h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Syn and I are back from St. Louis. We went up for a Cardinals game as my b'day pressie to Syn, him being as much a Cardinals fan as I am. Actually, it's the perfect present for him. I did good.

We started off Wednesday morning driving in the rain, but soon drove out of it. We had perfect weather in St. Louis. We checked into our hotel, the Millenium, to find we'd been given a room on the top floor of the north tower with floor to ceiling windows and a birds-eye view of downtown, including the ballpark. It sure beat the Red Roof Inn where we stayed the last time we went up for a game.

Syn took me to Mike Shannon's for dinner. You should see the baseball memorabilia in there. Fantastic. The food is excellent, as well. I had a spinach and bacon salad with red peppers, mushrooms and eggs, a fillet Oscar (the steak was dry aged and melted in your mouth and the hollandaise was perfectly done -- I appreciate a good hollandaise, loathe a poor one), asparagus and baby patty pan squash dusted with butter and parmesan. Syn, unimaginative as usual, had the jumbo breaded shrimp and rice pilaf.

Then it was a short walk to the ballpark and a hunt for a scalper. We got there for the end of the second inning, so caught most of the game. We didn't have nearly as good seats as the ones I bought for Thursday, but it was fun. Cards won 10-3.

Yesterday morning after breakfast we walked up to the team store for a wee bit of shopping. I got a nice medium-weight jacket for fall. I was going to buy a new jacket this year anyway, so don't consider it an extravagance. Red and gray. I love it.

Then it was back to the hotel to dress for the game and check out. They let us leave the car in the hotel garage which is right across the street from Busch stadium. I wore my official jersey as an overblouse with a red tank top, a white Cardinals visor and my jeans. Syn had his Carpenter jersey, red hat and bermudas. We looked right spiffy.

We had wonderful seats. Right behind home plate. They were a tad pricey, but they were worth every penny. We had a great time. And the folks around us were true fans, too, so that made it even better. It was a fun game to watch, even though the outcome was disappointing. It stayed interesting to the very last out. Brewers took it 4-3.

We got to watch Carpenter pitch Wednesday. It was the third game we've seen him pitch. And Smoltz yesterday. That was a first for both of us. We entered a drawing for post-season tickets. I'm holding my breath. I've never been to a play-off game or World Series game.

The drive home was uneventful. It takes about 4.5 hours once we're actually on the highway. Getting out of downtown after the game was tedious since it was also the regular evening rush. Annie was estatic to see us. She had to spend Wednesday with a bearded cousin.

All things considered, it was a great mini-vacation. We both agreed that we need to do it more often.

Glad to hear the trip was such a success

Dear Hypatia - the baseball Queen.

What a wonderful time you had. I thought that you were rather silent. I knew you were going gut did not know when

You really had a great game. Your dinner sounded absolutely exwuisite. well done. Areal epicurean meal. ! Sym sounds so nice and you appear to have a wonderful time. so now arrange to go to lots of baseball games.

Thanks so much for wirting about it.
Much affection
Christiane

Friday 4th September 2009 17 15 BST

Glad you had a great time, Hyp

It is good to learn about another culture.




Half serious, actually. Baseball is allmost non-existant in DK. The distances are much shorter - five hours would take me outside Denmark - but we do have hotels and restaurants.

I love reading about my friends' lives and experiences.

It sounds like you made out fabulously in a number of ways and directions. But comes the most important query: With all your shopping for this and that, ...

Did Annie also get a Cards shirt?

Annie already has a Cardinals shirt. She wears it when we watch the games on TV. And she has a Cardinals water bowl. I did look for a collar for her, but they were sold out.

Thanks T and Lil. I did have a great time. And so did Syn. It perked both of us up.

Christiane, you're right. We should go to games more often. Baseball is one of my greatest pleasures. It's the only sport I follow closely. I also like to follow the Missouri University (Mizzou)football and basketball teams, but not to the point of going to the games.

Tartaronne, St. Louis is on the far east side of Missouri and I live on the far west side of the state. So it's a good drive for us to get there. It's almost 300 miles. Things are indeed farther apart in the US. Probably why there are such strong regional cultures rather than a uniform national culture. Baseball is national, though. I'd genuinely miss it if I moved to Europe.

