St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 20

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 1992 20A Baseball I -t-L i Ml 4 Vr 0 VI merits at Busch: Most of the outfield fence was brought In and lowered slightly to make It easier for players to hit home runs. Along the left- and right-field lines, the distance remains 330 feet. The power alleys were shortened to 375 feet from 383 feet; dead center field was reduced to 402 feet from 414 feet. The height of the wall was lowered to eight feet from 10 a feet.

The new wall made room for 256 bleacher seats (at $4 apiece) In two small sections. Overall, Busch will accommodate 56,627 (Including 1,500 standees) In 1992; that's an Increase of 400 from 1991. The new wall also will make fans perceive the stadium as more circular than In past years, Featherston said. The new wall has another benefit; The Cardinals and Civic Center can use a hollowed-out area Inside and beneath them for storage. (The doors are hidden behind the new protective four-inch rubber pad Installed on the walls.) The new AstroTurf surface and a new warning track.

Beneath the AstroTurf Is soft padding Intended to minimize hops and skips by batted balls. "Even though the fences are In a bit, we expect the number of ground rule doubles to decline," Featherston said. Many of the concession stands have been renovated, and some were expanded to reduce the amount of time fans must stand In line. The size of the gift shop was nearly doubled, and the Hall of Fame Museum has been renovated and refo-cused solely on baseball professional and amateur In St. Louis.

One room Is devoted to memorabilia from Stan Musial. On the refreshment front, the price of a 12-ounce cup of beer the smallest offered will be $2, a 10-cent Increase from last year. Small soft From page one scenes changes at the stadium. They range from freshly rewelded (perhaps for the first time since the stadium was built In 1966) and repainted foul poles to a new air- conditioning system for the Stadium Club to new plumbing for the bathrooms, Nor are fans likely to notice that all of the walkways have been steamed clean (and some coated with an antiskid surface), exposed pipes and wires dusted, all seats scrubbed, and epoxy Injected Into the roof all part of the stadium's annual maintenance. Civic Center the subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch Cos.

Inc. that runs the stadium, will not disclose how much It spends each year on maintenance and Improvements. But an AstroTurf baseball field costs several million dollars, and Civic Center officials do not challenge reports that bringing In the outfield wall also cost several million dollars. John Featherston, director of operations for Civic Center, pointed to these major changes and Improve- Bear Invades Household (01992, RautenNewi Service ST. JOHN'S, Newfoundland A 350-pound polar bear startled a sleeping family when the bear broke Into their living room early Thursday.

"I heard the glass breaking and ran out to the living room," said Jerome Kennedy, 37, a trawler worker who lives with his wife and their two children In the town of Trepassey. Kennedy hit the bear with a chair, he said, and chased the animal around the house for two or three minutes before the bear fled through the window. Elvis Jones of Civic Center giving the Cardinals' dugout a fresh Sam LeonePost-Dlspatoh coat of paint this week as the new baseball season draws near. York Yankees ($12.28) have the highest average ticket prices, while the Cleveland Indians ($7.70) and the Cincinnati Reds ($7.20) have the lowest. Skyboxes excluded, baseball's most expensive seats $18 are at Fenway Park in Boston and the new Oriole Park In Baltimore.

The least costly $2.75 are at the San Francisco Giants' Candlestick Park. 28 clubs Is $85.85. Team Marketing Report also estimates that the average Cardinals' ticket will cost $9.11, an Increase of 9.5 percent from last year's $8.32. The newsletter estimates that the average ticket among all 26 clubs will cost $9.41, an Increase of 7.78 percent from last year's $8.73. The Toronto Blue Jays (estimated average price: $12.90) and the New drinks, also 12 ounces, will remain $1.

Another stadium staple, the hot dog, will cost $1.40, an Increase of 10 cents. Escalating prices also have hit Civic Center's parking garages ($4.50, up from $4 in 1991) and the cap vendors ($10, up from $8). Team Marketing Report, a newsletter published in Chicago, estimated this week that a family of four would spend $78.54 to attend a Cardinals Jf --mmv it IMU mi Ill lllllll -mm. mmm 0H HjWRP If game. That is an Increase of 13.4 percent from last year's $69.28, when the Cards were the best bargain In baseball.

This year, the newsletter estimates that a family of four would spend less In Atlanta Cincinnati Cleveland Philadelphia ($77.81) and Seattle The family will spend the most In Toronto The average for all r-r STOCK SAVINGS ENTIRE LEARANCE WINTER DURING 0 0 MISSES' PETITES' WOMEN'S 'JUNIORS' SPORTSWEAR DRESSES SLEEPWEAR ROBES MEN'S YOUNG MEN'S BOYS' 8-20 0 CHILDREN'S 1 1 I 1 I Intermediate markdowns have been taken. Percentage savings indicated are taken from original prices. Regular and original prices are offering prices only and may or may not have resulted In SHOP TODAY 1 0 A.M.-9:30 P.M., DOWNTOWN 1 0 A.M.-6 P.M. sales. Advertised merchandise may be available at sale prices In upcoming sale events.

FAMOUS-BARR.