all be good games." W-R-O-N-G. Pittsburgh is in first place and Cards in second in the Central Division (National League) and this was an important game.

Arguably the most valuable Cardinal player is catcher Yadier Molina. Besides batting .330, he is so important to the pitching staff. As you know, the catcher signals the pitcher to tell him which pitch to throw. Teams watch video and have a good idea how to pitch to each opposing batter. Molina has been on the DL for two weeks and yesterday was his first day back. Early on, a Pittsburgh Pirate player tried to steal second base and Molina threw him out.

"Yadi's back," said a fan in the row behind me.

Later with the Cards ahead by one run, Pittsburgh had a runner on third base and the batter bunted to try and get him home. Molina was quick to get the ball and trap the runner on third who was caught in a run down. I turned to the fan behind me: "Yadi's back!"

Above: Cardinal pitcher Lance Lynn winds up.

Above: The mascot and helpers use a slingshot gizmo to throw tee shirts into the crowd.

Above: I could have watched the game on TV? Nah, more fun at the park.

Photos taken with my Canon 40D.