Celebrity Autographs And Celebrity Addresses

Fans get a thrill out of meeting their heroes

No tickets remain for rest of event

BY SCOTT WUERZ

swuerz@bnd.com


ST. LOUIS - There may be snow on the field at Busch Stadium, but the first signs of spring can be seen just a block away.

The annual Cardinals Care Winter Warm-Up is the first chance of the new year for thousands of St. Louis baseball fans to get back in the swing of things after a long, cold winter.

"This is my third year of coming here," said Laura McCune of Edwardsville. "I think it's great that you can come see the players up close. Where else can you do that?"

McCune said that she planned to spend $500-$1,000 on autographs and baseball memorabilia during the three-day baseball lovefest that features autograph sessions and question-and-answer periods with current and former big leaguers.

"Some people may think that's crazy," McCune said, "but I think it is absolutely worth it."

Apparently a few thousand other people agreed. For the first time in the event's nine-year history, the Winter Warm-Up sold out.

The event opened at 9 a.m. Saturday and runs through Monday. But by 10:30 a.m. on the first day, all the tickets were gone.

"The Winter Warm-Up is sold out," said a sign just inside the front door of the Millennium Hotel where the festival is being held. "Unfortunately, no more admission passes will be available all weekend."

Cardinals officials said they thought they would have a big turnout after a banner 2004 season, but no one expected the tickets to go so fast.

"We expected to have a great year after the team went to the World Series last season, but to sell out the event is fantastic," said Cardinals vice president Tim Hanser.

Steve Tremain, who is stationed at Scott Air Force Base, said his 9-year-old son, Britton, talked him into coming to the warm-up.

"He wanted to get some autographs, so I brought him," Tremain said. "We stayed overnight at the hotel, and people were waiting in line at 11:30 Friday night for autograph tickets. Fortunately, we were able to get tickets for Andy Benes, Chris Carpenter, David Eckstein, Jason Isringhausen and Jeff Suppan."

If you already have a pass for the event, the Winter Warm-Up will be open from 9 a.m-5 p.m. today and Monday.