The calendar doesn’t list March 31 as a holiday, but baseball fans in St. Louis know better. The boys of summer are back to engage in a rite of spring, even if the weather still wants to hold onto winter now and then. Today’s the day the Cardinals start the marathon of 162 games in search of another pennant and a World Series title. Former Creve Coeur resident Jim Edmonds is throwing out a ceremonial first pitch at Busch Stadium.
I grew up in Rochester, NY. Longtime Redbird fans know that before Musial, Gibson and many other Cardinal greats made their way to the Gateway City, they honed their skills as Triple-A Rochester Red Wings. That affiliation lasted from the Gas House Gang and long enough for Jack Buck to have one season at the microphone there. The Baltimore Orioles picked up where the Cards left off in the 1960s.
I have fond memories of opening day, even in the minors. My parents always found a way for me to go to the ballpark, even on an April afternoon when I was otherwise supposed to be in grade school. Years later, that included a flight home from the University of Missouri when the team opened a new ballpark.
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Do you have any opening day rituals. Do the folks at work dress up? I'd love to hear your stories, and if you have pictures to share, that's great too.
In honor of Opening Day, I've assembled a collection of notes about Baseball's connection to Creve Coeur Patch you might not have known. Enjoy!
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First, let’s start with a smattering of current ballplayers who lived or played their high school ball here and where they are now.
- grad Jacob Turner is likely to start the season in Double-A, but as Metro Networks’ Rob Otto reports, he won’t be there long enough to get comfortable.
- Matt Kramer,, appears headed to Single-A, according to an interview with Jewish Baseball News.
- graduate Max Scherzer hopes to turn last year’s turnaround into a full season in the majors as a pitcher in the Detroit Tiger rotation.
Then there were those who were born here:
According to Baseball-Reference.com, former Cardinals Scarborough Green and Heinie Mueller were both born in Creve Coeur.
And finally, a broadcasting note:
Long before he went on to be a voice for the Cardinals and now FOX-TV, Joe Buck went to the .
So that's my look at Opening Day. What's yours?
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