With the Kansas City Royals missing another postseason, fans wonder when the team will make the playoffs, even with the expanded Wild Card. How about a playoff format where every team in the Majors is in a playoff tournament for a chance at the World Series? Think it sounds crazy? Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones doesn’t think so.

In a October 5 article in USA Today, the future Hall of Famer said, “Quite honestly, I think if we’re going to continue to let teams in year after year, we might as well just say, screw it; let’s have everybody in. Let’s play 162 games to seed yourselves and then we’ll let the Astros (55-107) have a shot at it and whoever else wants a shot at it, six or seven game winning streak and you’re the world champions.

“We’ll just have a 32-team, single-elimination March Madness tournament. That’s the way I think we ought to do it.”

Ok, Chipper isn’t being serious, but I think he’s overlooking the genius of a “October Madness” type baseball playoff. And someone needs to remind him there’s 30 teams in the Major Leagues, not 32.

With the Astros moving to the American League next year, making each league 15 teams, a 30 team playoff is possible.

Major League Baseball would eliminate the divisions and have a 15 team American and National League. The schedule would be balanced and have Interleague play. All the rounds to the World Series would be a single game elimination tournament, the brackets split between the American and National League. The bracket for each league would be seven first round games, four second round games, two third round games and one fourth round game, the winner of which would claim the league pennant. Then have a traditional seven game World Series.

The A.L. and N.L. team with the best record gets a first round bye and home field advantage through the tournament. The remaining 14 teams would be seeded in the tournament by their record, from 1-14, with the higher seed being the home team. I would seed the teams like this: 7-14, 6-13, 5-12, 4-11, 3-10, 2-9, 1-8, with the winner of the 7-14 game facing the top league bye team in the second round. This makes the teams more evenly matched and “easier” for the top league bye team to advance.

The logistics and travel would be difficult, but it’s possible. Have a day or two off between rounds and the tournament could be done in seven to ten days. Then play the World Series over nine days.

So what are the advantages of this type of playoff format? Well, every team is in the playoffs, which keeps fans and players interested through the season. If you’re Houston, your season isn’t over by Memorial Day. Heck, this even gives the Cubs a chance to make the World Series. Maybe.

What makes NCAA Basketball March Madness so exciting? It’s the Cinderella teams having a shot of knocking out the top seeded teams and playing deep into the tournament. A single game elimination tournament to get in the World Series gives the low revenue teams like the Royals a chance. Yes, a mediocre team could get hot and win four in a row, making it to the World Series. But they still have to win four out of seven games to be champions. And like most tournaments, the best teams are usually in the final rounds anyway.

Think about the story lines and drama of a single game elimination tournament with 30 teams. The pressure of teams deciding who starts their games. Where every move is scrutinized by the fans and media if the team loses, or wins. A one game playoff between the Cardinals and Cubs or Royals and Yankees to make it to the World Series. As a fan of those teams, that has to make you excited if you win and crushed if you lose.

I’m sure there’s some baseball purists out there who believe a single game elimination tournament might ruin the integrity of the game or some other nonsense. They might say, “Won’t it make the 162 game season meaningless?” Let’s be honest. If your team doesn’t win the World Series, isn’t the season technically meaningless anyway? If baseball can survive the Black Sox Scandal, Pete Rose betting on baseball, the designated hitter, interleague play and the expanded Wild Card, it will survive a tournament where every team is in the playoffs.

There is a danger some teams might aim for mediocrity and figure, “hey, we have as good a shot as anyone else to win the World Series, why invest in top players?” That sounds like something Royals owner David Glass might do. Major League Baseball could have a salary floor to force each team to spend X amount of dollars on team payroll so teams wouldn’t stock their roster with lousy, low cost players. Instead, they would have stock their roster with better quality players. Or in the case of recent Royals history, stock the team with lousy, high cost players.

Of course what I’m suggesting is unlikely to happen. No major sport or league has every team in their playoffs and it would be hard to have ownership, the players union and the Commissioner’s office to agree on a radical playoff format like this. But when your team misses the playoffs year after year and you see the team across the state in the playoffs again, the tongue in cheek thoughts of Chipper Jones start making a lot of sense.

Showing your pride in your team can take many different forms.

Some people find ways to wear team clothing on a regular basis.  Offices organize days that the entirety of the work force can show their support.

A visit to a local shopping mall will provide you with all of the apparel, decorations, and merchandise you could every dream of to ensure that your team is every where you look.

The problem is, I am (and many of you are) a self professed “geek”.  My love of my team, my game, and everything that is baseball has taken a very cyber turn as of late.  From the amazing calendar desktops produced by the designer of this very site over at D-Two to a massive collection of pictures, art, logos and e-books/magazines, my laptop screen is as much a tribute to the World Champions as anything else in my life.

Combining the ability to keep up with your team with the beauty of displaying your pride for them is the new line of browser plugins recently introduced by MLB and design group Brand Thunder.  All 30 teams are represented and the plugin, which I have been using for more than a week now, gives you direct links to your teams website, scoreboard, facebook page, twitter stream, ticket site, MLB.com and the ability to search your team’s website.  In addition, the most recent news stories for your team are tucked away nicely and a click away from opening in your browser.

It’s non-obtrusive, available for all the major browsers, and gives the top of your screen a Go Team kind of feel to it.

Best of all, it is all FREE.

Below you can find links to the plugins for the two teams here at I-70, the Royals and the Cardinals, just click the logo of your choice and you will be taken directly to the download page.

Give them a download, install them, and let us know what you think of them in the comments below.

ST. LOUIS – April 11, 2012 – A pre-game ceremony that officially welcomes home the reigning World Champions will punctuate a day of activities celebrating the annual return of baseball to St. Louis on Friday, April 13^th.  The Cardinals will take on the Chicago Cubs in a 2:15 p.m. game.  Following is a schedule of official activities, some fun franchise facts and information to help baseball’s best fans enjoy what has become an unofficial holiday for Cardinal Nation.

