Thursday's Opening Day Schedule of Events

[wkycards]

10:30 AM – 1:00 PM Official Opening Day Pep Rally at Ballpark Village: Join Fredbird, Team Fredbird, DJ Todd Thomas, Cardinals organist Dwayne Hilton and Cardinals Alumni at the Busch II Infield Stage in the Together Credit Union Plaza for the Cardinals Opening Day Pep Rally. This event is free for all fans to attend and includes prizes and ticket giveaways to Opening Day and other 2025 games.

12:00 PM Busch Stadium Gates Open

12:05 – 12:55 PM Cardinals batting practice (subject to change)

1:00 – 1:50 PM Twins batting practice (subject to change)

2:30 PM Pregame ceremonies begin with an appearance by the world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales

Introduction of Fredbird & Team Fredbird

Recognition of Chairman & CEO, Bill DeWitt Jr.; President, Bill DeWitt III; and President of Baseball Operations, John Mozeliak

Introduction of National Baseball & Cardinals Hall of Famers via 2025 Ford Mustang convertible motorcade
National Baseball Hall of Famers: Tony La Russa, Ted Simmons, Ozzie Smith & Joe Torre
Cardinals Hall of Famers: Vince Coleman, Jim Edmonds, Matt Holliday, Jason Isringhausen, Ray Lankford, Matt Morris, José Oquendo, Scott Rolen, John Tudor

2:49 PM Introduction of the 2025 St. Louis Cardinals via Ford F-150 truck motorcade

Introduction of the Minnesota Twins

3:04 PM National Anthem performance by GRAMMY Award winner and St. Louis native Lloyd Nicks with Color Guard presentation by the Ft. Leonard Wood Joint Service Color Guard

Ceremonial First Pitch by Members of the 1985 National League Championship Team

3:15 PM First Pitch by Cardinals Opening Day starting pitcher Sonny Gray


The Cardinals LIVE pregame show starts at 1:30 PM and will originate from the field at Busch Stadium on Opening Day, hosted by Alexa Datt alongside analyst Ricky Horton. Coverage of the Cardinals’ pregame ceremonies and player introductions will start at approximately 2:30 PM.

https://www.mlb.com/press-release/press ... le-details

[OldRed]

10:30 AM – 1:00 PM Official Opening Day Pep Rally at Ballpark Village: Join Fredbird, Team Fredbird, DJ Todd Thomas, Cardinals organist Dwayne Hilton and Cardinals Alumni at the Busch II Infield Stage in the Together Credit Union Plaza for the Cardinals Opening Day Pep Rally. This event is free for all fans to attend and includes prizes and ticket giveaways to Opening Day and other 2025 games.

12:00 PM Busch Stadium Gates Open

12:05 – 12:55 PM Cardinals batting practice (subject to change)

1:00 – 1:50 PM Twins batting practice (subject to change)

2:30 PM Pregame ceremonies begin with an appearance by the world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales

Introduction of Fredbird & Team Fredbird

Recognition of Chairman & CEO, Bill DeWitt Jr.; President, Bill DeWitt III; and President of Baseball Operations, John Mozeliak

Introduction of National Baseball & Cardinals Hall of Famers via 2025 Ford Mustang convertible motorcade
National Baseball Hall of Famers: Tony La Russa, Ted Simmons, Ozzie Smith & Joe Torre
Cardinals Hall of Famers: Vince Coleman, Jim Edmonds, Matt Holliday, Jason Isringhausen, Ray Lankford, Matt Morris, José Oquendo, Scott Rolen, John Tudor

2:49 PM Introduction of the 2025 St. Louis Cardinals via Ford F-150 truck motorcade

Introduction of the Minnesota Twins

3:04 PM National Anthem performance by GRAMMY Award winner and St. Louis native Lloyd Nicks with Color Guard presentation by the Ft. Leonard Wood Joint Service Color Guard

Ceremonial First Pitch by Members of the 1985 National League Championship Team

3:15 PM First Pitch by Cardinals Opening Day starting pitcher Sonny Gray


The Cardinals LIVE pregame show starts at 1:30 PM and will originate from the field at Busch Stadium on Opening Day, hosted by Alexa Datt alongside analyst Ricky Horton. Coverage of the Cardinals’ pregame ceremonies and player introductions will start at approximately 2:30 PM.

https://www.mlb.com/press-release/press ... le-details

??

