A kibosh may have been placed on recent speculation that St. Louis would get the all important 2009 All-Star Game (“This time it means something!”).
Apparently, the Baseball Writers Association of America has some issues with the press box at Busch Stadium and asked MLB to withhold awarding 2009’s game until the space meets their exacting standards.
My first reaction was as such: “Shut your collective bitch-ass up and quit whining.” When it comes down to it, these folks get paid to watch baseball closely, a pretty sweet gig if you ask me.
But as I further read the story, I came to realize that maybe the BBWAA was onto something. Joe Strauss, who perhaps knows about the press-box conditions more than most, lays it all out:
Cardinals officials waived architect HOK’s standard design, opting for a less costly, exposed press box offering neither air conditioning nor heat.
Other complaints include poor sight lines from the box’s second row. Media members not sitting in the front row are unable to see the stadium scoreboard or follow fly balls unless they lay their heads flat on the table.
City fire marshals on several occasions ordered closed a media workroom when smoke from an adjacent concession area permeated the wall separating the two.
Ahhh, I get it. Once again, the skinflinted ownership group took the cheap route. And they wonder why Bernie Miklasz has such an H.O. for Bill DeWitt and company.
October 26, 2006 at 11:37 am
I can confirm that the press box at the new stadium stinks. I was there this summer to do a story on umpire Ted Barrett, and thought I might try sitting in the press box.
But since all the front row seats are pretty much reserved, the back row was my only option. As Joe Strauss said, the view from there is terrible. Plus, it was sauna in there. I bolted and decided to stand out on the LF porch instead. It’s pretty bad when you’d rather stand in LF than sit in the press box.
October 26, 2006 at 12:14 pm
Tim, it’s my nature to immediately scoff at people who complain when I perceive that they have nothing to complain about.
But the way Strauss and now you describe it, the press box seems to be a legitimate object of scorn. It’s kind of shameful that a Major League team would provide a Little League press box.
October 26, 2006 at 6:04 pm
I don’t fault you for scoffing. I’m pretty much the same way.
But yeah, shameful is a good way to describe it. Also to put it in perspective — the press box at Wrigley Field is better than the one at the new Busch. That makes a lot of sense, huh?
October 27, 2006 at 2:01 am
Well, hopefully enough ridicule from the papers and whatnot will spur them to get the pressbox to where it should be.
October 27, 2006 at 5:23 pm
[...] I want to talk about this more when the postseason ends, but the stuff about the press box and the all-star game, and the Musial/Garagiola snafu is just maddening. More amateur antics from the front office. They used to be so, so professional. What the heck has happened in the last couple years? [...]