Opening Day Ceremony Celebrates World Champions

While Opening Day in St. Louis is always special, this year promises to be extraordinary.  Fans won’t want to miss a single minute of the opening ceremony that will begin at 1:30 p.m. with the Budweiser Clydesdales and will pay tribute to the 2011 World Championship team described as the greatest comeback team in the history of baseball.  The ceremony will feature all four of the team’s Commissioner’s Trophies, as well as representatives of each of those World Championship teams (’67, ’82, ’06 & ’11).  The ceremony will culminate with the formal raising of the 2011 World Championship Banner by the family of U.S. Army Specialist Jeffrey L. White, Jr. of Catawissa Missouri.  Specialist White, who was serving his country in Operation Enduring Freedom, died April 3 in the Khost Province of Afghanistan when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.   Specialist White was an avid Cardinals fan who was home on leave for Game 7 of the World Series last October and was planning to attend Opening Day with his family before he was killed.  Specialist Whites’ mother Paula, father Jeff and brothers Michael and Kyle will raise the championship banner.                                     

Schedule

10:00 a.m. – 1 p.m.          Cardinals Official Opening Day Pre-Game Pep Rally, sponsored by Hardee’s:  The Cardinals will host a pre-game pep rally in the Ballpark Village Lot, located directly across from Busch Stadium, at the corner of Clark Street and South Broadway. Local rock band Trixie Delight will perform from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Fredbird and Team Fredbird will be on hand to give away Opening Day tickets, autographed items and other Cardinals prizes. Fans can stop by the Hardee’s Photo Booth, where they can get their Opening Day picture taken for free and visit the Hardee’s Mobile Diner where, with the purchase of a Combo Meal, they will receive a complimentary Opening Day t-shirt.  Other sponsors include: Budweiser, the United States Marine Corps, the United States Air Force, Dunkin Donuts, Energizer, First National Bank, Fox Theater, Fox Sports Midwest, Girl Scouts, Krispy Kreme, Lumiere/River City, MO Secretary of State, Muny, Papa John’s, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Tan Company and Qdoba

11:45 a.m.                           Gates open

                                                Busch Magnet Schedule Day:  All fans with a ticket ages 21 and over will receive a magnet with the 2012 Cardinals schedule, compliments of Busch Beer.

1:30 p.m.                             Pre-game ceremonies begin with an appearance by the famed Budweiser Clydesdales.

                  Introduce Missouri Governor Jeremiah “Jay” Nixon, St. Louis County Executive Charlie A. Dooley and St. Louis Mayor Francis G. Slay         

                  Introduce Fredbird & Team Fredbird.

                  Cardinals Hall-of-Famers will be introduced via a Ford Motorcade around the warning track, led by the 2013 Ford Escape.

                  Video Tribute to the 2011 World Champions                                  

                  Introduce representatives of the last four World Championships who will escort in the Cardinals last four World Championship trophies….Mike Shannon (’67), Tommy Herr (’82), David Eckstein, Jim Edmonds (’06) and Tony La Russa and Dave Duncan (’11)

                  Introduce the reigning World Champion St. Louis Cardinals via Ford Motorcade (2012 Ford Platinum F-150s and 2012 Ford Raptor F-150s)

                  The family of U.S. Army Specialist Jeffrey L. White, Jr. will raise the 2011 World Championship Banner in Leftfield.

                  Introduce the Chicago Cubs and the starting lineups

                  American Bald Eagle flight, courtesy of the World Bird Sanctuary of St. Louis

                  Color Guard – The U.S. Marine Corps

                                                A moment of silence to former Cardinals pitcher Bob Forsch

                  Shannon Magrane, singer and Season 11 contestant on American Idol, will sing the Star-Spangled Banner.

                                                U.S. Air Force Flyover – Two F-16s

                  Ceremonial First Pitch

2:15 p.m.                             Game Time

Watching on TV

Fans can watch the game and pre-game ceremony in High Definition on FS-Midwest.

Radio Coverage

Fans can tune into KMOX (1120 AM) or one of the 117 stations in the Cardinals Radio Network to hear Mike Shannon & John Rooney call the game.  The expanded pre-game show starts at 12:30pm.

Getting to the Game / Ramp Closures on I-64
MoDOT will not have any lane closures on state highways inside the city limits for Opening Day and Opening Weekend, except for those behind permanent barriers on Interstate 70. The department will start a project to renovate the driving surface of the double deck bridge on I-64 in May. One lane will be closed around the clock on westbound I-64 until late September. One lane will be closed around the clock on eastbound I-64 from late August until late October.  At this time, several I-64 closures are planned for weekends, but will not be scheduled during Cardinal home games.

Alternative Transportation Reminder

MetroLink is a convenient alternative to driving, allowing fans to avoid the cost of parking and game day traffic.  To avoid the cost of parking and game day traffic, fans can use one of nineteen free Park-Ride lots along the MetroLink line and take the train to Stadium Station, right across the street from the ballpark.  Check the Metro website www.MetroSt.Louis.org for schedules and the Park-Ride lot nearest you.  There are also plenty of buses in Missouri and Illinois that will get fans to Busch Stadium including the RedBird Express that departs from the Water Tower at St. Clair Square in Fairview Heights, Illinois.  The first RedBird Express leaves 2 ½ hours before the game and runs every 5-10 minutes.

Ballpark Improvements

As the Cardinals begin their seventh season of play in the new Busch Stadium, the team has made a number of improvements to the stadium during the off-season.

• The Cardinals have updated all of the team’s World Championship signage throughout the ballpark to reflect the team’s 11^th World Championship, including installing an 11^th flag pole on the World Champions sign atop the out of town scoreboard, freshly painting pennants atop the Cardinals dugout and updating the exterior signage on the south side of Busch Stadium facing I-64, as well as other signage.

• The Champions Club has been rebranded the UMB Champions Club.  The UMB Champions Club is the home to all four of the Cardinals World Championship Trophies (1967, 1982, 2006 and 2011) – officially referred to as “the Commissioner Trophies” in new custom built illuminated cabinets.  The Cardinals have the distinction of having both the oldest and the newest Commissioner’s Trophy.  The first Commissioner’s Trophy was awarded in 1967, when the Cardinals defeated the Boston Red Sox.   The Cardinals hold the record for the most Commissioners trophies won in the National League (4), second only to the Yankees (7). Tiffany & Company developed the current trophy design beginning in 1999 for the winner of the 2000 World Series.  The 30-pound trophy stands two-feet tall, has a diameter of 11 inches, and features 30 gold-plated flags – - one for each of the Major League Baseball teams — which rise above an arched baseball with latitude and longitude lines symbolizing the world that contain 24-karat vermeil baseball stitches. The team has also upgraded to new High-Definition energy efficient LED televisions, including the six-screen video array that acts as a major focal point in the club.

