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ST. LOUIS -- Ron Santo started at third base in the Chicago Cubs' first game at Busch Stadium on May 24, 1966, and he was in the broadcast booth for the team's last game at the ballpark on Wednesday. I've always loved this stadium," Santo said. "I'm going to miss it. I didn't like the turf, but the atmosphere was fabulous. You always felt like it was baseball here."
The Cubs won that first game, 2-0, behind starting pitcher Bill Hands. Glenn Beckert was 2-for-3 with one RBI. A crowd of 15,790 was on hand.
Busch Stadium was different from the other ballparks built in Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Philadelphia because they were built for both football and baseball, Santo said. Busch was all baseball.
"The Cardinals built their ballpark around their team -- they had speed," Santo said.
He remembers playing in the 1966 All-Star Game at Busch that was so hot, he stood on the dirt because his feet were burning. Someone suggested putting aluminum foil under his feet in his shoes -- and it worked.
"The only thing I would do is replace the broadcast booth," said Santo, now the color analyst for WGN Radio. "As a player, I'd never change this place."
The Cubs won that first game, 2-0, behind starting pitcher Bill Hands. Glenn Beckert was 2-for-3 with one RBI. A crowd of 15,790 was on hand.
Busch Stadium was different from the other ballparks built in Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Philadelphia because they were built for both football and baseball, Santo said. Busch was all baseball.
"The Cardinals built their ballpark around their team -- they had speed," Santo said.
He remembers playing in the 1966 All-Star Game at Busch that was so hot, he stood on the dirt because his feet were burning. Someone suggested putting aluminum foil under his feet in his shoes -- and it worked.
"The only thing I would do is replace the broadcast booth," said Santo, now the color analyst for WGN Radio. "As a player, I'd never change this place."
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