Over the course of the next month, we'll venture through the history of each of the 30 Major League Baseball franchises, discussing some of the best and worst moments, players, teams, etc. It's more a fun snapshot for discussion purposes than a be-all, end-all declaration. We continue today with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Best team: 1942
The '42 Cards went 106-48 and posted the highest winning percentage in franchise history (not counting the team's days in the fledgling American Association). I see no reason to depart from the numbers. It should be noted that despite that robust .688 winning percentage, the Cardinals spent "just" 16 days in first place. That's because the Brooklyn Dodgers won 104 games of their own. So not only did the Cardinals win 106 games that year (and lead the league in runs scored and fewest runs allowed), but they also fended off a colossus en route to the pennant. In the World Series, they toppled the Yankees in five games.
The lineup featured a pair of Hall of Famers in Stan Musial (then just 21 years of age) and Enos Slaughter (Slaughter led the team in home runs, with a modest tally of 13). Up the middle, shortstop Marty Marion and center fielder Terry Moore provided stellar defense. On the pitching front, Mort Cooper (1.78 ERA, 278 2/3 IP) twirled his way to the NL MVP award. Backing him up was Johnny Beazley (21-6, 2.13 ERA). The Cardinals that season used nine starting pitchers in all, and the worst ERA of the lot was Lon Warneke's 3.29 mark.
Of note: The Cardinals would go on to win 105 games in 1943 and 1944.
Worst team: 1908 Cardinals
The Cardinals of course stand as one of baseball's most successful franchises, but they were anything but for much of their early history. They had some high points peppered in among the losing under early owners Chris Von der Ahe and then the Robison brothers. However, it wasn't until James C. Jones bought the club in 1917 and brought Branch Rickey on board as the lead operator that the Cards began their methodical rise to the top.
In any event, the 1908 squad finished 49-105, and given that they were out-scored by their opponents by 254 runs, they were lucky their record wasn't even worse. Oh, they also finished a tidy 50 games behind the first-place Cubs. Half the lineup regulars batted worse than .215, and in a related matter they were shut out 33 times on the year. "Ace" Bugs Raymond managed to lose 25 games despite an ERA of 2.03 (116 ERA+).
Best player: Stan Musial
This, obviously, is beyond dispute. Musial stands as an inner-circle all-time great, and his Baseball-Reference page may be described as "a tangled thicket of brilliance." We could describe Musial's superlative career using any number of statistics -- the beautifully and precisely equal number of hits at home and on the road, for instance; or the 1,377 extra-base hits; or the three MVPs and four MVP runner-up finishes. Instead, we'll go with this: Musial batted .305/.387/.506 ... after the age of 35.
Oh, and he also cut a pretty legendary statue ...
Biggest right-handed home run
It's Game 6 of the 2011 World Series. Take it away, David Freese ...
Biggest left-handed home run
It's Game 5 of the 1985 NLCS. Take it away, Ozzie Smith ...
Rather famously, that was the first left-handed home run of the switch-hitting Smith's Hall of Fame career.
Best bat-flip
Tom Lawless, natch ...
(HT to @craigjedwards for recommending this category)
Best trade
There are lots of candidates for this designation -- over the years, the Cardinals landed such premium talents as Mark McGwire, Jim Edmonds, Adam Wainwright, Ozzie Smith, Scott Rolen, Willie McGee and Curt Flood in generally one-sided deals. However, we'll go with the obvious candidate ...
On June 15, 1964, the Cardinals sent pitchers Ernie Broglio and Bobby Shantz and outfielder Paul Clemens to the Cubs in exchange for pitchers Paul Toth and Jack Spring and outfielder ... Lou Brock. Brock's somewhat overrated in most quarters (he was a sub-par fielder and lacked power by the standards of corner outfielders), but he's, you know, a Hall of Famer. There's no questioning the ridiculously lopsided nature of this swap.
Worst trade
A contract dispute provided the Cardinals with the fated rationale they needed to, on Feb. 25, 1972, send 26-year-old lefty Steve Carlton to the Phillies in exchange for 25-year-old right-hander Rick Wise. Over the balance of their careers, Carlton would win 252 games to Wise's 113. It's not that Wise was bad, necessarily, it's just that Carlton would wind up as an all-time great.
Best uniformsThe "birds on the bat" logo is one of the most iconic in all of sports, so there's much to choose from in this particular category. I'll go with the 1946 ensemble ...
(Image: Dressed to the Nines)
OK, the hats aren't red, which will make this a dubious choice in the minds of some, but everything else is as it should be. The stirrups are outstanding, as is the piping on the uniform top. And, yes, I prefer these hats to the more modern iterations.
Worst uniforms
Approach the bench, 1976 Cards ...
(Image: Dressed to the Nines)
Hmm. Pullover jerseys, the implication of polyester, powder blue and a road hat design that is acceptable only in black and gold and atop the head of a Pirate? Away with you.
Best quote: Rogers Hornsby
"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring."
Perhaps Hornsby didn't utter these sacred words while under the Cardinals' aegis, but the best right-handed hitter in baseball history was a Cards signee and spent the majority of his career in St. Louis. So credit for the greatest quote in the annals of great quotes goes to the Redbirds.
Up Next: On Thursday, we'll look at the best and worst moments for the Cincinnati Reds.