• The St. Louis Cardinals, in partnership with Sachs Electric, Microgrid Energy and the Electrical Connection and its IBEW Local One / NECA, have installed 106 Solar Electric panels on the roof of the ticket building and a concession canopy in the Ford Plaza.  The new solar array will produce 37,000 kilowatt hours of energy each year, which is enough electricity to power all the retail stores at Busch Stadium for a year.  While the savings achieved through the solar system demonstration project will be modest, the system will serve as an educational tool for renewable energy and become another focal point for sustainable efforts by the Cardinals as part of their “4 A Greener Game” program.  The Cardinals have reduced their energy use by 20% and water use by 10% since the stadium opened.  The team has recycled more than 1836 tons of solid waste, more than 575 tons of yard waste and more than 110 tons of composted organic material since 2008.
• 150 energy efficient LED flat screen HD televisions will be installed throughout the stadium this year, including a new special nine-screen video wall on the main concourse, just to the third base side of home plate.  This array will measure approximately 7 feet by 13 feet, giving fans a great view of game action.  Early in the season, all premium areas of the ballpark will be upgraded to HDTV to take advantage of the 24 HD channel in-house network.
• The Cardinals will be playing on a new infield and new warning track this season.  The infield has a refined new mix of clay and sand to enhance overall playability in good weather, as well as improve its ability to handle more rain and remain playable.
• The Cardinals have added a few hundred seats at the terrace level of the ballpark, as well as painted and made additional smaller improvements to numerous areas of the ballpark during the off season.

New for the 2012 Season

• The team has installed nine ticket kiosks located outside the main Ticket Box Office on 8^th Street.  The convenient touch-screen kiosks allow fans to purchase or print their tickets 24 hours a day at no additional cost than if they were purchasing or picking up their tickets at the box office.  One kiosk is also located within the Team Store at Clark & 8^th Street.  A dozen more kiosks will be installed around the perimeter of the ballpark over the next few weeks.

• While only the players can satisfy the fans’ hunger for another victory, Delaware North Companies Sportservice, the St. Louis Cardinals’ concessionaire for more than 50 years, is satisfying their hunger for great taste sensations by revealing four new live-action stations at the concessions level. Each station offers completely customizable, fresh menu options sure to please every appetite. New concepts include:

• The Asian Café at gate 1, featuring either rice or noodles topped with chicken or beef, fresh veggies and Asian-inspired sauces;
• The Carvery at gate 2, featuring marinated turkey or beef sliced right off bone, then piled high onto fresh-baked bread from St. Louis’ own Fazio’s Bakery;
• Sliders and Fries at section 148, featuring braised beef with au jus, pulled chicken with chipotle mayonnaise, and St. Louis-style barbecue pulled pork with grilled onions; and
• Coke Island at gate 1, popping up several delicious flavors of fresh popcorn, including butter, white cheddar, Cajun and Cinnamon Sweet Cardinal Corn.
• Back by popular demand from the World Series are two favorites: the St. Louis Barbecue Bacon Dog (available in sections 133, 168 and the Redbird Club), and Build Your Own Nachos (available in sections 131, 151 and the Redbird Club).

• The Official Cardinals Team Store features St. Louis’ widest selection of World Series Gold Program apparel – a limited-edition line of gold-lettered Cardinals World Series Championship jerseys, T-shirts, hats and more. Players will wear the commemorative jersey and hat throughout Opening Day Weekend. Fans will also find exclusive expanded lines of merchandise, including player look-alike toys and items for the home and outdoors, such as the “I ‘Heart’ David Freese” street sign. Back for the 2012 season are dozens of $12 and under souvenirs, including, mini-bats, koozies, magnets, baseball cards, jewelry, posters, postcards, foam fingers, foam claws, key chains, lanyards, pennants, player plaques, sunglasses and a pin of the month, now expanded for all 12 months of the year.

• Fans will want to stop by the Cardinals Authentics store in Ford Plaza (cardinals.com/authentics), the only place to get official, game-used, limited edition and autographed Cardinals memorabilia directly from the team.  New this year are a number of exciting 2011 World Championship themed items, as well as items commemorating the 30^th Anniversary of the 1982 World Championship.  Fans can now order an engraved bat from Louisville Slugger, the official bat of MLB.

Cardinals Care Celebrates Fifteen Years of Helping Kids

Cardinals Care, the team’s charitable foundation, is celebrating 15-years of supporting children.  Since 1997 Cardinals Care has invested nearly $18 million in “Caring for Kids” both on and off the baseball field.  Cardinals Care has provided nearly $11 million in grants to over 800 non-profit youth organizations and built 19 youth ball fields in local disadvantaged neighborhoods.  Cardinals Care also runs Redbird Rookies, a free baseball league for kids who otherwise might not have the opportunity to play. In addition to providing all the uniforms, gloves, bats, balls and other equipment needed for each team, Redbird Rookies also provides extensive off-field support in the areas of health, education, mentoring and the cultural arts for each of the nearly 4,500 kids who participate in the program each year.  Last year, Cardinals Care established the Joplin Recovery Fund with over $200,000 in fan donations to help the thousands of Joplin area children recover from one of the most destructive tornadoes in American history.                                    

To mark the 15-year anniversary of the foundation, Cardinals Care is urging fans to support their on-going efforts to help children a variety of ways:

• Go RED for the Kids – Businesses, schools and other organizations are being asked to rally behind the team and Cardinals Care by participating in Cardinals RED for Kids.  Piloted during the 2011 postseason, Cardinals RED for Kids is the team’s version of an office “dress down” day in which participating organizations make a donation to Cardinals Care in exchange for the opportunity to sport their Cardinal colors around the office on Opening Day. To participate, local businesses and organizations can visit cardinals.com/red
• 6K Run Home for Kids – lace up your jogging shoes and join the team for the 3^rd annual run & walk on Sunday, September 16th.  Learn more and sign up at www.cardinals.com/6K
• Donate directly at cardinals.com/community

