Atop the perch at Busch

If you have read any of my previous columns, then you’ll certainly know three things about me: 1) I am originally from St. Louis; 2) I am obsessed with baseball; and 3) I absolutely love the St. Louis Cardinals.

When I moved to San Diego six years ago, I knew I’d miss my family and friends, but didn’t quite know how much I’d miss my Cardinals and their home, Busch Stadium. That’s where I’ve spent so many summer days and nights, rooting on the birds and booing the bastard Cubs when they came down from Chicago. But simply catching games at Petco Park when the Cards came to town to take on the Padres just wasn’t the same. The energy in Busch Stadium is so unlike any other sports venue where I’ve witnessed a contest. The atmosphere, 40,000-plus people showing up to every game, all decked out in red, clapping and cheering for the same team I’ve grown to love… it just warms the heart. So, when it came time for me to move from San Diego, naturally I appeared destined back for St. Louis. But I just wasn’t quite ready to move home, primarily because I was changing career paths. I didn’t want to go back without any prospects, and I needed a new town to grow around.

Enter Portland.

The decision to move to Oregon was influenced by a few factors, one of them being the broadcasting program offered here at Mt. Hood. I knew I wanted to do something around sports for a career, but never really considered the possibilities or pursued my passion. I was encouraged by so many others to do what I can to realize that dream, finally, so here I am.

I still visit St. Louis when I can, for holidays, weddings, or just to catch a little break and go to a Cardinals game – but this last trip wrapped all of that up into one nice little package.

I attended an ex-girlfriend’s wedding (don’t ask), spent Memorial Day with close cousins and extended family, and of course, caught a tilt at Busch Stadium between the Cards and Cubs. I went with my mother, brother and grandparents, and wasn’t excited to attend just because those clubs have a historic rivalry, but because of what we were able to do before the game started. My mother has a friend working in the Cardinals’ media department, who invited us to tour the offices and get a feel for how it runs on game day.

Shortly after the stadium opened in 2006, I had a chance to walk around the field and inside the dugout, but this was my first opportunity to head through the administration side of the park. Once Robin, our “tour guide,” sent us up a few floors and the elevator doors opened, I was greeted by cubicles and offices dressed to the nines in Cardinals swag. It was a thrill to see the promotions department in all its autographed glory, the hallways covered in memorable photography of legendary broadcasters and most valuable players, and the conference room in use by the Cardinal brass.

While the history and organizational pride were awesome, my favorite part was checking out the media side of operation.

We first checked into the reporters’ booth, which was surprisingly large and already hosted a few out-of-towners taking notes hours before the game. The view here stretched far along the lower second deck, providing a good look at the fundamentals of the game, but we quickly moved along on to the KMOX radio booth. The popular 1120 AM station has long been the flagship of the Cardinals, and the upper-deck vantage point directly behind home plate gave me the chance to gaze out unto the St. Louis skyline beyond the outer confines of Busch… from the seat of none other than Mike Shannon. Shannon has been a member of the St. Louis organization, in some capacity, for 55 years and was inducted into the Cardinals’ Hall of Fame in August 2014. He’s also been the color commentator / play-by-play guy longer than anyone else in the club’s history, save for the late, great Jack Buck. When I was taking in the magnitude of my surroundings, Robin said, “Mike likes to leave the windows open when he calls games,” which makes perfect sense. I just thought, “Well sure, the ambiance and sounds of the game help the listener feel like they’re sitting right there next to him.” And that’s why I love the art of sports broadcasting. There is so much art in storytelling, and I want to learn to be the best.

We eventually left the radio booth, and my ingenious brother, Tyler, asked, “Hey, can we see the scoreboard control room?” Yes, can we?! Robin replies that she’s never even seen it so, of course, we have to check it out. The technicians were gracious enough to allow us in and to wander around, inspecting all the programs and software used to run the new outfield HD video screens (one measuring almost 5,000 square feet). It was pretty awesome to see the packages for both individual players and situations, dropping at the click of a button.

The tour concluded as the ticket gates opened for the game, so we collected our KMOX Cardinals hats and made our way to the seats down the third-base line, rooting on our Redbirds. And while I may not be sure of the exact avenue of sports media I’ll be pursuing, I got a good look behind the scenes of my favorite team within my favorite sport – and I can’t ask for much more than that.

Advocate Staff