High altitude fans

Nosebleed section. Cheap seats. The peanut gallery.

Derision aimed at those living above the rest. Who are the

skydwellers at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on a sunny, comfortable Saturday afternoon? They speak during the game on July 19 from

their seats perched over the Cardinals and Dodgers, and

most of the other 43,000 fans, far above the flatlanders in the

sections below.

You’d like Bob Bender. He’s the guy in the last row atop section 361, with a big smile creating deep creases behind his eyes. “It’s Evansville Day,” he said. “The mayor’s here. There must be 1,000 people here from Evansville.” He reaches out with calloused hands to shake yours with surprising vigor and strength for a man with thin, receding white hair. He’s also points out he’s at Busch Stadium because Don Mattingly, the former Dodger first baseman and current coach of the team, is from Evansville. That’s in southern Indiana, he reminds you. Apparently Mattingly’s son and Bender’s grandson, and some other relative somewhere, somehow, sometime, are involved in youth baseball and played together, and Bender’s 11-year-

Bob Bender, right, from Evansville, Ind., and his grandson Kanin have a special baseball connection to Dodger coach

Don Mattingly.

Trirese Taylor and her family are up from Memphis. That’s her mom down the row, and her niece, and her cousin, and her uncle and his girlfriend. She loves it up here in the last row of section 372. “You can see everything from up here, from the field and the audience and everything… And there’s a breeze up here. And it’s shady.” She pauses, breaks out in a grin, then adds, “I’m so country.” This is Taylor’s first visit to Busch

Three fans leaning back in their seats, feet resting on the chairs in front of them. The upper row of section 428. Occasional hollering. Beer in hand. Twenty-something males? You bet. “We heard that some of our college friends were getting recognized at this game,” said Zeke Zenthoefer. “So we just decided about two hours ago to come here.” Zenthoefer was at the game with his buddies Jake Manchette and Jordan Chapman. All are 23

That children’s choir singing Take Me Out To The Ball Game in the middle of the seventh inning had seats up there in section 454. At the peak of section 454, Kellie Engert patiently waits for her flock to return from the performance. She’s a parent of two children in United in Christ Lutheran School’s chorus from Frohna, Mo., as well as a school board member. The school purchased all 400 seats in the section for parents, friends, and students. “We also did this two years ago,” she said. Back then, the children sang God Bless America. Why the musical change? “I think we were told to do that,” she said, remembering that the

Grandpa’s boy and Don Mattingly

old grandson Kanin, sitting next to grandpa, playfully doesn’t avoid the old man’s hand messing up his hair as the tale unfolds. Bender tells the story twice, with personal details thick and obscure. He’s happy to brag about his grandson. You can see his eyes glitter in the sunlight as bubbling words cascade in a midsouth drawl. You listen and nod because it’s polite, and, well, Bob Bender’s just one heck of a nice guy.

Sing the song with all your heart

entire stadium sang the patriotic song along with the kids. About 75 of the school’s 121 students sang this time around. From her vantage high in the corner, she can the top of each player’s head coming up to bat. While she talks, students start to wander back to their seats. Eventually, 11-year-old Brock and 6-year-old Korby walk up the cement stairs and sit next to mom. Brock’s advice for young performers: “Sing with all your heart, and don’t get scared.”

Stadium, and she loves seeing the Memphis Redbirds, who are one of the Cardinal minor-league teams. Everyone in the family agrees the shade and breeze are the best part of being up here, but there’s some grumbling about getting there. “I really didn’t like taking those stairs all the way to the top,” she said.

years old, and all are recent graduates of colleges in Evansville, Ind. None of them knew it was Evansville Day at Busch Stadium. Zenthoefer said his college baseball team, the University of Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles, had won the division 2 nationals in May. All three grumbled pleasantly about their seats being on the sunny side of the stadium, with no shade and an inability to see Jumbotron displayed below. “But it’s the first time I’ve been here,” said Zenthoefer. That’s cool enough to make up for unshaded summer sunshine.

A family staying cool above it all

Kellie Engert from United in Christ Lutheran School , relaxes with sons Brock (far left) and Korby after the kids sang for

the fans at Saturday’s game.

Trirese Taylor, right, said she was really excited to be at her first major-league baseball game. She’s joined by her aunt Pauline Jackon, middle, and Pauline’s daughter Lindsay.

Hey, let’s drive to the game today!

Road trippin’ buddies Jake Manchette, left, Zeke Zenthoefer, middle, and Jordan Chapman, right, enjoy their whimsical trip to St. Louis from the highest point in the stadium.

Source: espn.go.com

By PAUL APFELBECK, Team 2