[Absolut]

Be there by 220 to cheer the horses and then boo the jackasses

[Cranny]

Be there by 220 to cheer the horses and then boo the jackasses

Looking forward to cheering the Clydesdales, the Cardinals in the convertibles, and the Hall of Famers.

[wkycards]

Be there by 220 to cheer the horses and then boo the jackasses

Looking forward to cheering the Clydesdales, the Cardinals in the convertibles, and the Hall of Famers.

Good to see Joe Torre coming back this year.

[Absolut]

Be there by 220 to cheer the horses and then boo the jackasses

Looking forward to cheering the Clydesdales, the Cardinals in the convertibles, and the Hall of Famers.

Agree. But not management/ ownership

[craviduce]

Mo will get Booed again....and BDW2 will laugh at it again. I wonder if the crowd turns on BDW2 this time?

The vocal minority from the Internet isn't a minority anymore. The game goers know the score, too.

[thetank2]

Mo will get Booed again....and BDW2 will laugh at it again. I wonder if the crowd turns on BDW2 this time?

The vocal minority from the Internet isn't a minority anymore. The game goers know the score, too.

Oh please!! You could mess up a w*t dream.

[NYCardsFan]

Mo will get Booed again....and BDW2 will laugh at it again. I wonder if the crowd turns on BDW2 this time?

The vocal minority from the Internet isn't a minority anymore. The game goers know the score, too.

Never understood drawing a sharp distinction between them—DeWitt is by all accounts a very involved principal; ownership and the FO are a collective unit and should be held jointly responsible (for good and bad).

[Cranny]

Mo will get Booed again....and BDW2 will laugh at it again. I wonder if the crowd turns on BDW2 this time?

The vocal minority from the Internet isn't a minority anymore. The game goers know the score, too.

Never understood drawing a sharp distinction between them—DeWitt is by all accounts a very involved principal; ownership and the FO are a collective unit and should be held jointly responsible (for good and bad).

How old are you, NY? Obviously not of an age to understand the priorities and essence of an octogenarian. BDW was extremely involved on the players side of the equation for many years. Less so now. Ergo the decline.

[sikeston bulldog2]

Mo will get Booed again....and BDW2 will laugh at it again. I wonder if the crowd turns on BDW2 this time?

The vocal minority from the Internet isn't a minority anymore. The game goers know the score, too.

Oh please!! You could mess up a w*t dream.

Wet dream? They still have those.

[NYCardsFan]

Mo will get Booed again....and BDW2 will laugh at it again. I wonder if the crowd turns on BDW2 this time?

The vocal minority from the Internet isn't a minority anymore. The game goers know the score, too.

Never understood drawing a sharp distinction between them—DeWitt is by all accounts a very involved principal; ownership and the FO are a collective unit and should be held jointly responsible (for good and bad).

How old are you, NY? Obviously not of an age to understand the priorities and essence of an octogenarian. BDW was extremely involved on the players side of the equation for many years. Less so now. Ergo the decline.

Give us a break, Cranny. Just three days ago you were giving DeWitt the credit for "upgrading the [player] development program." (See quote below.)

You're exactly what I'm talking about: always trying to have it both ways. When it's time to assign credit, DeWitt is the active owner and "baseball man" who is in the room for everything. But when it's time to assign responsibility or blame, suddenly the violin starts to play and he's the old man in "decline" who's lost his fastball and is being misguided or poorly served by his subordinates. The idea that this ownership in particular is somehow out of the loop and Mozeliak has been making the tough calls on his own the last several years is preposterous. So like I said, it's more coherent to think of them as unit with collective responsibility than it is to say one guy is to blame/credit for the current state of affairs and the other guy isn't. I mean, Mozeliak has been in the GM/POBO seat for 18 years for crying out loud, is there any point at which you think DeWitt has to own that decision?

The funny thing is I actually give DeWitt more credit for his capability and competence than you do--the difference is I do it consistently, which means also assigning commensurate responsibility when things don't go well. In every interview or press conference I've seen, DeWitt has been plenty sharp. The problem is not his mental acuity. So I stand by my post: it makes no sense to "blame" Mozeliak for where the franchise currently sits without also assigning similar responsibility to ownership.

BDW has upgraded the development program. Glad to see it. Looking forward to following the young players under the new regime.

If you’re giving DeWitt the credit for “upgrading the development program,” why don’t you assign him commensurate blame for reducing funding and personnel and allowing the system to atrophy? I mean, you claim to be “balanced” and “objective,” so I’d expect that if you are going to give credit to those who actually have decision-making authority, you’d also assign proportionate responsibility to them when things go wrong.