Some Fun Franchise Facts

• ·          The Cardinals were founded in 1882 as an American Association Team called the St. Louis Brown Stockings. 
• ·          In 1892, the team moved to the National League and changed the team name to the St. Louis Browns.  In 1899, the name was changed to the Perfectos, and in 1900, the name was changed to the St. Louis Cardinals.  
• ·          From 1902-1954, an American League Team called the St. Louis Browns also played in St. Louis.  In 1954, they moved to Baltimore and became the Baltimore Orioles.
• ·          The Cardinals have won more than 9,300 games, 11 World Series Championships, 18 National League Pennants, 3 National League Eastern Division Titles, and 8 National League Central Division Titles.
• ·          There are more than 40 former Cardinal players and managers enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York.
• ·          In March of 1996 a group of investors led by Bill DeWitt Jr. purchased the Cardinals from Anheuser Busch.
• ·          Over the last 16 seasons, the team has finished in first place eight times, won three NL pennants and two World Series while drawing over 50 million fans
• ·          Baseball America named the Cardinals the 2011 Baseball Organization of the Year for the first time, recognizing that the team’s big league success was built upon a strong foundation of a restructured organization that claimed two minor league titles in 2011 and that since 2005 has among the most team-drafted players debut in the majors.
• ·          The Cardinals bring more than 3 million fans downtown each year, with more than a million coming from outside of the state of Missouri.  90% of fans come from outside the City of St. Louis.
• ·          In 2006 the Cardinals moved into the new $411 million Busch Stadium in downtown St. Louis on April 10, 2006 (beating the Brewers 6-4). The team covered nearly 90 percent of the cost of the project, including infrastructure.
• ·          Nearly 21 Million fans have attended Cardinals games in the new Busch Stadium since it opened on April 10, 2006 (20,130,635 regular season attendance; 839,583 post season attendance).
• ·          There are approximately 3,000 day-of-game employees at Busch Stadium.
• ·          The St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association (RCGA) estimates that the economic impact of the 2012 Cardinals’ season on the St. Louis region will be approximately $322 million, with an estimated $160 million this year in direct impact and $162 million in in-direct regional economic activity.
• ·          In 2011, the Cardinals drew 3.093 million fans, with 27 sellout games – ranking 7^th in MLB in attendance.
• ·          In 2011, the Cardinals had 36 Promotional Giveaways, ranging from magnet schedules and wall calendars to bats, hats, pennants and bobbleheads.
• ·          In 2011, the Cardinals implemented a new value-based ticket pricing system called Dynamic Pricing that allows the team to more accurately price single-game tickets on a day-to-day basis.  The dynamic system was a success in helping achieve the goals of broadening the ticket-buying fan base, rewarding fans for buying earlier in the season, and protecting season ticket holder value.  80% of the games in 2011 were priced lower than in 2010.  65% of the games had tickets available for $10 or less.  35% of the games had tickets available for only $5.
• ·          Over the last 16 seasons, the Cardinals have donated nearly 4 million tickets to children and charities
• ·          Cardinals Care has distributed more than $18 million to area organizations and built 19 Youth Baseball Fields since it was founded in 1997.
• ·          Redbird Rookies now has 20 leagues, serving more than 4,500 kids in the St. Louis metropolitan area, as well as parts of rural Missouri and Illinois. In addition to organizing leagues for kids, Redbird Rookies provides services to kids such as youth mentoring programs, health screenings, and scholarship opportunities.
• ·          In 2011, Cardinals telecasts on FOX Sports Midwest generated the 2^nd highest local market television ratings in Major League Baseball, the 12^th straight year in which the Cardinals ranked among the top three teams.  FOX Sports Midwest-produced Cardinals telecasts are shown in nine states and available in millions of homes.
• ·          The Cardinals radio network is the second largest in baseball with 117 stations in nine states (Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Tennessee) with the potential to reach over 21 million listeners.
• ·          In one year, the Stadium sells:

o    540,000 hot dogs;

o    181,000 pounds of nacho chips; and

o    32,000 gallons of nacho cheese.

• ·          During a typical season the Cardinals go through:

o    7,315,200 ft of paper towels

o    15,373,800 ft of toilet paper

• ·          The Cardinals’ “4 A Greener Game Program” launched in 2008 is credited with recycling more than 1836 tons of solid waste, more than 575 tons of yard waste and more than 110 tons of composted organic material.
• ·          The Cardinals have reduced their energy use by 20% and water use by 10% since the stadium opened in 2006.
• ·          The team’s concessionaire Delaware North Sportservice has donated more than $159,000 worth of food to Operation Food Search, with a waste diversion rate of 29%.
• ·          The Cardinals Web site (cardinals.com) is very popular with fans, drawing over 32.7 million visitors in season and over 13 million unique visitors a month.
• ·          The Cardinals have also been active in social media.  The team has more than 1.2 million fans on Facebook (facebook/cardinals), and more than 120,000 followers on Twitter (@cardinals).  In 2010, the Cardinals launched a social media based “Stand for Stan” campaign to celebrate Stan Musial that culminated in President Barack Obama awarding Stan Musial the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.
• ·          In 1998, the Cardinals opened the $28 Million Roger Dean Stadium and Sports Complex in Jupiter, Florida.  In 2002, the team purchased the Charlotte Rangers, renamed them the Palm Beach Cardinals and moved them to Jupiter.
• ·          Since 2005, the Cardinals have owned and operated the Class AA Texas League Springfield Cardinals franchise that plays at the new Hammons Field in Springfield, Missouri.
• ·          The St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum (www.cardinals.com/museum) collection is the largest team-held collection in Major League Baseball and is second only to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in terms of size with over 16,000 memorabilia items and over 80,000 archival photographs.

BUSCH STADIUM – POLICY REMINDERS

Bag Inspections Policy

§  The standard game-day bag inspection policies for Busch Stadium will be in effect. Bags will be allowed that meet Major League Baseball’s standard size restriction (16”x16”x8”), and all bags will be inspected prior to entry.

§  Fans will be permitted to bring small personal cameras and will be subject to inspection.  No professional-sized photography equipment will be allowed except for members of the media with proper MLB credentials.

§  Non-alcoholic beverages such as water & soda in open cups or in clear plastic bottles no larger than 2 liters are allowed.

§  Alcohol, bottles, cans, thermoses, hard-sided coolers; hard plastic cups/mugs are not permitted.

§  Small banners and signs are allowed.  Banners may be displayed as long as they do not hinder or interfere with a ball in play or distract or interfere with the view of another guest. Banners may not be displayed in fair territory, be obscene or in poor taste, attract abuse or cause a disturbance among other guests. They should be baseball-oriented and not commercial in nature.

