Nathan Papes/News-Leader
John Bearden arrived at the main gate at Hammons Field at 8:40 a.m.
His friend Ted Bourbon showed up a little later to drop off his lawn chair. Bourbon returned to occupy the lawn chair as the two season ticket holders waited for the gates to open at 3 p.m.
“I guarded the chair,” Bearden quipped.
The two wanted to be first in line for a Friday night exhibition game between the Double-A Springfield Cardinals and their Major League parent club, the 11-time World Series champion St.