The baseball season sadly ends for those of us enthralled with the sport. Fortunately, the playoffs begin and fans are treated to another two weeks or so of exciting play.
Many fans avidly follow particular teams throughout the season and during the playoffs. The Chicago Cubs have a huge fan base despite years of hapless play. The New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox also have large followings.
But the St. Louis Cardinals are one of the most popular teams in major league baseball. Year after year, the Redbirds, as they are called, provide some of the most compelling drama of any major league team. Why is this? Mark Stewart answers this question in an interesting account of the franchise entitled "The St. Louis Cardinals."
The story begins in the late 1800s when the team was originally named the St. Louis Browns. An early owner with the name of Chris von der Ahe changed the color of the players’ ‘sox’ from brown to red and then called them the Cardinals. For a number of years the Redbirds were cellar dwellers, but the early 1920s saw the rise of dominant St. Louis teams. Over a 20-year period, the Cardinals won the National League title nine times.
The greatest Cardinal player on these teams was Stan Musial. This left-handed slugger was such a good hitter that the Brooklyn Dodger fans just started calling him "Stan the Man." The team began to decline in the 1950s but fortunately rebounded in the 1960s. From 1964 through the 1980s, the Cards won six more National League titles.
The 1985 World Series became known as the Interstate 70 series because St. Louis played the Kansas City Royals. Kansas City prevailed in the 1985 World Series with the great George Brett leading the Royals to victory over the Cards. But St. Louis kept rebuilding their team decade after decade. Some of the teams were centered on base runners like Lou Brock or Vince Coleman. Both men stole more than 100 bases a year in some seasons. Talk about terrifying a pitcher!
Then in other years the Cardinals had great home run hitters on their teams. The greatest of these sluggers was Mark McGuire and his astounding blasts sometimes went all the way into the top deck of Busch Stadium. This section became known as "Big Mac Land." To this day the Cardinals continue to be one of the great teams in baseball, and their players and team are still terrific.
Mark Stewart gives the readers all kinds of fun and interesting information about the Redbirds. What great shortstop is known by the nickname of the "Wizard of Oz?" What famous St. Louis catcher has two brothers playing the same position in the major leagues? How many times did Albert Pujols win the Most Valuable Player Award? Who is the most famous manager in Cardinal history? And finally, what did David Freese do in the 2011 World Series to "ice" the victory for the Cardinals?
To find out the answers to these and many other delightful tidbits, go to the library and check out "The St. Louis Cardinals" by Mark Stewart.
This book is a blast to read. The pictures are excellent and the text abounds with details and stories about the Cardinals. The book will keep readers turning the pages. A "can’t miss" story for sports fans, take the time to read this book with your children and share your own baseball stories with them. Always remember it’s time to "Take Them Out to the Ballgame!" Have fun!
