Road Hotels

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  • #154980
    brewcrewbrett
    Participant

    Free

    Big offseason for the Redbirds. Looks like you guys are the favorites with Arenado at the hot corner. Looking forward to baseball season and hopefully fans in the stands.

    Wondering which hotels most road teams stay at when in St Louis? Specifically the Brewers? Looking to come down for the Cardinals home opener against the Brewers. Been to 20+ stadiums and Busch is one my 2 favorites. St Louis is a true baseball town!

    Thanks in advance!

    #154983
    Brian Walton
    Keymaster

    Paid - Annual

    Welcome, Brett. In their media guides, teams used to list their road hotels, but for security reasons, they stopped this practice.

    #154989
    bccran
    Participant

    On my 12th birthday, my older sister took me to the Chase Park Plaza in St. Louis to see if we could get Don Drysdale’s autograph as a birthday present. All visiting teams stayed at that hotel. Not only did I get the autograph, but Dodger teammate Randy Jackson took me into the card room off the lobby to meet some of the guys – Sandy Koufax, Carl Erskine, Gil Hodges, Pee Wee Reese, Duke Snider, Junior Gilliam, Carl Furillo,
    Clem Labine, etc. What a thrill. But I can understand in today’s world why the hotels are kept confidential.

    #154991
    14NyquisT
    Participant

    I’m trying to imagine being 12 again and walking into the same cigar smoked-filled room and meeting the guys that I saw on my baseball cards in real life. That’s a mountain of All-stars. That must have had a large effect on why you are a frequent participant today. It surely wouldn’t be as thrilling to me in the present. Hey bc…. were they playing TEGWAR?

    #154992
    bicyclemike
    Moderator

    Paid - Annual

    Wow, great story cranny! Back in the ’70s, as teenagers a buddy and me went to St. Louis for a series two straight summers, ’72 and ’73. His dad made all the arrangements and put us up in the old Stouffer’s Riverfront Inn, which happened to be where the visiting team stayed. That hotel is still there, but there have been a lot of building and additions put in around it, and it has different ownership.

    Man, what a different time it was back then. The Pirates and then the Phillies came in for series. We saw most of the Pirate players in the gift shops or walking around the hotel. This was the same bunch that had won the World Series the previous Fall. My favorite thing was getting on the elevator with Bill Mazeroski. Our room was on something like the 4th floor, but Maz pushed maybe the 22nd floor. So I pushed the 23rd so we could ride up with Maz. We chatted a little on the ride up.

    Then when the Phillies were in town, we were at breakfast one morning. At that time they had some big tables where a bunch of people could sit. We were down there reading the sports section of the Post Dispatch, and Deron Johnson, Steve Carlton and some other guy, I think a coach, sat with us. Johnson saw a headline about Carlton and said, “Hey lefty, look at that.” Carlton asked my buddy, real politely, if he could borrow his paper. Of course my buddy just goes “Sure”, and handed it to him.

    These days I doubt you could ever get that close to a big leaguer. They likely have their own areas where the public is not allowed. It’s a different world with pro sports being the realm of multi-millionaires. Like a lot of things in society today, it’s much greater divided between the “haves” and “have nots”.

    #154996
    14NyquisT
    Participant

    Great stuff guys.

    I wish that I could talk about such stuff in person with you guys because I have my own stories about being around players at a younger age during those days gone by. Simply could not be imagined in today’s world by the youngsters of the present. Actually its hard for me to imagine what happened.

    bc…. was there TEGWAR being played or not?

    #155020
    bccran
    Participant

    14 – If I remember, they were playing bridge at one table and pinochle at the other. At least that’s what my sister said. The next time they were in town, I went down with my sister to Sportsman’s Park to watch the game. We got there very early and watched as they got off the bus. I waved to Randy Jackson and he yelled out “Are you coming to the hotel after the game? The guys want to see you again.” I have no idea whether that was true or not, but it sure made us feel great. Randy was known as “Handsome Ransom” Jackson. He was a great guy. Ended up writing a book called “Handsome Ransom Jackson: Accidental Big Leaguer”. Google it if you have time.

    #155157
    PugsleyAddams
    Participant

    Paid - Annual

    I’ve always had a hard time imagining pro ballplayers playing bridge. I don’t know why? My mother still teaches bridge out near BicycleMike’s turf in Colorado Springs. Over the years, two of her prized pupils were Goose Gossage and Jan Stenerud. I still have six Jan Stenerud signed miniature Green Bay Packer nurf footballs, if anyone wants to make a trade for one.

    #155168
    14NyquisT
    Participant

    I picture them playing TEGWAR.

    #155169
    bccran
    Participant

    Bridge was a popular game in the club car on long train trips between cities for ball players. Babe Ruth loved to play.

    #155218
    bicyclemike
    Moderator

    Paid - Annual

    Are you sure those Stenerud nerf footballs are not Kansas City Chiefs, Pugs?

    My parents were big into playing bridge and back in the ‘60s when me and my sisters were in grade school, they were in a bridge club. I think they played maybe once a month, or perhaps every other month, with a different couple hosting every time. Eventually it got around to my parents hosting, and my sisters and I kind of enjoyed it as there would be tables set up everywhere and lots of joy and laughter. Plus we got to indulge in the yummy snacks, although the booze was strictly off limits. 🙂

    The one thing we did not like is that the house smelled like smoke for a couple of days after the party. My parents did not smoke, but back then you allowed smokers to light up in your house. We had a bunch of ash trays that would be set on each table for the smokers, and it was probably 50/50 back then between the smokers and non-smokers. Some of us remember growing up with cigarette commercials on television.

