Busch Stadium, St. Louis -- Aug. 2, 2008

I'll have to revise my stadium rankings after this. Either this is No. 2 behind Detroit, or No. 3 behind that and Pittsburgh. It's really nice.

I've talked to people on and not on this trip who don't like it. It caters to its high-end customers, that's for sure. The premium seats in the lower bowl all have cushions. Two levels of luxury suites are directly above the lower stands and span from third base to first, which doesn't allow the stadium to have the open lower concourse that most of the other new ones have. The concourse is mostly open on the top deck, though. I don't think I've seen that before.

All the concourses are busy. There aren't any just for walking. Everywhere you walk you come upon areas for food, merchandise sales or recreation. There's a family pavilion in right field and an open area behind the scoreboard in center. Didn't seem to be as much activity in the outfield areas as there was in, say, Washington, though.

I've never seen a fan base so dedicated to wearing its team's colors. Everywhere is red -- Cardinals jerseys and shirts. The seats are red, too, so if you're stuck with a lousy one in right field like I was, you can't pick out empty seats to which you could migrate. It could be a seat, or it could be a person.

They have a statue of Stan Musial at one of the entryways, and five or six smaller ones nearby. Couldn't tell who they were. The problem with putting these statues outside, as most teams are doing, is that if you're a one-time visitor and you come in a different way, you miss them. I saw them from the top.

Best selection of food I've ever seen, particularly in an area called the Redbird Club on the third deck. You can get almost anything. I couldn't resist the peanut butter cupcake ($5), or the crispy pizza ($7). In scrambling for a place to sit and eat, I dropped the pizza on my shoes. And, as you already know I'm writing four days after the fact, I must report that I can still see dried sauce on my shoelaces today.

Fear not. They made me a new one free.

The players were part of a display in center field. I don't know who they are, but yes, I should have buttoned my shirt. Shows you how hot it was.

The scoreboard is from the last game at Busch Stadium II, just as it was when the Cardinals played their last game there.