The Friendly Confines, Redbird Club, and "June Pick Ups"

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Posted By: Joann

OK. Kind of OT - some leeway?

I try to go to bb games anywhere I can - if I travel I look up every affiliated and indep minor league club anywhere near where I'll be. I get a long-sleeve T-shirt, minibat and logo ball for any home team I've seen, minors or majors. College too if I ever go to one of those games.

I have (among many others) Charlotte Knights, Albuquerque Isotopes, Brooklyn Cyclones, Wichita Wranglers and several pro teams. It's starting to accumulate.

I picked up two more w/in 10 days in June. I FINALLY got a chance to see Wrigley Field on the 16th - and the Tigers playing there, no less. No wonder people love that stadium. I've been in Tiger Stadium and Yankee Stadium, and Wrigley had by far the least outdated feel. And I walked right up to every single concession - literally no more than a 30 second wait in line, and with an SRO crowd (are you paying attention Mike Illich???) lolol.

Then last Tuesday I was in STL for business and got our corporate season tix to the Cardinals game. The seats are part of what's called the Redbird Club. Anyone ever seen this???? It is AC, enclosed, full glass windows to the field, from first to third base. The ENTIRE BACK WALL is covered with paintings of ... Vintage Cards of Cardinals players.

What a sight to see that was, and what a surprise. T205's - Lush, Bresnahan, Oakes, all of them - about maybe 1.5' x 3'? Something like that. I swear the Lush was a beautiful on that wall as it is in person. I have no idea how they recreated these so perfectly for color, tone, subtlety, etc.

CJ's, Goudey's, Diamond STar's, T206's. Even E90-1's, including the breathtaking Oakes. I tried to take pictures w/lame cell phone, but they didn't come out very well. Then I had to lean back and try to get a photo w/my hand in it somewhere for scale - the repro's on the wall are so good the photos I did get looked like pictures of ... cards! I was a little surprised that I hadn't heard of that decor. It is beautiful.

Anyway, here are my June Pick Ups of a different kind, for a different collection I have. Thanks for the OT indulgence, Leon. Mainly I wanted to know if anyone else had seen the vintage card wall in the Busch Stadium Redbird Club.

Joann

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Posted By: John Barnes

I also went to Busch and Wrigley this week.

I walked through the Redbird club on Monday at the Cardinals/Brewers game. I was also suprised to see the vintage cards on the wall. And yes, they look very nice.
Wrigley was great too (my first time there)


JOhn

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Posted By: Joann

OK. For what it's worth, I retrieved the not-so-hot pictures from my cell phone. This is the wall of the Redbird Club, in Busch Stadium. Well, very small parts of the wall. As noted, the thing goes from first to third base, with a gap in the center for escalators, but other than that pretty much like this for the whole strecth.



These are shots from further back, trying to show the table/chairs under the wall with the cards painted on - trying to show scale here.



A little closer up.



The awesome Oakes, and then me trying to both take the picture and get my stupid hand in it for scale. lol

These pictures do not do justice to the visual impact of this wall, but they are all I have.

Joann

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Posted By: David McDonald

Found this jpeg on some Cardinal fan's website. What a cool idea! Wish other ballparks would do the same thing. Max's wife could clean up.

Edited to say, clean up financially, not the tables, you sexist pigs.

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Posted By: Joann

Wow. Thanks so much for posting that picture David. THAT's what I was trying to convey. It really is a cool spot to be - I was just surprised I hadn't heard of it from somewhere before I got there. Walked in and POW! Instant grin.

J

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Posted By: Max Weder

David

Safeco in Seattle has a number of T3 reproductions hanging in the luxury boxes. I'll try and dig up some pics of the time they let me in one.

I just spent two glorious evenings there on Friday and Saturday, seeing two completely different games: a 2-0 game in 1:54 and a 8-7 slugfest that seemed to go on forever.

Max

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Posted By: B.C.D

think I want to do that in my dining room having a booth type table for all the children.

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Posted By: andy becker

indeed, very cool joann.
thanks for sharing.

i have been to about 700 cubs games at wrigley field. about 150 as a spectator and 550 as a vendor. i worked there during high school and part of college.
i was at the first night game (still wish it was only day baseball), and saw many amazing feats.
i still remember walking through the bleachers (every day for years) before they would open the gate. i would say hello to lee smith everyday while he was playing catch in the outfield. it was cozy, like you were part of the family.

even when the gates would open and the stands would fill, it never lost it's cozy feeling.

wrigley is a baseball shrine. i hope they never change it.

i day game at wrigley is the absolute best.

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Posted By: Josh Adams

I know I'm probably going to get blasted for this, but after reading all the posts on how Wrigley is such a great place, I have to respond...

I've been to several, although not the 700 as my esteemed collegeue, games at wrigley. I have had a different experience. It's broken down, musty, takes forever to get concessions, and has the feeling of an outdoor beer garden, not a ball park. I will say this though, you are extremely close to the action, which is rare.
I just wanted to chime in to say that not everyone shares the same view of that ballpark. And that has nothing to do with my signature
Josh

Go Go White Sox
2005 World Series Champions!

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Posted By: andy becker

i am going to blast you.

broken down and musty perfectly describes the old comisky park. that's why they built the sterile "cell".

yes, wrigley is old (broken down is a stretch) and a bit musty and does remind me of a beer garden (guess that's why otis likes beer gardens ).

but, it is those qualities (not faults) that make wrigley what it is.....the best baseball venue.

before the days of neil simon's "bleacher bums" play it was not "in vogue" to hang out at wrigley. listen to lea elia's tirade if you get a chance. he describes the cubs former clientele perfectly.

the simon play and the addition of harry carey and the fact that wgn was broadcasting games before you could choose from 1000 cable channels make wrigley a special place.

as a kid, if i was sick i would look at the newspaper to see if the cubbies were on tv. if they weren't i went to school....sick or not, school was better than soap operas.
if the cubs were playing, i was staying home.

i don't think this was a chicago phenomenon....it was a baseball fan thing to do. when i went to college, there were plenty of fellas who did the same thing. they hailed from arizona, new york, texas, etc.

my allegiance to the cubs is a lifelong tie, but i really enjoy baseball period.....cubs or not. i celebrated when the chisox won last year. i cheered when the diamondbacks beat the yankees. i watched, in awe, when reggie hit three consecutive pitches for home runs back in 1977. i still get goosebumps when i see replays of kirk gibson's shot off eck.

i'm rambling, but wrigley as a venue is the most pure thing left in sports.

that all being said.....the cubs sux this year (most every year, but) this year it is extra painful to watch them. dusty must go.