Busch Stadium – May 22, 2010

This past Saturday Jenn and I made the trip to Saint Louis, Missouri to see the home team Cardinals host the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. This was my first new ballpark trip since 2006 and let me tell you it was worth the wait. We were treated to an Angels 10-7 victory while taking in a beautiful ballpark.

Busch Stadium was opened in 2006 and still carries that brand-new look to it. The entire outside of the ballpark is red-brick. It looks great. It fits the city and the team. We sat up behind home plate and took in a spectacular view of downtown St. Louis and the famous Gateway Arch. The view rivals the view found at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. The big difference here is that I recommend you catch a Pirate game at night in Pittsburgh to really take in the beauty of the city, but you definitely need to see a Cardinal day-game to enjoy the scenery in Busch Stadium.

The park is also made special by the die-hard, yet courteous fans in St. Louis. We had open conversations with the Cardinal fans in the ballpark despite Jenn and me wearing our Angels gear. The Cardinal’s staff was friendly as well. I was also blown away by how intelligent the Cardinal’s fans were. They noticed everything from a sacrifice fly to ground out that resulted in a run. They cheered for their team for performing all nuances of the game.

Busch Stadium has a party atmosphere too. The concourses are open in the upper levels which make you feel like you are at one big barbeque that just happened to have a baseball game break out. However, this comes at a cost because there is very little shade as a result. The heat was fierce on Saturday and my wife was only able to find a small area for shade. The seating in ballpark also offers very little shade early on game-days, but later in the day a large portion of the stadium did gain some shade.

Overall, Busch Stadium is one of my new favorites. It’s a beautiful ballpark with a festive atmosphere. There is not a bad seat in the house. Updated rankings are below.

1. PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA – Beautiful park with a great view of the three rivers. Go at night…it’s one of my favorite views.

2. Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO – See above

3. Camden Yards, Baltimore, MD – Another great looking park. This park is the starter for all the new constructions of the 1990’s and in my opinion still has the old-time baseball feel the architects were aiming for. The warehouse in background is still a cool sight.

4. Fenway Park, Boston, MA – The newer parks look better in so many ways, but nothing beats the party going on at Fenway on game day. There is so much going at Fenway the moment you get to the park. It does look old, but they keep it painted and the Monster is still an awesome sight.

5. Angels Stadium, Anaheim, CA – This is an old ballpark, but when I visited in 2004, it had been overhauled into a baseball only-facility (the Rams used to play there), and it was gorgeous. It’s especially great at night to watch with the fountains where outfield bleachers used to be. I admit with the Angels being my favorite team, I’m probably biased.

6. Comerica Park, Detroit, MI – This ballpark doesn’t get mentioned enough with other ballparks, but it is absolutely gorgeous. I love the history they put into it with the statues beyond the outfield wall. I really enjoyed visiting this park.

7. Citizen’s Bank Park, Philadelphia – This park is a nice-looking park, but what I thought was cool was the all the stuff they have for kids to do there. In the walkway section of the park there were all kinds of games and stuff to occupy the kids before, during, and after the game. Very cool.

8. Great American Ballpark, Cincinnati, OH – Very nice ballpark that captures the history of the city well with its steam boat representation and the Ohio River in the background. There isn’t a bad seat in the ballpark.

9. Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH – There was a time when I’d rank this ballpark higher, but the last time I went to see a game there, it looked as if it were not being taken care of. It’s still a decent place to catch a game, but I remember how great it looked when I first went in 1997. Last time I went, it looked like the Indians were saving money on maintenance as well as being cheap with their players.

10. Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA – I have to admit that I didn’t care much for this ballpark. It was drab and there wasn’t much there to do but watch the game, which is great for me, but bad for a parents wanting to find things to do with their kids (and their limited attention spans). However, when the sun starts going down, the beauty of the ballpark changes. It’s such a pretty sight to look at the background beyond the outfield fence and it makes up for much of its shortcomings.

*Changes – Busch Stadium slides into second place. I swapped slots between Citizen’s Bank Park and Great American Ballpark. I just realize the ballpark experience in Citizen’s Bank Park is better. It’s just a better looking ballpark too.

The Tongue is a Fire

One of my biggest pet peeves is when someone feels the need to try and tell me what I’m doing wrong by yelling at me, belittling me, or just by forcing it down my throat. Sometimes they try to disguise it with, “I’m just telling the truth.” Sometimes they throw in the L-word thinking it will cushion the blow (“I’m only saying this out of love”). In the end, though, even if the there is truth to it, the targeted person is left feeling disrespected and, in many cases, repulsed. I had someone close to me do this a couple months ago, and the sting of it remains. I have forgiven this person, but I do not want anything to do with this “friend.” Since it’s been a multiple-repeat performance, I feel as though I’m better off without this person in my life. Of course, it would be hypocritical for me to forget that I’ve been guilty of pushing my feelings on other people too, so I guess I understand both directions. We want to try and help someone, but in the end, because our words were harsh and forceful, we get pushed away.

Sometimes we just get angry and say something hurtful. We fail to see how much our words crush someone, and we usually do this to the people we are closest to. According to James 4, the tongue is a fire capable of so much evil. I’ve seen the damage it can cause when I’ve lost patience with Jenn and said something rude or hurtful. I’ve seen her spirit just shrink away, and I hate it. I hate seeing hurt in her eyes. However, when I let her know how much I love her or when I tell her how beautiful she is, she sparkles. The tongue has the power to destroy, and the power to nourish one’s heart and soul. I need to be more careful with how I speak to people; I think we all do. I want everyone who speaks with me to know I care about them and feel blessed by my words.

Friendship

It’s been awhile since I've been able to have good fellowship with another brother-in-Christ, but last night was a great opportunity. I met up with a friend, Roger Chang, at Skyline Chili. (It was my first time eating there and it was pretty decent.) We started off talking about church stuff and in the end it became one of those times that you realize God set up. I needed that time to really bounce thoughts, ideas, and struggles off of someone, and God provided it. I can talk to Jenn all I want, but sometimes I need fellowship with guys. We just think differently. I was very honest with Roger about my past and where I’ve been. I let him in on all my struggles and fears and then we prayed. If anything, I realize that though I’ve been through a lot in life, I still have a long way to go and it’s nice to be able to let it out and be encouraged along the way. I’ve missed that since I moved down here from Columbus. It’s nice to have friendship. Truthfully, I’ve really struggled in my faith of late because I’ve felt - and let me stress the word felt - like God wasn’t listening to my cries for help with some issues, but yet there it was right where I needed it. So I’m thankful for the friendship of men like Roger and of a holy and loving God. It’s just what we all need.

Worship

I was four years old the first time I can remember hearing a praise and worship song. Our family was living in Newport, Rhode Island at the time. It was a sunny day and my mother sitting on a chair in the dining room with her guitar settled in her lap and her song book on the table in front of her. She was playing “This is the Day” on her old Yamaha acoustic and singing like an angel while I played on the floor with some toy cars. Except I really wasn’t playing. I was listening. Listening to my mother sing love songs to her God calmed my heart when life was so hard for us. It made it easier for me to accept her God as my God just a few years later when our days were even darker.

What I remember most about those days listening to my mother praise God is that joy filled the room. She enjoyed worshiping God. It saddens me now to know she has not picked up her guitar in over twenty years, but those memories stick with me. I grew up loving music and I always loved taking part in worship at church whether in the choir, or singing special music. Worshiping God was always joyful, even in moments where the songs we sang were deeper, more emotional songs. So I guess the question I have for everyone is: What does worshiping God mean to you?