dressed in red

The sky was a flawless shade of blue and the temperature was pushing 70 degrees. The majestic Clydesdales circled the field to the Budweiser theme as a prelude to Red Schoendienst, Bob Gibson, Stan Musial and St. Louis' other Hall of Famers waving to the crowd from red and white Ford Mustang convertibles.

"The Clydesdales trotting around the warning track might be the most beautiful thing I've ever seen at a ballpark," said Cardinals manager Tony La Russa. "I watched them and it was absolutely gorgeous. Stan and Red weren't quite as gorgeous."

Albert Pujols and Chris Carpenter, St. Louis' latest MVP and Cy Young Award winner, threw out the ceremonial first pitches to Willie McGee and Gibson, the last Cardinals to win those awards. Then Mark Mulder went to work, pitching eight strong innings, hitting a home run and injecting the place with a euphoria that even a shaky bullpen couldn't obscure.

But it wasn't Mulder's all-around game, or Pujols' gargantuan home run, or even the disappointing 6-4 loss that will stick with Attanasio. He'll remember that he was one of a handful of the 41,396 fans in attendance not clad in red. Cram them all into one spot, and they look like a giant blood clot.

"I travel all over the country and I don't know if you can see another city where literally every fan wears the team colors the way Cardinals fans do," Attanasio said. "We saw people outside our hotel at 9 in the morning walking around in Cardinals clothes. I think that's what strikes me even more than the ballpark -- the fans here."

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Sigh. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. And, really, really envious of all the fans at the park yesterday.

Sounded like a perfect day at the park. A homer by Albert AND Mulder, who also goes 2 for 3! And, Scotty Rolen continues to shine.

Go Cards!