§  Please minimize items you bring into the stadium to speed up the inspection process.

§  Expect long lines upon entry and allow yourself plenty of time to go through the inspection process.

Exit/Re-entry Policy

Standard Exit/Re-entry Policies are in effect.  Guests wishing to leave the stadium, but planning to return during the same game must have their hand stamped at Gates 1, 2 or 4 as they exit the stadium. Guests must show ticket upon re-entry. Inspection policy will also be enforced.

No Smoking Policy

Standard Busch Stadium Smoking Policy is in effect.  Busch Stadium is a smoke-free facility. Exit/Re-Entry turnstiles will be set up at Gates 1, 2 and 4 to allow fans access in and out of the stadium if they wish to smoke. Fans will get their hand stamped as they exit the stadium. Guests must show ticket upon re-entry. Inspection policy will also be enforced.

The stage crew is ready. The curtain is ready to be pulled. Lights. Camera. Action.

We present to you the Greatest Show on Earth, Major League Baseball 2012 style. You have waited with great anticipation since the final out of the 2011 season and here we go…..

How is that for an intro? While reflecting on this weekly column, I realized there is just not that much more that can be written or analyzed related to off-season news. It is just time to start watching some games.

If you follow the St. Louis Cardinals, you know the key stories of what has happened in spring training. It is time for the games to count. Has there ever been more anticipation for Opening Day in Cardinal Nation? Not in my lifetime.

This evening’s season opener in Miami is a special way to kick off the 2012 season as defending World Champions for the club. Media that are covering the game say it has been a playoff like/carnival atmosphere all week in preparation for opening the new stadium. Can you imagine the circus that would have ensued tonight’s game if Albert Pujols would have signed with the Marlins instead of the Angels?

On a quick side note, I absolutely love what the Marlins have done in reaching out to their community. I love ballparks being put in the heart of the city instead of out in suburbia…but that is just me.

The Cardinals have undergone tremendous change in the off-season. Do not forget or cast a blind eye to the rapid change going on in the game at-large as well. Three of the five 200 million contracts were signed this off-season, and none were handed out by teams named the Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, Dodgers, or Mets. Television revenue is changing the contract landscape and resetting the market to new levels.

A second wild card team has been added to the playoff format. With the influx of TV money, and huge contracts now on the books, the 2012 trade deadline becomes different than ever before as so many more teams are now going to be in the playoff hunt.

2011 can never happen again. At least not  the drama that unfolded around the wild card race we have come to know since 1995. The purist in me hates the changes the game is undergoing. The baseball lover in me is glad the game is thriving in so many markets and realizes that change is always going to happen. The game morphs and moves on, and we have to as well.

While Cardinal fans will never forget the thrilling ride of 2011, anticipation for something new is brimming over. It is the hope of spring and Opening Day.

Let the Mike Matheny era begin! Let the Derek Lilliquist era begin! Here is to health and success for Adam Wainwright!

Get your ebenezers ready for the countless toasts to follow to the game we love so much. The games count now. The defending champs are ready to take the field with their fearless new leader. It is time to defend the crown.

Lights. Camera. Action.

“Take me out to the ball game.

Take me out to the crowd.

Buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks.

I don’t care if I ever get back.

Well, it’s root, root, root for the home team.

If they don’t win it’s a shame.

For it’s one…two….three strikes you’re out

at the ‘ol ball game”.

The four regions of the All Time Cardinals Team Tournament have pared their individual groups down to four teams, creating the Sweet Sixteen of this tournament.

The Musial Region is hosted on Pitchers Hit Eighth, who developed the idea for this tournament and invited us to join in.  We were joined by fellow UCB Team Blog Of The Year, Aaron Miles Fastball, who hosts the Gibson Region of the tournament.  Rounding out the group is the Godfather of the UCB himself, hosting the Smith Region over at C70 At The Bat.

The Buck region?  That’s right here on i70baseball and we are down to the last two rounds before the Final Four moves to the official UCB Site.  Head over to that site and learn how you can win an entire 2011 World Series DVD set while following along with the tournament.

There are two matches for you to decide today, and they promise to be some good ones.  Here’s a look at the Buck Region Bracket as it currently stands:

Our opening match-up features our Number One seed, and the Cardinals team that won more games than any other in history, the 1942 World Champions.  

The team featured the top two finishers in the Most Valuable Player voting.  Enos Slaughter, in his final season before serving military service for three years, would finish second in the voting after leading the team in Home Runs (13), Batting Average (.318) and Runs Batted In (98).  The offensive presence was not enough for Slaughter to beat out Mort Cooper, however.  Cooper would post a 1.78 Earned Run Average, 22 wins, ten shutouts, and a 0.987 WHIP in route to the MVP Award.  Cooper’s success did not carry over into the post season, however, as he was roughed up in two starts against the mighty Yankees, taking the team’s only loss in the Fall Classic that year.

Up against the top seeded team is the only “underdog” left in the entire tournament.  While every bracket features their first through fourth seeds, the five seed in the Buck Region is trying to fit their foot into Cinderella’s glass slipper.  The 2005 Cardinals played their way to the National League Championship Series and creating a whole bevy of memories for fans before bowing out to the Astros.

Led by their superstar Albert Pujols, the league’s Most Valuable Player in 2005, the team was an offensive juggernaut.  Pujols would post a .330/.430/.609 slash line while hitting 41 home runs, driving in 117 runs and leading the league in runs scored with 129.  Backed by names like Jim Edmonds and Larry Walker and an injured Scott Rolen, the team was a new-century’s murder’s row.

The team was not without pitching, however, as ace of the staff Chris Carpenter would win 21 games, post a 2.83 Earned Run Average, seven complete games (leading the league) and 213 strikeouts, all good enough to bring home the Cy Young Award.  Carpenter was backed by Jeff Suppan and Mark Mulder, both winning 16 games each, and a strong bullpen led by Jason Isringhausen and his 39 saves.

The choice is yours.  Does the underachieving 2005 team (100-62) continue the quest for upsets?  The 1942 team carries the best regular season record in team history (106-48) and a World Championship, is that good enough to move on?  Vote right here:

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The bottom branch of the Buck Region brought very little surprise.  The second and third seeds advanced the way most would expect and now face off for the right to compete for the Regional Title.  This game’s top seed is the number two seed of this bracket, the reason this site exists, the 1985 Cardinals.

