A Field of Dreams in Sauget
By Mary Delach Leonard
06/19/2003


The boys of summer in their jerseys with no names are down on the
field at GMC Stadium in Sauget smacking baseballs at a sky just
aching to rain.

It's a Wednesday afternoon - mid-day, mid-week in the very middle of
the Middle West - and life is good.

Get a whiff of those hot dogs - only $1.50, and the bun's included.
The leis are free 'cause it's Luau Day, leftovers from last night's
rainout. So, this afternoon it's a bonus doubleheader, and Mouse Pad
Day and a Business Day Special and a local radio station is here and
the kids behind the centerfield wall are all wearing new batting
gloves someone was passing out at the gate ... Hey, No. 17 ... hit
one over here!

Above the right field foul line, the hot tub is waiting, and Sunny
the Clown is painting faces over by the playground.

Dark clouds spray a few warning shots, but nobody's budging. Hey, is
that the mayor in the Joe DiMaggio Suite?

The P.A. rocks with "Cheap Seats" by Alabama, and then all rise for
the National Anthem.

Down on the field, our Gateway Grizzlies are ready to go. No. 12 is
on the mound. You know, what's-his-name. We're playing the Paints
from somewhere in Ohio, and there's still time to buy a 50-50 raffle
ticket. Crank up the music: "Put me in coach, I'm ready to play ..."

Aw, geez! He hit that one hard. Second pitch of the game, and it's
OUT-A-HERE. The kids in centerfield scramble to catch a dream. Who
hit it? Who cares?

PLAY BALL!

Baseball and balloons

Dave Miller, 53, of Belleville had a great seat - Section 114, Row K -
right behind home plate for this rare afternoon game. The Grizzlies
usually play at night.

Miller is here for one reason: "I'm a baseball fan," he said.

Though he's unfamiliar with many of the players, and the quality of
play varies, Miller was here for The Game.

"It's a lot more affordable than the Cardinals games," said Miller,
an aircraft mechanic, who also frequents Busch Stadium. "You have a
hometown atmosphere. A lot of the players are local people."

The Grizzlies belong to the independent Frontier League. The players
are young - 27 tops. Most don't quit their day jobs - this pays only
$600 to $1,200 a month. And only a very lucky few will ever play in
the big leagues.

"They're playing for the love of the game," said Miller. "They don't
make much money. They ride buses, and they eat at McDonald's."

Across the stadium, the Hosicks of Kinmundy, Ill., sat on lawn chairs
under the www.gatewaygrizzlies.com billboard behind centerfield. Jill
Hosick, 27, a youth coordinator for the First United Methodist Church
of Kinmundy, and her husband, Jeremy, 30, drove two hours to bring a
vanful of kids, including two of their own, to the game.

"It's Field of Dreams more than Major League paychecks," said Jeremy
Hosick, as the kids scrambled about.

At this stadium, every seat's a cheap seat, and there's not a bad one
in the 5,000-capacity house. Reserved tickets are $8, or bring your
own blanket or chair for $5. Cars get in free.

Love of baseball is suggested but not mandatory.

Katie Zelechowski, 6, of Glen Carbon and Audrey Foland, 7, of
Collinsville were dueling with pink and purple balloon swords custom-
made by Sunny the Clown.

"They're more into face painting and the playground," acknowledged
Audrey's dad, Mike Foland, sitting on a picnic table near left field.
They had reserved seats behind home plate but had spent little time
in them. Still, Foland was enjoying the game.

"It's got the atmosphere of the old parks," he said. "Real grass.
Real dirt. Real baseball."

There's always next time

Sometime after Izzy, the Grizzlies mascot, threw out the free T-
shirts and the jumbo dice roll at first base - but before the
cheeseburger-eating contest - the Grizzlies lost Game One 3-2, ending
their 11-game winning streak.

The hot tub - $165 for a party of 15 - was still empty, but the
birthday girl who rented it got warm wishes over the P.A. In the open-
air suites, private parties feasted on catered brats and barbecue,
Budweisers and beans.

In the grandstand, Collinsville Mayor Stan Schaeffer and some old
softball buddies were in the Joe DiMaggio Suite watching Game Two.

Schaeffer lamented the fact that Collinsville - just a few miles up I-
255 - lost its bid for this new stadium, built in 2002.

"I'm sick," he said, shaking his head over his beer. "Just sick."

Schaeffer is a big fan of Grizzlies baseball.

"What a great community event this is," he said. "It's so much fun.
It's a great event for the entire Metro-East and South St. Louis."

Sandy Warren of St. Louis was having a great day. That was her boy
down there - No. 17 - playing first base for the Grizzlies.

Phil Warren, 25, who played for Vianney High School and Southeast
Missouri State, joined the Grizzlies this year after a few seasons
with the Paints in Chillicothe, Ohio.

"It's awesome, just awesome," said Sandy Warren, who stands in
Section 109, though she is not superstitious, every time her son
comes to bat.

"We're very proud of him," added his dad, Phil Warren Sr., on his way
to get refreshments.

Just then, Phil Jr. popped a sky-high foul ball behind home plate. It
hit the rooftop above the Stan Musial Suite, rolled down the green
metal and into the hands of ... his dad who was waiting to buy frozen
custard. Ah, the stuff of legends.

Attendance this day was 2,458 - a fan guessed right and won free
Grizzlies tickets.

By 4 p.m., the clouds had grown meaner, the crowd was thinning and
the Grizzlies' losing streak was about to grow to two.

The P.A. interrupted with this important announcement:

"We'd like to take a moment and wish a happy birthday to Sauget
Police Officer Andy in the parking area."

They should have let him use the hot tub.

Reporter Mary Delach Leonard:
E-mail: mleonard@...