It will be a sad day

I have been going to see baseball games a Busch, since before I can remember. I am sad that this is the last season for my beloved Busch. I have seen the coming of real grass as the astro turf left(stained by chewing tobacco spit), when real Clydesdales trotted around on the field, The White Rat, players such as Tito Landrum, The Wizard do arial flips, Vinice Coleman, big Lee Smith, Bob Tewksbury, and of course McGwire. I even remember when the wonderbread truck drove around on the field before the game and went into a gate in left field and Dancing in the Streets was played inbetween innings. We were always at the games for batting practice and if it got over early enough, mom and dad would let us stay long after the game was over and try to catch the players coming out of the locker room to get autographs. On a happy note, the new stadium looks beautiful and I will get to see at least 4 games at Busch this year before it no longer exists.

My one complaint with the pictures of the new stadium is that is says Cardinals Field everywhere. It is BUSCH STADIUM!

Collapse will be quick and dirty at Busch
By Jake Wagman Of the Post-Dispatch
Sunday, May. 22 2005

Busch Stadium's baseball magic lasted for 40 seasons, but its last trick will be to vanish in less than a minute. City officials have been given an early glimpse of what it will take to bring down the landmark stadium at season's end, and this much is sure: It will be quick and dirty. The house built by Gibby, McGwire and the Wizard will be laced with more than 2,000 sticks of explosives and hundreds of blasting caps. When they are triggered, experts estimate it will take 35 seconds for Busch to collapse in an enormous cloud of dust. Demolishing the stadium is a sensitive topic among the Cardinals. The team's top construction official declined to discuss details, saying it was too early in the planning stage. Even the company supervising the demolition said it is contractually restricted from talking to reporters. Representatives for the Cardinals met with St. Louis officials at City Hall this month to discuss the demolition. They gave the city a 15-page document, later obtained by the Post-Dispatch through a request under state public record laws, that outlines the events leading up to demolition day. Demolishing the current stadium is key to finishing the new ballpark, which also will be called Busch Stadium. Important parts of the new park - the outfield, for example - lie within the footprint of the current stadium. The construction manager for the Cardinals, Hunt Construction Group, hired Ahrens Contracting of East St. Louis to handle excavation and demolition. Ahrens, in turn, has hired Steve Pettigrew to be the lead blaster. He's an explosives expert who has supervised the demolition of structures like Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia and Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta. Pettigrew, vice president of Demolition Dynamics, did not return phone calls. Preparation for the implosion will begin with property owners near the stadium getting a letter disclosing details of the demolition and how it could affect their buildings. John Loyd, the team official coordinating construction of the new stadium, said the demolition procedure will be made public prior to blasting. Fans who want to watch can do so, but from a distance. A four-block radius around the stadium will be closed to the general public, as will sections of Highway 40 (Interstate 64). Even with a limited view, the demolition will be a sight to see, Loyd says. "It's one of the loudest and most dramatic things I have ever seen," said Loyd, who has watched demolitions make way for stadiums in Cleveland and Pittsburgh. The date for the demolition can't be set until officials know if the Cardinals make it to postseason play. Once the season is over, the demolition will be on a Saturday or Sunday in late October or early November. Security for the tons of explosives will be a priority. They will be delivered, with police escort, six days before the blast. No passengers will be allowed in the spark-proof vehicles, which will be barred from making any unnecessary stops. Police and demolition officials will guard the explosives around the clock, and the detonators will be stored separately. The document outlining the demolition says the stadium is well-suited for implosion, with its concrete frame and support from a crown of 96 arches. The demolition crew will use about 2,500 pieces of explosives, with the charges placed inside holes they will bore into the stadium's support columns. Chain link fencing and something called "geo-textile" fabric will be used as a curtain to prevent flying debris. The charges will be placed so the stadium crumbles inward. Underground pipes and utilities will be insulated prior to the implosion. Elevators and mechanical apparatus will be removed from the stadium. So will hazardous materials. A small "test shot" will be done before the real thing; each circuit line in the explosive system will have at least three backups to guarantee initiation. The immediate area around the stadium will be evacuated and patrolled by police. The 35-second "impact event" will begin on the stadium's south side, and explosives will fire clockwise and counterclockwise around Busch. The document calls it "a chain reaction of shock." Weather will help determine how long the cloud of dust hangs around the stadium; it could linger for as long as 10 minutes. Street sweepers, hoses and workers armed with shovels and brooms will be dispatched to clean the area after the blast. Streets are expected to be open to traffic within hours after the implosion. The implosion will be directed from a command post where key personnel will be stationed. A pair of 10-second sirens will signal the two-minute warning, followed by a 10-second siren for the one-minute warning and a trio of sirens for the 15-second warning. The final countdown will begin after one last check of the stadium's perimeter. Ten seconds later, someone will yell, "Fire," and Busch Stadium will be history.