By Rick Grantham
Being the second largest city in Missouri, St. Louis definitely has a lot to offer. Its influences made it one of the most sophisticated cities in the nation. Several historical events took place in the city. It includes the Olympic Games in 1904. This is the first time that the game took place in the US. During the same year, they also hosted the World's fair.
The name of the city derived from the King Louis IX, the King of France from 1226 until his death in 1270.
Aside from a rich history and elegant gardens, St. Louis also takes pride in their baseball team, the St. Louis Cardinals. They are professional team under the National League in the MLB. The history of the Cardinals is as rich as the city. They have also brought pride to the city in countless occasions.
The team started in the 1880s. They carried the name St. Louis Brown Stockings as a member of the American Association. Ten years after their foundation in the AA, they followed the initiative of most teams and moved to the National League in 1892. When the century changed, they also adopted a new name and opted for the Cardinals.
Before moving to the National League, the team dominated the American Association. They won four successive American Association titles in 1885, 1886, 1887, and 1888. They also competed in the early version of the World Series, gave birth to a rivalry with the Chicago Cubs that will last up to this date.
It was difficult to leave their success in the American Association. In fact, when they moved to the National League, they did not have much success for the first few years. It took the team three decades before they could be back on their feet.
A major turnaround took place in 1920 when Branch Rickey managed the team. He invested in looking for new talents that will become the future of the team. This paid off because in the ensuing years, the Cardinals would be one of the dominant teams in the league. They dramatically won their very first World Series under as National League team in 1926. They defeated the very strong New York Yankees in seven games.
This marked the beginning of the success of the team in the league. They earned seventeen National League pennants since 1926.
They ranked second to the New York Yankees in the most number of World Series won. They earned the title ten times. They earned it in the following years: 1926, 1931, 1934, 1942, 1944, 1946, 1964, 1967, 1982, and the latest was in 2006.
The team also demonstrated their strength in recent years. However, they often fall short after making impressive number of won games. One heartbreaking loss took place in 2004. After defeating strong teams to battle it out in the World Series, the St. Louis Cardinals would fall in the mercy the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox defeated them after a sweep. It was their first World Series after 86 years.
However, the Cardinals would come out strong in 2006 where they took home the World Series after defeating a strong team, the Detroit Tigers.
Rick Grantham is an expert on sports equipment, specially on St Louis Cardinals Merchandise for more information on Major League Baseball Team Stores, visit BooYah Village.
Source:www.isnare.com |
