Friday, Nov. 06, 2009

Winter Warm-Up tickets will be put on sale Nov. 27

Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch will host the event for the first time

ST. LOUIS -- Tickets to the 14th annual St. Louis Cardinals Winter Warm-Up will go on sale Nov. 27.

The Warm-Up will be Jan. 16-18 at the Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch. Times are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Jan. 16-17 and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Jan. 18.

The event was held at the Millennium Hotel the last 13 years.

Held in conjunction with the Warm-Up, the 52nd annual St. Louis Baseball Writers Dinner will be held Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. at the Millennium Hotel.

"The 2010 Winter Warm-Up promises to be better than ever," said Michael Hall, vice president for Cardinals Care and community relations. "We have really worked hard to improve the fan experience by streamlining the process for obtaining autograph tickets and by improving the layout of the event in the newly renovated Hyatt Regency.

"I want to thank the Millennium for being a wonderful partner over the years as they helped the Warm-Up prosper and grow."

Hall is a graduate of Belleville West High School.

Admission passes will be available:

* Via the Internet at www.stlcardinals.com/winterwarmup.

* At the Cardinals Clubhouse Stores at Union Station, The Galleria, St. Louis Mills, St. Clair Square, South County Mall and Mid Rivers Mall.

* By phone at (314) 345-9000 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week.

* Monday through Friday at the Busch Stadium administrative offices at 700 Clark Street from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (starting Nov. 30).

The prices for admission passes, which are valid for all three days of the Warm-Up, will remain the same as the last few years -- $40 for fans age 16 and over, $10 for children age 5 to 15. Kids under 5 are admitted free of charge.

Members of the military, police and fire departments with an active identification card will receive one free adult pass which must be obtained in person at the Busch Stadium administrative offices.

The most popular attractions of the Warm-Up will return for 2010, including autograph sessions, clinics on baseball techniques and strategy, live and silent auctions, interactive games and a sports card and memorabilia show.

Question-and-answer sessions with players, team owners, scouts, broadcasters and other baseball officials and personalities also will take place throughout the weekend.

Many players' autographs are free with the admission pass, while others require an autograph ticket available through a specific additional donation.

All autograph tickets will be sold online beginning Jan. 9 through Jan. 13.

Unlike in past years, there will be no "Early Bird" pre-sale at the hotel. All sales will take place on the team's Web site.

Check the Cardinals Web site (www.stlcardinals.com/winterwarmup) in January for details, including player autograph dates, times, and, if required, additional donation amounts. Any autograph tickets not sold online will be available at the Warm-Up.

By obtaining autograph tickets in advance, fans can arrive at the Warm-Up at a time of their convenience, knowing in advance which players they will meet and avoid potential long lines for autograph tickets at the event.

Every dollar donated for autograph tickets and all proceeds from the Winter Warm-Up benefit Cardinals Care, the team's community foundation that cares for kids.

Thanks in large part to fan and sponsor support of the Warm-Up, Cardinals Care has distributed more than $14 million to area children's organizations since its inception in 1997. More detailed information about the Warm-Up is available at www.stlcardinals.com/winterwarmup.

The annual St. Louis Baseball Writers Dinner will culminate the weekend and will take place at the Millennium Hotel on Jan. 18. For tickets to the dinner, call (314) 229-3040.