You remember that team.  101 wins, Whitey-ball, speed on the base paths and heartbreak in the World Series.  The highest ranked non-championship team in the tournament, this team was responsible for creating a bevy of Cardinal fans.  The team built on speed had it’s bopper in Jack Clark, but it was the center fielder Willie McGee that would be the National League Most Valuable Player that year.  A .353 batting average, 82 runs batted in and 56 stolen bases will do that for a guy.  Combined with 216 hits and 114 runs scored, McGee was a big part of why this team went as far as they did before being derailed by the Kansas City Royals in seven games in the Fall Classic.

A pair of 21 game winners would finish second and fourth in the league’s Cy Young Award voting, but gave the Cardinals a one-two punch that was formidable all season long.  John Tudor would post a 1.93 Earned Run Average, 14 complete games, 10 shut outs, and strike out 169 hitters as the ace of the staff.  Meanwhile Joaquin Andujar would keep pace in wins while posting a 3.40 Earned Run Average, 10 complete games, 2 shutouts and strike out 112 in support.

The namesake has it’s work cut out for it against the 1944 Cardinals, however.  Holding the number three seed based solely off of their draft position in the layout of the tournament, this group was a virtual mirror image of the 1942 crew that sits as our number one selection.

The team would bounce back from it’s 1943 World Series loss to post 105 wins and another World Championship.  Stan Musial would continue his meteoric rise onto the scene in the 40′s with an impressive slash line of .347/.440/.549 and hit 51 doubles, 12 home runs, drive in 94 runs and finish fourth in the league Most Valuable Player voting.  The following season would see Musial spend a year in the Army fighting for his country, but 1944 he fought for his team and proved why he would later be called “The Man”.

Mort Cooper continued his dominance from the mound, winning 22 games and posting a 2.46 earned run average, throwing 252.1 innings over 34 games.  This time, Cooper had the support of Max Lanier (17 wins), Ted Wilks (17 wins) and Harry Brecheen (16 wins).

Do the 1944 World Champions advance to face off for the Regional Title?  Can 1985 cause fans to continue to “Go Crazy, Folks!”?  It’s up to you, our fans.  Vote below for your favorite.

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Share it with your friends, pile up the votes, it’s time to name the teams for the Regional Title game on the path to deciding the All Time Cardinal Team.

St Louis Cardinals fans rejoice in Ozzie Smith’s return to the spring training fold.  Seeing the older but still fit Wizard in uniform brings back fond memories of his 15 seasons in the St Louis infield.  Twenty-five years ago, during the last of Whitey Herzog’s runs to the World Series, Ozzie enjoyed his finest season along the banks of the Mississippi.

The Cardinals entered the 1987 season as a question mark.  For the second time in the decade they had followed up a World Series appearance with a sub-.500 season.  No one expected them to challenge the New York Mets for NL East supremancy; the 1986 World Champs were coming off an 108-win season and looked like a budding dynasty.  Over the first week of the 1987 season, that future appeared to be today, as the Mets won six of their first 8 while St Louis stumbled out of the blocks.  The Cardinals were two games back of New York when the Mets came to town for an early 3-game series.

New York did not roll over the Cardinals on their way to the post-season.  Instead, St Louis swept the Mets, and rarely looked back.  They never trailed by more than a game in April and early May, took sole possession of first place permanently on 22 May, led by 9 games at the All-Star Break, and won their third NL East title in 6 years.

In the middle of this Cardinal resurrection was Ozzie, who had the best offensive year of his career.  It was the only year he hit over .300 (.303).  He set career highs in OBP (.392), hits (182), doubles (40), RBI (75), runs scored (104), stolen bases (43), walks (89), and total bases (230).

Those career highs compared favorably with the rest of the league.  He finished eighth in batting average, eighth in runs, third in hits, second in doubles, sixth in walks, seventh in stolen bases, and was fourth in at bats per strikeout. He was the only player in the top 10 of all those categories.   By Baseball Reference’s calculations, his WAR of 7.1 was fifth-best in the NL, behind Tony Gwynn, Eric Davis, Dale Murphy, and Orel Hershiser.  Broken into categories, his offensive WAR was seventh, his defensive WAR third.

As seemed to be the trend with those 1980s Cardinals teams, they quit hitting in the post-season.  In years past Smith had hit in the NLCS but struggled in the World Series, but in 1987 he struggled in both.  Ozzie hit only .207  combined (11 for 53) that October, and although St Louis rode home-field advantage and superior starting pitching to the NL pennant, they were bested by Minnesota in the Fall Classic.

Ozzie had some good years after that, and some years with better power numbers, but he never quite reached the heights he had in 1987.

It’s a shame he and Tony LaRussa could never find common ground, and that LaRussa had to retire before Ozzie was willing to come back to Spring Training.  Although it’s not the same without Don Tony, the team is better with Ozzie teaching the finer points of middle infield defense to a new generation of Cardinal players.

Welcome back, Ozzie.

ST. LOUIS, December 1, 2011 – The reigning World Champion St. Louis Cardinals officially announced upcoming ticket on-sale dates for the 2012 season, including the sale of single-game all-inclusive tickets and a variety of five and ten game ticket packs.

• · Friday, December 2 at 10:00 a.m. – Single-game All-Inclusive Tickets on sale.
• · Friday, December 9 at 10:00 a.m. – 2012 Ticket Packs on sale.

“We are excited to offer a variety of new ticket packages that are not only a great value, but also provide fans the chance to receive some unique World Championship promotional items,” said Joe Strohm, Vice-President of Ticket Sales for the Cardinals. “We expect tickets to be a popular gift for Cardinals fans this holiday season.”

Prices start at just $79 for all five-game packs and $154 for the 10-game Opening Day Pack.

The 2012 ticket packages are highlighted by new five-game packs centered on promotional dates honoring the team’s historic 11^th World Series Championship. In addition, the perennially popular 10-game Opening Day Pack will return, along with a special 10-game Value Pack and the five-game All-Fridays Pack and All-Sundays Pack.

New for 2012, fans can select from several five-game packages built around games featuring special commemorative World Championship promotional giveaways. These new packs are the best way to guarantee tickets to these key promotional games. They include a World Champions Ring Pack, a World Champions Trophy Pack, a David Freese MVP Bobblehead Pack, a World Champions Beer Stein Pack and World Champions Flag Pack.

