As Charlene Darling Might Say...

"That one makes me cry."

You could say that about every one of these pictures that follow. There are now about 179 pictures in a slide show format on the KMOV website showing the destruction of glorious Busch Stadium, site of six World Series and eight League Championship Series, host of two World Championship teams and six National League Pennant winners.

Below are a few examples. Amazing.

On a brighter note...the new stadium opens 4/10/06 at 3:10 p.m. with a home game against Milwaukee. It's official. The schedule came out yesterday. Which means they have a little over 5 months to finish this thing. Let's hope and pray for good weather, or the Cardinals will be playing in a sandlot on The Hill by Yogi Berra's boyhood home.

(Cue whatever sad music you want here) And to think they played baseball here 16 days ago.

Looking down into what used to be the upper deck in right field.


What used to be the centerfield upper deck stands.


Looking at the upper deck of the outfield from left to right. The World Champions section of the upper deck left field is still seen. The bullpens are gone. And where is the field now but destroyed?


Mark McGwire's 62nd home run landed just below where some remaining red seats are visible in left field. They should mark this area for the new ballpark complex. Someone stated they would, anyway. And the foul pole still stands in this photo! Here Busch resembles the ruins of the Roman Coliseum in a way.


The destruction of the first base side field box level. The Cardinals dugout was in this vicinity.


Aerial view showing the destruction going on.


Notice the blue walls. During the 1980s, Busch had a blue paint job. Here part of it has been unearthed like an archeological find. This is a close up and the photo below is from a further distance. This used to be where the Cardinals 1st base field boxes were.



Again, the left field foul pole and just to the right of it is where McGwire's 62nd landed. The field is now all but unrecognizable as a baseball diamond.


Sigh. What used to be the outfield.


War zone or Busch Stadium? You decide.


Colorless and lifeless.


Another good thing can be seen here- they've turned on the lights in the new ballpark- AND THEY WORK!


This used to be the homeplate area and above the loge level was the pressbox. Just 16 days ago this ballpark was decorated and looking at its best. The field boxes are now gone behind the homeplate area. The 3rd base field boxes are in the process of ceasing to exist here.


And there go the 3rd base field boxes.


Aerial view looking east to the Arch and Mississippi River.


Had enough yet? Then let's move outside the stadium, where they are wrecking the concourses. I believe this is on the west side of the stadium.



Looking northward, the pedestrian ramp leading to the Stadium West Parking Garage is seen, with the brown brick building being the Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum behind that.


Early this morning outside Busch looking east from the Stadium West parking garage. The new ballpark lurks in the light. That would be the right field upper deck of the new Busch III.


Okay, let's stop it now. I can't take anymore.