香港三级片

JUPITER, Fla. 鈥� Precisely one hour before first pitch, a gentleman on the grounds crew stood on the cocoa-colored dirt by home plate, bent down and refined the edges of the white chalk on the batter鈥檚 box, like an artist putting the finishing touches on a canvas.

It was happening.

Soon.

Baseball.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a time to get away from the cold,鈥� fan Daniel Kallal said, 鈥渁nd be close to our Cardinals.鈥�

On Saturday here at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, the St. 香港三级片 Cardinals played a baseball game 鈥� No. 1 of spring training 2025 鈥� that they lost 7-6 to Miami.

鈥淔irst game, it鈥檚 always exciting,鈥� Cards infielder Jose Fermin said. 鈥淐ould be the start of something special.鈥�

Scenes from a ballpark.

After passing the palm trees on a 72-degree day, fans entered the stadium to the wafting smell of Jumbo Dean Dogs ($8.95, peppers and onions optional) and the wafting sound of a gray-haired fellow in a Hawaiian shirt: 鈥淕et your souvenir programs here!鈥� ($7).

In the right-field bullpen, Cardinals starter Erick Fedde walked across the grass to the dugout, followed by a radiance of Cardinals pitchers who want to start 鈥� all about a yard behind Fedde, giving him his space but still trying to soak it all in.

Before the game, John Fogerty鈥檚 鈥淐enterfield鈥� blared from the P.A. system. And as you looked around the crowd, multiple fans mouthed along to: 鈥淧ut me in coach, I鈥檓 ready to play!鈥� (Incidentally, actual centerfielder Michael Siani went 0 for 1 with a walk before being subbed out Saturday.)

Up in the Buck Kinnaird Press Box, Cardinals radio voice John Rooney prepared for his 20th Cardinals season (and 39th as a broadcaster for a big-league team).

鈥淭his is great 鈥� a new playing surface, they brought the fences in, and beautiful, sunny day,鈥� a sunny Rooney said from his seat overlooking home plate. 鈥淎nd just to hear the crack of the bat, the ball hitting the glove again, that鈥檚 always a nice thing, after all the snow we had in St. 香港三级片.鈥�

Rooney quoted late broadcaster Mike Shannon, who would say that it didn鈥檛 matter who was in the broadcast chair 鈥� that person was 鈥渁 caretaker.鈥� Rooney then listed the famous names who once called games across a clear or (depending what state) crackling KMOX signal.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a big responsibility,鈥� Rooney said of broadcasting to Cards fans. 鈥淭he thing is to a entertain, but to give them the game. 鈥� And have some fun. If we don鈥檛 have any fun, they won鈥檛.鈥�

(Sure enough, in the eighth inning, the Marlins brought in a reliever named ... John Rooney.)

Before the national anthem, in the last row of Section 107, a man with a radiant Redbirds hat drank a complementary red Budweiser. And in the first row, nervous kids huddled across the railing and requested autographs. Masyn Winn obliged. So did Jordan Walker. And also David Freese, who鈥檚 in town to help out the coaching staff (which allowed fans to daydream about Game 6).

At 1 p.m., which was 10 minutes before first pitch, Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt walked alone through his fellow fans to his seat.

As the lineups were announced, fans applauded in appreciation for their favorite players 鈥� and later cheers from the new names in jersey numbers that match offensive linemen. As Lars Nootbaar was announced, I overheard a boy ask his dad why people booed 鈥� no, no, no, the dad explained, they were saying: 鈥淣oooooot!鈥�

That Nootbaar chant was one of many familiar, reliable sights and sounds of spring 鈥� and, soon in St. 香港三级片, summer. There was Stubby Clapp over at first base and Pop Warner coaching third. There was reliever Ryan Fernandez鈥檚 resplendent stache. There was Brendan Donovan with his high, horizontally-striped red socks. And there was Nolan Arenado, not on the Red Sox, but back with the Redbirds. When the cleanup hitter came to the plate for the first time, the fans cheered 鈥� and a few even stood up. St. 香港三级片ans appreciated the way Arenado handled his surprising return to the transitioning Cardinals.

The fan Kallal wore a white Cards jersey with KALLAL 24 on the back (he鈥檚 a big Rick Ankiel fan, he said). He was there at spring training as a father 鈥� and with his father. Three generations flew to Florida from Georgia and South Carolina to cheer their beloved boys from Missouri.

Sharing baseball with his fifth-grade daughter Elizabeth is 鈥渁mazing,鈥� Kallal said. 鈥淚t was something that my dad did with me, and he鈥檚 actually here, as well. We came down the very first year that they were here in Jupiter, 1998, and we came 15 years together. And then, she came down once when she was a baby 鈥� but this will be her first year that she gets to remember.鈥