The 10-game Opening Day Pack features a ticket to Opening Day on April 13^th, plus tickets to six weekend games and matchups with popular opponents such as the Phillies, Brewers and Giants. The 10-game Value Pack features ten games for the price of a five-game pack, including an afternoon game against the Cubs and games on July 4^th and Labor Day.

On Saturday April 14^th, Cardinals players will receive their 2011 World Champions ring in a special pre-game ceremony and fans will receive a replica ring. On April 15^th fans will receive a full-sized replica of the 2011 World Championship flag that will fly above Busch Stadium. On April 29^th fans will receive a miniature replica of the 2011 World Series trophy. On May 13^th the Cardinals will honor 2011 World Series and National League Championship Series MVP David Freese, with fans receiving a David Freese MVP Bobblehead. On the May 25^th game vs. the Phillies, fans 21 and over will receive a collectible beer stein commemorating the 2011 World Championship.

Value is the key element of all-inclusive tickets, where complimentary food and beverages are included in the price of each ticket. Tomorrow (Dec. 2) is the first opportunity for fans to purchase 2012 single-game tickets in the Bank of America Club, Champions Club, Coca-Cola Rooftop Deck and Patio, PowerAde Bridge, Commissioner’s Box, Homer’s Landing, Leftfield Landing and other all-inclusive areas. All-inclusive ticket prices start at just $55 each.

For more information on any of these upcoming ticket on-sales, fans can access the Cardinals website at cardinals.com, or call 314-345-9000.

The parent site of i70baseball, Baseball Digest, has recently been running their end of the year Report Cards for each franchise. The following is the post written by Daniel Shoptaw for the site about the St. Louis Cardinals.

You know how when you were in college, if the teacher was in a real good mood, you got a nice curve to some of your scores? It is hard not to do the same when you are handing out grades for the team that just finished as World Champions. I mean, those issues and foibles during the season look so cute now, like “look at how that team is so cute hitting into double plays.” The afterglow of a championship is a powerful thing.

That said, it is time to take a serious look at a team that showed its fair share of schizophrenia this season. A team that played just well enough to be tied for first a couple of weeks after the All-Star Break, but then famously found itself sitting 10.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves for the wild card just a month later. They righted the ship, put on a furious run (helped out, of course, by a Braves collapse for the ages) and got into the playoffs, where they used that “every game is your last” mentality to battle through two rounds of National League playoffs and a World Series that will go down in history as one of the most dramatic.

Grades are reflective of the whole season. The bullpen at the end of the year hardly resembled the pen that caused so much heartburn earlier, but all facets of the relief corp had to be taken into account for their final score. So gather around the bulletin board, everyone, it is time to see how the final grades came out.

Rotation: B
The Cardinals may have had some pitching problems during the season, but by and large it did not come out of the starting staff, something that seemed so improbable in spring training. When Adam Wainwright went down with season-ending surgery before he was able to throw a pitch that meant anything, it seemed certain that the Cards were going to have to outslug their opponents.

Instead, the Cardinals ranked eighth in ERA and quality starts and seventh in opponent OPS among National League starting staffs. In fact, just about any significant category, the Cards were in the middle of the pack, a fairly notable achievement without their ace. Chris Carpenter stepped up to fill in the gap and the rest of the staff showed just enough brilliance to offset what at times could be some ugly outings.

Bullpen: C
When you average an F and an A together, it has to come out to a C, right? There is no doubt that the bullpen was the weakest link in the Cardinal chain at the beginning of the season. It started on Opening Day, when Ryan Franklin allowed a solo home run to Cameron Maybin to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth. It became more evident the next week, when the relief corp belied its name in blowing back to back games against the Giants.

Eventually, the Cardinals cut Franklin and Miguel Batista and turned the duties over to a younger group of players. The Colby Rasmus trade made at the July trading deadline brought in two different arms and moved Kyle McClellan from the rotation to the bullpen. The group quickly became a dominant force, with live arms coming out of the pen in almost every situation. The strongest measure of how this facet of the team had come about was in the NLCS, when the relievers pitched more innings than the starters, and the Cards still won four games to two.

BD Report Cards brought to you by Seamheads

Catchers: A
Yadier Molina may have lost a little bit of his luster behind the plate to the serious observer, allowing more wild pitches and passed balls than in past years. That said, a dimmer gold is still gold, as proven by the Gold Glove he won after the season was over. Besides still superb defense, Molina chipped in what might have been his best offensive season ever, easily setting career highs in home runs and OPS. Gerald Laird and, for a time, Tony Cruz backed up Molina and did so with acceptable results, though with Molina playing in 139 games, there were not many opportunities.

Infield: B-
Any infield that has a NLCS and a World Series MVP on one side and Albert Pujols on the other can not be all bad, can it? Pujols missed out on some of his yearly benchmarks this year but still showed that he is one of the top players in baseball. David Freese stayed relatively healthy (though he did miss much of May and June) and posted career highs in a number of categories as well, though he saved his best hitting for the playoffs and will never buy a meal in St. Louis again after Game 6 of the World Series.

Where the grade comes down is in the middle infield. Ryan Theriot was brought in and Brendan Ryan was shipped out, a move the Cardinals felt all year long at Theriot made error after error and did not hit enough to make up for his stone hands. Eventually the club traded for Rafael Furcal, who did not hit much either in St. Louis but at least was able to play above-average defense.

At second base, Skip Schumaker started off very cold and then got hurt, returning in mid-May from injury and finally warming up his bat. Daniel Descalso got a lot of time at all the different infield positions, often being switched into games as a defensive replacement for Freese but also seeing time at second and short, and played with a great glove along with a knack for getting some timely hits.

Outfield: B
There was a lot of intrigue in the outfield this season, but the one constant was the new guy out there. The signing of Lance Berkman raised a lot of eyebrows in the offseason, as he had not played outfield in a long time. However, his offseason training regimen actually got him into the best shape in his life (or at least the past five years) and he played an above-average outfield. Any miscues he might have made were quickly eliminated by his bat, as he returned to the player Cardinal fans were used to seeing terrorizing them from an Astros uniform. His 31 home runs and 97 RBI carried the team when Pujols struggled earlier in the year and when Matt Holliday was out with, well, whatever ailment he was out with at the time.

