Meet the Cardinals B aseball is the same game no matter where it is played Or is it OOrr iiss iitt The truth is that every region of the country and of the he world puts its own spin on baseball In the Midwest it’s all about paying attention to the details Some say that’s old fashioned Fans of the St Louis Cardinals disagree When the Cardinals take the field they know the people in the stands will be watching them closely The players draw cheers for making the ordinary plays as well as the flashy ones Players who lose their focus and make errors also hear it from the fans It’s kind of like playing in front of family and friends This book tells the story of the Cardinals They put a lot of lot of time and effort into understanding the basics of baseball In turn the Cards have rewarded their fans with 11 championships St Louis fans return the favor by rooting for their team with all their heart Adam Wainwright greets his teammates after the final out of their 2006 championship 5
Glory Days I n the 1800s St Louis Missouri was called the Gateway to the West For many travelers the city was a welcome stop on their way to America’s untamed wilderness A lot of baseball talent made its way to St Louis starting in the 1870s A team called the Browns played there from 1882 to 1891 They were champions of the American Association AA four times In 1892 Browns owner Chris von der Ahe decided to move his team to the National League NL A few years later von der Ahe sold the team The new owners changed the color of the players socks from brown to cardinal red Some called the team the Perfectoes but soon they became known as the Cardinals No matter what the name the team struggled to win Despite having famous players such as Cy Young Kid Nichols Roger Connor Jake Beckley and Jesse Burkett St Louis did not finish higher than third place for 34 years 6
LEFT Chris von der Ahe RIGHT This trading card celebrates Rogers Hornsby’s record-setting 424 batting average in 1924 The Cardinals finally put together a good team in the 1920s Their star was second baseman Rogers Hornsby He was a powerful hitter who won the batting championship six years in a row Hornsby was the player-manager in 1926 when St Louis won its first championship Over the next 20 years the Cardinals won the pennant nine times The team’s hitting stars included Joe Medwick Frankie Frisch Jim Bottomley Chick Hafey Pepper Martin Johnny Mize Stan Musial Marty Marion and Enos Slaughter The Cardinals top pitchers were Jesse Haines Flint Rhem Bill Sherdel and Grover Cleveland Alexander Their most colorful players were the Dean brothers Jay and Paul better known as Dizzy and Daffy After struggling in the 1950s the Cardinals rose to the top of the NL again Led by pitcher Bob Gibson catcher Tim McCarver and outfielders Curt Flood and Lou Brock St Louis won three pennants from 1964 to 1968 The Cardinals won three more pennants during the 1980s By then St Louis was known for its great speed 7
