Opening Day '08

When the parking scalper hands you back money, take it as a sign. Or better yet, advice. And find somewhere else to put your car, regardless of the hour or the scarcity of spaces. Because otherwise you may find yourself saying, "I wouldn't mind sticking around to see if they play, but I'm afraid my car, assuming I can find it again, may be starting to sink." Take it from the girl in the plastic bag poncho.

No harm, no foul, not even a game, officially. But it was Opening Day, and I saw what I came for, even if I had to learn never to park quite that far under the highway again--especially in a rainout. What is it with this downtown and its near total lack of solid pavement? My friend and I had a fine time, once we were soaked to the skin, concocting the Cardinals' next slogan--Catch the Fever! Yellow Fever!--as we sloshed through the concrete gullies that surround the stadium and pictured the coming mosquitos, but perhaps it seemed more contagious to us in the same way that an $8.5o margarita seems like a better deal than a $9 beer.

But that was later. After the Clydesdales. After the ushers greeting, "Welcome back to Busch." After the motorcade, after the crowd cheered for "Louuuuuuuuuuuuu." After Red Schoendienst bumped knuckles with players too young to be his grandkids, after Mr. Stan Musial, God love him, appeared and took swings. A crowd roused and contented by local traditions, common marvels. Bob Gibson, 40 years past 1.12, looking like a human dare to those anonymous pitchers. A local boy taking his first steps onto a major league field as a pro and as a Cardinal, family and friends and 50,000 well-wishers in the stands. A first pitch thrown out with a Missouri FOOTBALL (if only it had sailed over the plate).

What more could we ask for? Oh yes, the baseball. And for three innings we had some. Line drives. A sweet catch. A walk on four balls, naturally. A Pujols home run. Technically, none of it counts, and they'll try it again tomorrow, and then 161 more times. I won't return for the do-over, though my ticket is good. I'm going out of town, and I've too much to do. But that's okay; I'll give it away and won't feel I missed much. This was Opening Day, and I saw everything I wanted to see: I got everything I came for.