    #155224
    PugsleyAddams
    Participant

    Paid - Annual

    “I’d walk a mile for a camel”. Great rememberances, BicycleMike! Yeah, back in the day, you had the green light to light up pretty much everywhere, except for the YMCA or in church. I remember our large grocery store(Piggly Wiggly) having ashtrays scattered about the store.

    Yes, they are Packer, not Chiefs, nurf footballs that Jan signed, BicycleMike. If you want a freebie, just send me a text message and I’ll mail it out to you.

    #155231
    blingboy
    Participant

    Paid - Annual

    I have a story that can rival cranny’s. During the 1985 season, an older man I worked with, and talked baseball with, who had years earlier been a teammate of Earl Weaver in the minors, invited me to ride with him to Kansas City to see the Orioles vs Royals as guests of the Orioles. After the game I found myself having dinner at a table with Earl, Cal Ripkin, Sr. and others. Earl told a story about a time he was vehemently arguing a point with Don Denkenger and he threw his hat on the ground. Denkenger stomped on it grinding it into the dirt. He had unkind things to say about Don. A few months later we know what happened in game 6 of the World Series.

    #155270
    PugsleyAddams
    Participant

    Paid - Annual

    Neat experience, Bling! None of us, with the possible exception of Uncle Denny, are perfect. But with his experience, you just can’t make the kind of mistake that Dickenger made on that fateful October evening in 1985 that cost the St. Louis Cardinals a world series title. He had to have money on the game….he just had to. The blunder was just too huge. All we seasoned Redbird fans knew exactly where we were when Dickenger robbed us. I was listening to the game out in my car in Phoenix at the Arizona State Fair. All was good up until “The Call”, as I had a cold budweiser in one hand and a pretty little blonde filly in the other. As a quick aside, much to my dismay, I never did round the bases that night……but it was not for a lack of trying…..well, her loss.

    #155290
    gscottar
    Participant

    Paid - Annual

    Interesting story Pugs. I am glad you kept it rated PG-13. 🙂 I was over at a friend’s house that night in ’85. It turns out my friend was from Kansas City so that 9th inning was a night I would like to forget.

    I have never had too many interactions with the ballplayers. One of the few times I had tickets close to the field was in the late 70’s at Busch. The Cards were playing the Braves and I had seats right behind the visiting bullpen, which at the time was down the third base line. Before the game I got an autograph from one of the Braves catchers, Biff Pocoroba. He was very nice. I was just a kid at the time and I didn’t realize he was just a bench player. It didn’t matter. I still have that autograph. Sadly, Biff passed away last year.

    #155301
    so_cal_cards_fan
    Participant

    Free

    I only have one story. I know LaRussa from his ARF work, and he invited me to wait around till after his book signing for Three Nights, and go to dinner with a buddy. This was early 2005. At dinner he told us that Ankiel was coming back as an OFer, but that it was too chancy to try to pass him through waivers, so, in collaboration with his agent, he would be given his immediate release the next day, and then signed to a new contract.

    He swore me to secrecy, and I’m finally blabbing.

    #155303
    bicyclemike
    Moderator

    Paid - Annual

    Man, I remember that fateful game in ’85. I was in San Diego, having moved out there in July from Boulder, CO thinking that may be the place of opportunity. As it turned out we moved back to Colorado maybe a week or two after the World Series. But I was watching the game on TV, and packing up a few things getting ready for our move.

    As that ninth inning started and Orta hit that slow roller, I watched intently and as soon as the play happened I yelled out loud “Got him!!!” You could see watching that he was out by half a step – it was not nearly as close as some calls. So when Denkinger called him safe I was shocked. I’m like “That was not even a tough call!.” The replays then showed clearly that Worrell was on the bag with the ball well before Orta got there.

    You just sensed with that break, things were going to fall apart. I also thought Denkinger got wrapped up with the home crowd and wanted to give them something. I felt like had that same play happened in St. Louis he would have been called out.

    Then later when Howser sent Dane Iorg up to pinch-hit, a former Cardinal who was a good pinch-hitter for us, I just knew our fate was sealed.

    So many freaky things went against us in that Series. First it was the Coleman tarp thing. Then the bad call. What a weird ending to what had been a great season of Cardinal baseball.

    #155317
    14NyquisT
    Participant

    Andujar’s meltdown in the final game was scary and terribly disappointing. Was it fate?

    #155321
    gscottar
    Participant

    Paid - Annual

    Usually the team that loses a devastating game 6 will always lose game 7. The momentum is hard to stop. Karma was kind to us in the 2011 Series though. That kind of made up for 1985.

    One exception was the 1975 Series when Fisk hit the famous homerun in Game 6 but the Reds came back to win Game 7.

    #155338
    bicyclemike
    Moderator

    Paid - Annual

    Those Reds of ‘75-76 are among the greatest teams of all-time. I still consider them the greatest National League teams ever.

    #155339
    blingboy
    Participant

    Paid - Annual

    Those Reds of ‘75-76 are among the greatest teams of all-time. I still consider them the greatest National League teams ever.

    bicyclemike, back in the later 70s I can recall some fearsome arguments among old timers over whether the 75 Reds were better than the 27 Yankees. I worked in Johnson City during the summer and the Yankees had just moved out their minor league team so there were a lot of folks around who didn’t want to hear about the Reds maybe being better.

    #155342
    bicyclemike
    Moderator

    Paid - Annual

    Yeah, I have been party to some of those same debates. Usually the ‘27 Yankees still hold the top spot for greatest AL team of all time, although there are several other Yankee squads that were right there, 1939, 1961, 1998.

    Bill James poo-poo’s the ‘61 team, saying that were over-rated. I disagree; 109 wins, 8 games better than a solid Detroit team that won 101 – legendary players and home run race. They arguably had the best players in the league at catcher, center field, right field, and the best starting pitcher and best relief pitcher.

    Anyway, fun stuff to debate.

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