Every St. Louis Cardinals fan has a bucket list of activities to take part in at some point in their lives. But even the most die-hard fans haven’t done everything there is to experience in and around St. Louis. From visiting Ballpark Village to learning how to do an Ozzie Smith backflip, author Dan O’Neill provides ideas, recommendations, and insider tips for must-see places and can't-miss activities near Busch Stadium. But not every experience requires a trip to St. Louis; long-distance Cardinals fans can cross some items off their list from the comfort of their own homes. Whether you're attending every home game or supporting the Cards from afar, there's something for every fan to do in The St. Louis Cardinals Fans' Bucket List . Dan O'Neill is a sportswriter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch . He lives in Oakville, Missouri. Adam Wainwright is a starting pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, a World Series champion, and a two-time Gold Glove Award-winner. He lives in St. Louis, Missouri, with his family. The St. Louis Cardinals Fans' Bucket List By Dan O'Neill Triumph Books LLC Copyright © 2016 Dan O'Neill All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-62937-197-9 Contents Foreword by Adam Wainwright, Introduction, Chapter 1. Things to Do, 2. Things to Read, 3. Places to Go, 4. Places to Eat, 5. Things to See, 6. Things to Know, 7. Things to Hear, 8. Things to Wear, Appendix, Acknowledgments, CHAPTER 1 Things to Do Throw Out the First Pitch at a Cardinals Game WHERE: The pitching mound, Busch Stadium, 700 Clark Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63102. Go to the Cardinals' website at http://stlouis .cardinals.mlb.com/stl/fan_forum/attpitch/index.jspb and enter a contest to be selected. WHEN: Before a Cardinals game WHAT TO DO: Throw a baseball 60'6" ... or less COST: If you're 50 Cent, Carl Lewis, Carly Rae Jepsen, or Mariah Carey ... public humiliation. But if you can throw a ball, nothing. BUCKET RANK: * * * At some point in their lives, just about everyone has wondered what it might be like to throw out the first pitch at a ballgame. Technically speaking, the Cardinals still have a "first pitch" before every home game. But they also have a second pitch, third pitch, fourth pitch ... a number of ceremonial pitches. The designated Cardinals player who has the duty of catching the "first pitch," usually an unheralded rookie, might wind up catching three2/3 ..." innings some nights. Okay, I'm exaggerating, but you get the point. In fact, stadium operations has come to officially reference the activity as throwing out a "ceremonial pitch" rather than a first pitch. This privilege used to be strictly reserved for politicians, Hollywood celebrities, distinguished alumni, those types. You may recall President Barack Obama throwing out the first pitch to Cardinals All-Star Albert Pujols before the 2009 All-Star Game at Busch Stadium III in St. Louis. The president wore a black Chicago White Sox jacket, which was genuine on his part, but not particularly popular with the sea of red that night. Five years earlier, President George W. Bush did it right. Bush wore a Cardinals-red jacket when he became the first to throw the presidential Opening Day pitch in St. Louis. He fired a strike to Cardinals catcher Mike Matheny and later told broadcaster Mike Shannon, "I've done a lot of exciting things since I've been the president, but standing out here in Busch Stadium is one of the exciting ones." Hail to the chief! The concept of the first pitch actually started when Prime Minister Okuma Shigenobu made a ceremonial toss before a Japanese League game in Koshien, Japan, in 1908. Two years later, U.S. President William Howard Taft started the tradition in America, celebrating Opening Day at Washington's Griffith Stadium in 1910. Since the Taft toss, every president has thrown a baseball as part of the fun at a major league park, be it at Opening Day, the All-Star Game, or the World Series. Warren Harding is generally considered one of the worst presidents in history. But he was a real baseball fan, so he had that going for him ... which was nice. Harding liked throwing out first pitches so much, he threw two of them in 1923 — one at Yankee Stadium and one at Griffith Stadium two days later. If he was first-pitching today, Harding would probably go on the disabled list after all of that, and eventually be a candidate for Tommy John surgery. To start, the ceremonial pitch ritual featured the honored guest tossing a ball to a player or coach from his seat in the stands. Some may recall Cardinals owner August A. "Gussie" Busch doing so from his owner's box beside the dugout on occasion. However, President Ronald Reagan altered the playing field when he insisted on making a ceremonial pitch from in front of the mound before a Baltimore Orioles game at Memorial Stadium in 1984. President Bill Clinton went a few steps farther in 1993, throwing a first pitch from the mound at Camden Yards. He was the firs