Holliday’s year was like something out of House, M.D. After getting three hits, including a home run, on opening day, he had to have an emergency appendectomy. He then had a quadriceps injury in May that kept him out for about a week. He also had a finger issue that sidelined him in September and reoccurred in the playoffs. He was taken off the roster for Game 7 of the World Series after injuring his pinky and spraining his wrist in Game 6. It got so bad that when a moth landed in the ear of a player, well, you knew it had to be Holliday. Between all the injuries, Holliday was his productive self and none of the injuries look to affect him in the future.

Center field was the domain of Colby Rasmus, whose tumultuous time in St. Louis came to a halt in July when he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for Edwin Jackson, Marc Rzepczynski, Octavio Dotel and Corey Patterson. Rasmus was having another down year and there was friction again between him and Tony La Russa. John Mozeliak was blasted for that trade at the time, but there is no way the Cardinals are kings of the baseball world without it.

The Cards also got key contributions from Allen Craig, Jon Jay, and occasionally Schumaker out in the outfield, covering for when Holliday was hurt or when the matchups did not favor Rasmus.

Top Offensive Player
For once, this award would not go to Albert Pujols. Pujols did not hit .300 or drive in 100 runs for the first time in his career, though he did have one memorable October night deep in the heart of Texas. However, Lance Berkman put up better all around numbers and was more consistent throughout the year. With an offense that rated fifth in batting average, third in on-base percentage, and sixth in slugging throughout baseball, there were a number of players that had outstanding years at the plate, but Berkman topped them all.

Top Pitcher
You could consider players like Jason Motte and Fernando Salas, two parts of that overhauled bullpen, but there is really no doubt that this was Chris Carpenter’s team. Carpenter was not perfect, was not the consistently dominant force that Cardinal fans saw in 2004-2006, but he still was able to come through when it mattered and his dominant, bulldog personality brought to mind another warrior in red that toed a different Busch Stadium mound.

Daniel Shoptaw
C70 At The Bat
@C70

Josh Gilliam is one of the original writers for I-70 Baseball and served as editor when the site first launched in July of 2010.

I requested Josh to pen a piece for the site in honor of Veteran’s Day. Josh’s submission is below:

Like most baseball fans I know, the months of November and December give a chance to recharge and get ready for the next season in the sun. After I turned 21, most of my reflection time starts on the same day each year. Today is important for many special reasons but for my family, it starts a stretch where giving thanks is all that matters.

The 2011 St. Louis Cardinals brought back many great memories and caused even more that will last a lifetime. Mainly it reminded me how much I love sharing the game with those closest to me. It was well worth the last decade to be able to hear the joy in my wife’s voice as she watched ‘our boys’ celebrating.

I was not raised in a military family or even educated on the ways of the world. My parents are proud hippies and were not happy at all when I informed them of my decision to join the United Sates Marines. Thankfully coming from a small town in Iowa I was just naïve enough to not know what I doing while still cocky enough to not care.

As we celebrate Veteran’s Day, it is my sincere hope that everyone has someone to thank for their service. I met a WWII Marine while stationed in California who helped change my life. As the before-mentioned overconfident young Devil Dog, I thought I had it all figured out from pretty much Day One. It wasn’t until getting in some trouble that I truly found out what I was made of, and the same can be said for the newly minted World Champions.

Both of Grandfathers served in the military, but they passed away before I was born. As things turn out, I had the rare opportunity to befriend someone who I consider my Grandpa just the same. Madison served in the Pacific and had stories that I only wish I had recorded. He only ever asked one thing of me, and it was my honor to help him get another set of Dress Blues.

During those tough times away from family and friends, I leaned on the words Madison shared. He is a big reason why I got back into writing and more importantly didn’t change who I was. The Birds on the Bat have always been a blessing, and this postseason reminded me of what truly matters.

It never gets easier to open old wounds, but the 2004 World Series is now one I can reflect on fondly. That doesn’t mean that Boston is any less hated, but their former manager is welcome as far as I am concerned. Sitting at a computer listening to Game 1 of the ‘04 Series outside of Fallujah can not be duplicated. Even two years later in Baghdad, my time in Iraq is directly tied to baseball.

The amazing stretch that we were all witness to this season is truly remarkable. The Cardinals were able to do the impossible, and that has helped where I now live in Missouri. Joplin will take a very long time to recover, but St. Louis gave all fans a nice distraction while also reminding us never to give up. The National Guard provided support at a time when most affected residents had little hope. And I can’t wait to see the progress by the time Championship Banner #11 is raised.

When people thank me for my service, I tell them truthfully it was my privilege to be able to do it. No matter what branch of the military or when they served, just know that every veteran is grateful to be remembered. Enjoy your weekend and thanks to those currently serving for my continued freedom!

Cardinals Announce Exhibition Game April 2, 2012 at Hammons Field
Double-A affiliate Springfield Cardinals welcome 2011 World Champions back to Missouri

ST. LOUIS, MO., November 2, 2011 – – The St. Louis Cardinals announced that the team will play an exhibition game against the Springfield Cardinals, their Double-A affiliate, at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, April 2nd, 2012 at Hammons Field.

“We are honored to be the first to welcome the reigning World Champions back to the state of Missouri in 2012,” Springfield Cardinals Vice President and General Manager, Matt Gifford said.

The Cardinals wanted to play two exhibition games in Springfield as part of their 2012 spring training schedule partly to make up for the weather-related cancellation of a sold out 2011 exhibition game. The Cardinals regular season and Spring Training schedules, which are set by Major League Baseball, prevent two exhibition games from being possible this year. The Cardinals will open the regular season on Wednesday, April 4th with a unique single game series against the Miami Marlins to open their new stadium in Florida.

“We owe it to the great fans of Springfield to come home to Missouri to play this exhibition game despite the travel challenges presented by our schedule” said Cardinals General Manager John Mozeliak. “While we are disappointed we can’t play two games, this will be a welcome trip home for many of our players who really enjoyed their playing time in Springfield.”

Fans that retained their tickets to the 2011 Cardinals/Cardinals Exhibition Game and did not receive a refund will receive replacement tickets for the 2012 game in the spring. As was the case earlier this year, tickets to the exhibition game will be extremely limited and priority for any available tickets will be given to Springfield Cardinals Season Ticket Holders. For information on 2012 Season Tickets in Springfield, please call (417) 863-0395, or visit www.springfieldcardinals.com. The Cardinals Spring Training schedule of games in Florida is expected to be announced in December once it has been finalized by Major League Baseball.