Yay! Opening Day

Today was the baseball Cardinals home opener game. In St. Louis, where we love our baseball, this day feels like an unofficial holiday.  Tickets to the game have been sold out for weeks, but even people who don't have tickets rearrange their schedules so they can watch the game and all the surrounding pageantry on TV.

The official Opening Day hoopla started at 10 with a dedication ceremony for the Cardinals Hall of Fame & Museum. That was followed by a pep rally outside the stadium from 11-2, and pregame ceremonies inside at 2:30, leading up to the start of the game at 3:15. However, there were also quite a few unofficial events that started as early as 9 AM, and many downtown bars and restaurants were hosting game viewing parties.  

Today's rainy and chilly weather was less than ideal for baseball.  That didn't seem to matter to the people I saw from my seat at the mall Customer Service desk.  I took an informal survey before lunch; in a ten-minute period 2/3 of the people who walked by were wearing a red shirt or something with the team logo on it.  In honor of the day I got out the Cardinal earrings that had been packed away since October to wear with my uniform white shirt and black pants.  As the day wore on, though, there were fewer 'red' sightings.  The real fans were either lucky enough to have a ticket for the game or were getting ready to watch it on TV somewhere.

I got off work at 3:00, and made it to my car just in time to hear the end of the opening ceremonies on the radio as I drove home. The rain made the field too wet for the appearance of the Budweiser Clydesdales, but the rest went off as planned.  The motorcades of Hall of Famers and current players.  The raising of the 2013 National League Champions banner.  The National Anthem.  The ceremonial first pitch.  Finally, the game.

Hubby Tony got home from work about the time I did. He turned the TV on and we spent the next few hours watching the game.  The final score was Cardinals 5, Reds 3.

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