Cardinals set to open new $365 million ballpark

By R.B. FALLSTROM / AP Sports Writer

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The first game at the new Busch Stadium was a shakedown cruise, a matchup of the St. Louis Cardinals’ top minor league affiliates last week only hours after contractors relinquished control of the $365 million ballpark.

Now, it’s time for the real thing.

Six days later, giving workers time to fix minor bugs and applying finishing touches on a job that isn’t scheduled to be finished until midseason, the Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers meet on Monday in the opener of a home schedule that’s virtually sold out.

The only Cardinals player who’s played on the new field is pitcher Sidney Ponson, the lone major leaguer to participate in the minor league game last Tuesday. Ponson had the spacious home clubhouse to himself.

The rest of the roster got a quick walkthrough and workout before leaving for the season opener. There won’t be much time for checking out their new surroundings before the Cardinals’ Mark Mulder throws the first pitch, opposed by the Brewers’ Tomo Ohka.

“I’m not saying anything bad about Camden Yards, but this is really nice,” Ponson said, referring to his former home with the Baltimore Orioles. “Those guys told me to let them know how the mound is, and I like it. I think everybody on this pitching staff is going to like it.”

Milwaukee manager Ned Yost was looking forward to the opener.

“It’ll be interesting to see the new park,” he said Sunday. “You walk the park early to check out the angles and the infield and the backdrop. But the hardest thing will be finding the clubhouse.”

The Cardinals opened with a three-game sweep at Philadelphia, ending Jimmy Rollins’ 38-game hitting streak in the process. Then they lost two games of a three-game series at Chicago heading into Sunday night.

“I know our fans,” Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. “They’re going to enjoy the ballpark if the home team is competitive. You can only have so much fun walking around the concession areas.”

Milwaukee began the season 5-0 for the first time since 1987 and only the third time in franchise history before losing 7-0 to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday. The Brewers came from behind in all five wins and are in first place in the Central.

“They enjoy what they’re doing,” Yost said. “But they’re not a real excitable bunch, to the point where it affects their performance.”

The Brewers’ big start came without their most recognizable player. Ace pitcher Ben Sheets began the season on the 15-day disabled list with a back injury.

“Expectations or not, you just want to get out to a good start,” second baseman Rickie Weeks said.