Ok whats baseball

It's a religion of the North American countries. It is felt in every state and province by many, meaningless to many more. But to the devout, it is very nearly the focus of their being for a time period of each year. NEVER doubt the devotion and veracity of a true follower, lest you find products of Oscar Meyer in places you'd never have thought possible!!!

Baseball is also worshipped in Japan and Cuba.

I will admit I'm a baseball junkie. I'm way too old and far too addicted to give it up now. Especially not when the Cards are having a winning season.

The trip sounds most excellent. I can't think of a more deserving librarian to have said excellent trip .

*posty 8*

ahh so then (bare with me as i'm on me laptop) a Religon eh! well it beats chathalicks (correct spelling, just don't correct me as i'm in a row with our new local father..... pig) does it use a bat and ball??

RJR

Very dear Hypatia,

I love the fact tht you are so keen on baseball. why not? so just you go ahead and educate us - certainly me - in the game and all the interesting point in it.

For instance I love Rugby!1.

I wonder what team games women play in the States.

K comes back tomorrow, and M. my eldest son will come out providing he has got over the flu. I certainly do not want to catch it.

gp well and have a good evening.


christiane.
~AR80

RJR, Baseball is simply a very large version of our game of rounders, only with a larger bat!

*whack*


Quick, run!!!

Glad you had a good time up in St Louis Hyp . I put a post on the Fox sports network during the game saying you and Syn were at the ball park celebrating a birthday , to see if they would read it out . They didn't.
At least the Cardinals are looking good for the play offs . Who was it suggested I follow the Mets ?? , are they always this rubbish ?
Good job we have the Nationals in our division or we would be plumb last . They are showing Cubs v Mets live at 6 this evening so I shall be watching that if I don't go fishing .

RJR, since you lived in the US for a while, methinks you know more about baseball than you're letting on. It's not nice to tease an old lady about baseball.

Christiane, lil hit it on the nose. Baseball is very like rounders. If you understand one, it is very easy to pick up the other. The difference of course is that it's unimportant in the UK but a major sport in the US, Canada and certain islands. Baseball used to be called "the great American pastime." There was even a movie made with that title. And there was/is? a league of that name doing simulated games, I think. Anyway, football is now more popular. The American version, not soccer. But baseball is still the best sport, imho. I just can't get as involved with football.

Tod, the Mets are my second least favorite team. The Cubs being my least favorite. The Cardinals/Cubs rivalry goes back generations. You can't like the Cubs if you're a true Cardinals fan and vice versa. The Cubs are also in our division, which means we're in direct competition with them for a play-off berth. And, the two cities are close enough together for the fans to go back and forth to games. There's a lot of history between the Cards and Cubs. There were Cubs fans at the park Thursday, cheering on the brewers.

The Mets have had some good years, but they genuinely suck this year. If you want to follow a NY team, better pick the Yankees. It's less painful. They are the most successful team in baseball. On the other hand, National League baseball is better than American League baseball. At least the Mets are in the right league. I always root for the National League team in the World Series. Since the Cubs haven't been there in my lifetime,(or anyone else's), it hasn't been a problem.

You really should be a Cardinals fan. Come on. You know you want to be. But beware of serious addiction.

Oh, there's a t-shirt for Cardinals fans that says

The Cubs aren't Cursed
They just Suck

Baseball - a sport best appreciated through extremely overzealous attention to statistics.

BTW, try being an Astros fan. Over 40 years and never even played in the World Series.

CZ, I feel for you. There have been years when it was hard being a Cardinals fan, too. But the losing seasons don't seem to go on forever with them the way they do with some teams. We've had some great years. I just can't imagine ever switching my loyalty to another team. I certainly didn't become an Astros fan when I lived down there. Not because I disliked the Astros, but because I literally was weaned on the Cardinals.

My dad was such a fan. We lived far enough away that trips to St. Louis were few and far between. And there wasn't any such thing as daily TV broadcasts. So I grew up listening to the games on the radio. Not the occasional game -- all of them. I don't remember a time when there wasn't baseball in my house. I'm old enough that my first Cardinals hero was Stan Musial. The cards have had some fabulous players in my lifetime. One of my earliest memories is of my dad listening to Cardinals baseball. It was always on, and as soon as I was old enough to understand the game and follow the players, I loved it as much as he did. I even rescheduled surgery once because of a Cardinals game. Now I can watch the games on Fox Sports Midwest. It's great.