[Quincy Varnish]

Be there by 220 to cheer the horses and then boo the jackasses

Looking forward to cheering the Clydesdales, the Cardinals in the convertibles, and the Hall of Famers.

Agree. But not management/ ownership

But that’s his favorite part!

[Alex Reyes Cy Young]

Mo will get Booed again....and BDW2 will laugh at it again. I wonder if the crowd turns on BDW2 this time?

The vocal minority from the Internet isn't a minority anymore. The game goers know the score, too.

Moe should get booed again he did a poor job once again this season.

[Alex Reyes Cy Young]

Be there by 220 to cheer the horses and then boo the jackasses

This was very witty, nicely done!

[Cranny]

Mo will get Booed again....and BDW2 will laugh at it again. I wonder if the crowd turns on BDW2 this time?

The vocal minority from the Internet isn't a minority anymore. The game goers know the score, too.

Never understood drawing a sharp distinction between them—DeWitt is by all accounts a very involved principal; ownership and the FO are a collective unit and should be held jointly responsible (for good and bad).

How old are you, NY? Obviously not of an age to understand the priorities and essence of an octogenarian. BDW was extremely involved on the players side of the equation for many years. Less so now. Ergo the decline.

Give us a break, Cranny. Just three days ago you were giving DeWitt the credit for "upgrading the [player] development program." (See quote below.)

You're exactly what I'm talking about: always trying to have it both ways. When it's time to assign credit, DeWitt is the active owner and "baseball man" who is in the room for everything. But when it's time to assign responsibility or blame, suddenly the violin starts to play and he's the old man in "decline" who's lost his fastball and is being misguided or poorly served by his subordinates. The idea that this ownership in particular is somehow out of the loop and Mozeliak has been making the tough calls on his own the last several years is preposterous. So like I said, it's more coherent to think of them as unit with collective responsibility than it is to say one guy is to blame/credit for the current state of affairs and the other guy isn't. I mean, Mozeliak has been in the GM/POBO seat for 18 years for crying out loud, is there any point at which you think DeWitt has to own that decision?

The funny thing is I actually give DeWitt more credit for his capability and competence than you do--the difference is I do it consistently, which means also assigning commensurate responsibility when things don't go well. In every interview or press conference I've seen, DeWitt has been plenty sharp. The problem is not his mental acuity. So I stand by my post: it makes no sense to "blame" Mozeliak for where the franchise currently sits without also assigning similar responsibility to ownership.

BDW has upgraded the development program. Glad to see it. Looking forward to following the young players under the new regime.

If you’re giving DeWitt the credit for “upgrading the development program,” why don’t you assign him commensurate blame for reducing funding and personnel and allowing the system to atrophy? I mean, you claim to be “balanced” and “objective,” so I’d expect that if you are going to give credit to those who actually have decision-making authority, you’d also assign proportionate responsibility to them when things go wrong.

Again, NY, how old are you? Please answer that question by decade so it's not exact and threatening to you. Are you in your 20s? 30s? 40s? 50s? 60s? Because you have no idea what getting older and fuzzier is all about. The senses aren't as acute, so short term memory is affected. Long term memory remains crystal clear.

I have never tried to have it both ways. I've gone into detail on what an octogenarian is all about. In case you missed it, I'll give it to you again. An older person is all about security, appreciating habits that highlight that desire for repetitive security, and extreme loyalty to long standing friendships. You may think BDW was razor sharp in an interview. He gets up for that. It's not all the time. He's all about family and spending time with his grandchildren. Many years ago, I asked BDW about two specific prospects at the A+ level - what he thought of them. He proceeded to tell me their strengths and weaknesses. What they were working on to get better. I doubt seriously if he could do that kind of thing now. His priorities have changed. He's much more conservative and is going to concentrate on enjoying things as much as he can over the next years. And that may not include baseball as much.

I'm sure he has talked to Mo about the performance over the past few years. But he's loyal to Mo, whom he's known for almost 30 years. Mo has been a good employee, achieved much success, and been a close personal friend for a long time.
They probably came to the conclusion together that the game has changed enough that new, younger guys need to be brought in. That's what's happening. Is it overdue? Sure, but it's explainable if you can step into the thinking of an 83 year old. Try it for once and the picture for you will become much clearer.