GatewayRedbirds.com

GatewaySnayke wrote:Thanks.

I hear a bunch of stuff from people that are Cardinals fans and I think they get pretty biased.

In fairness, of all the times I've gone, I've never been there for a Cubs-Cards game. I've seen the Rockies, Dodgers, Yankees, and Pirates, but never the Cardinals. Keep that in the back of your head.

RC21 wrote:

GatewaySnayke wrote:Thanks.

I hear a bunch of stuff from people that are Cardinals fans and I think they get pretty biased.

In fairness, of all the times I've gone, I've never been there for a Cubs-Cards game. I've seen the Rockies, Dodgers, Yankees, and Pirates, but never the Cardinals. Keep that in the back of your head.

I was there for one of the games last year, and I'd describe it similar to what you said. I was around a pretty sizable Cardinal contingent in our section, but aside from some playful/tipsy jabs from a couple of the more vocal parties(on both sides) there wasn't much interaction aside from people talking seat-to-seat.

I agree w/ the first 3 points that RC said. I've been up there a few times for Cards/Cubs games and its gotten progressively worse are far as treatment by Cubs fans go (and I'm not antagonizing them at all either). I've actually held off going up there the last couple years because they've hindered my experience. That's not saying I won't go back up there and do it again but I just won't do it as often.

cardinalkarp wrote:I agree w/ the first 3 points that RC said. I've been up there a few times for Cards/Cubs games and its gotten progressively worse are far as treatment by Cubs fans go (and I'm not antagonizing them at all either). I've actually held off going up there the last couple years because they've hindered my experience. That's not saying I won't go back up there and do it again but I just won't do it as often.

And to be fair to the Cub fans, Cardinal fans have become increasingly vulgar towards Cub fans in Busch as well, IMO.

--P--

Popeye_Card wrote:

cardinalkarp wrote:I agree w/ the first 3 points that RC said. I've been up there a few times for Cards/Cubs games and its gotten progressively worse are far as treatment by Cubs fans go (and I'm not antagonizing them at all either). I've actually held off going up there the last couple years because they've hindered my experience. That's not saying I won't go back up there and do it again but I just won't do it as often.

And to be fair to the Cub fans, Cardinal fans have become increasingly vulgar towards Cub fans in Busch as well, IMO.

--P--

Agree on that point also.

Ribbing them here and there is completely fine (and I have no problem w/ it when I'm in their park) but once it detracts from the game is when I start to have a problem.

RC21 wrote:

GatewaySnayke wrote:Thanks.

I hear a bunch of stuff from people that are Cardinals fans and I think they get pretty biased.

In fairness, of all the times I've gone, I've never been there for a Cubs-Cards game. I've seen the Rockies, Dodgers, Yankees, and Pirates, but never the Cardinals. Keep that in the back of your head.

This is the only time I do go. It was pretty funny just how much Cardinals gear you saw on the red line on the way in, and of course, at the game, and funnier still how at least one of the bars in Wrigleyville was overrun by Cardinals fans in some sort of like-minded-folk-searching-each-other-out domino effect. I forget the name of the ones we were at after which game, but we entered one on a couple of different days because we looked inside and it was all red.

Your points, from my experience:

1. What RC said. The bathrooms are few and disgusting, troughs IIRC. Overall a nice, if not just a really unique ballpark, the frontish-row upper level seats are really a great way to watch a game.

2. No

3. Depends on where you are in the park. There is definitely that element of popped-collars and an excuse to day-drink, but the majority of people in their seats are paying attention to the game. There seem to be less people wearing Cubs stuff than you would find Cardinals stuff at Busch though.

4. No, well the sheer number of Cardinals fans made it a bit of a back and forth. But it was all in good fun, I wouldn't have had it any other way.

I haven't been to a Cardinals-Cubs game since I was about six, but I did go watch the Cardinals play the Red Sox in 2005, and I was amazed at how poorly people were acting.

I won't say anything about the booing of Renteria, because I was in on that, but they went down the homophobic route of Cub fans and were calling Johnny Damon gay. Then an over-zealous Cardinal fan started geting on a couple of Red Sox fans who probably weren't older than 19-20. It was the final night of the series and the Cardinals were losing, so he was getting angry. I can't remember what he said, but the people around us who stuck around started getting annoyed.

RC21 wrote:1. Does it really smell like urine?
The bathrooms do, more so than a regular bathroom. But that's it.

2. Is it unkempt and filthy?
Not really. It's old and looks old. But I wouldn't say unkempt and filthy.

3. What is the ratio of people "hanging out" and the people actually there to watch?
Bleachers may be different but I've found the fans there to be pretty zealous and know a lot about their team and others.

4. Are Cub fans vulgar towards Cards fans?
A little, but it was such a small sample that I don't think it's fair to judge them all that way. When the section around me found out my allegiances, the three closest people were cordial- asking if I enjoyed the trip up, if I liked Wrigley, etc... But there were two guys in front of me that were clearly annoyed.

Wrigley Field is my 2nd favorite park. Alot of #4 depends on you. A Cubs/Cards game at Wrigley is pretty awesome.

Oh yeah. I love it there. When you watch baseball at Wrigley, you're watching baseball in the same place that Willie Mays came in to play, Babe Ruth had his called shot, Hack Wilson set the RBI record, etc....

When you go to Wrigley, you're pretty much on MLB sacred ground.

I have questions about baseball's alleged mecca:

1. Does it really smell like urine? I avoided the restrooms

2. Is it unkempt and filthy? Didn't find that to be the case at all although I wasn't sitting under any of the "falling concrete retaining nets"

3. What is the ratio of people "hanging out" and the people actually there to watch? In the area I was everyone seemed to be really into the game, but I was only 6 rows behind the Cubs bench too

4. Are Cub fans vulgar towards Cards fans? My experience was that the fans in the stands were fine,,, good natured rubs here and there (cubs were winning), but the ones around me were quite knowledgeable about what was going on (but see #3). I took the train in from Michigan and caught the Red Line to Wrigley, and the Red Line was an entirely different experience. Nastiness abounded.[/quote]