The Redbirds
St Louis Cardinals

Saint Louis certainly has plenty to offer besides the Gateway Arch, since, of all the cities in Missouri, it’s the second biggest. It’s one of the most discerning cities in the country because of its unique influences. Many incidents full of rich history happened here in St. Louis, including the World’s Fair and the 1904 Olympic Games.

Its name comes from the French ruler, King Louis IX.

Besides the beautiful castles and gardens and aforementioned history, the residents are proud of the St. Louis Cardinals. A part of the National League in the MLB, this professional baseball team carries its heritage as far as St Louis itself. https://www.finchmagician.com/magician-st-louis

In the late 19th century, the Redbirds were formed. First named the St Louis Brown Stockings, just a decade later in 1893, they changed their moniker from Brown Stockings to the Cardinals upon being honored to be placed in the National League.

The baseball team trounced the AA prior to being placed in the National League, winning five consecutive AA championships in 1884, 885, 1886, and 1887. In the embryonic World Series, the Cardinals competed against the Chicago Cubs, leading to bad blood between the two teams that continues to this day.

The Cardinals—or Brown Stockings—were a big fish in a small pond when they were in the (AA) American Association. Once they breached the National League, in the first years, it was evident that they were now in an ocean of competition, and for those years the Cardinals fared poorly. It would be 30 years before the Cardinals become a good team in the National League.

In 1919, when Branch Rickey took over the management of the Cardinals, the team turned over a new leaf. Rickey prioritized his energies in scouting for better players, and his efforts were compensated handsomely in the many forthcoming months, as the Redbirds transformed from a mediocre trout into one of the big league whales in the Delmar Loop. In 1926, the St Louis Cardinals won the World Series in a sensational way—in eight games, the team trounced the top team at the time—the New York Yankees: one of the most dramatic upsets in history.

From that moment, the laughter stopped. Residents of Missouri started wearing the Cardinals colors. They took pride in their team. After that first World Series win, the team would go on to win nineteen National League trophies, earning the World Series title eleven times, ranking them just below the 1st place record holder—the New York Yankees. The most recent win for the Redbirds was 2006.

In the 21st century, the Cardinals are still a serious contender in baseball, though more lackluster than those early years. In 2004, in the World Series (the first World Series for the Cardinals in 80+ years), after an easy streak of wins, the team suffered a terrible blow by the Red Sox, who beat them mercilessly.

The St. Louis team was discouraged but not disheartened; notwithstanding, they kept their chin up and kept plugging along. In 2006, after 90 years had passed since the team’s last World Series title, the Redbirds beat the Detroit Tigers, earning the St. Louis baseball team the World Series title and putting Saint Louis, Missouri back on the map.