Why are the called the Cardinals?
In 1899, the St. Louis Browns became the St. Louis Perfectos. That season, Willie McHale, a columnist for the St. Louis Republic reportedly heard a woman refer to the team’s red stockings as a “lovely shade of Cardinal”.
McHale included the nickname in his column and it was an instant hit among fans. The team officially changed its nickname in 1900.
Why am I excited to see their city?
Again, another city I hit on my road trip and whilst it is very much a blue collar town there are some awesome things to see in town.
The Budweiser Brewery is a lot of fun (especially the free samples), and you get to meet these famous guys! (oh wait that’s Dave and I with a wagon….)
As well as that sweet wagon, the St Louis Arch or Gateway to the West, is one of the coolest landmarks I’ve seen in person (just struggle to get a good photo with it).
What is a tradition at their ballpark?
Nothing beats a good rivalry, and the Cardinals have a HEATED rivalry with the capital of the Mid-West Chicago.
No matter how either team is going, these fans cannot stand each other, and on any given day you’ll find 100s of people who are wearing shirts about how much they hate the cubs over how much they love the Cardinals. Long may rivalries like this continue I say! (although the Cardinals fans have to deal with the historic Cubs win in the 2016 World Series)
<– A t-shirt a Cardinals fan might wear
Who is a famous fan?
Given the sustained success that the Cardinals have experienced, there is no shortage of famous fans to pick from.
Billy Bob Thorton, John Grisham and Chingy are all fans…
But how can we go past St Louis’ native and worldwide rap superstar, the one and only Nelly (cue the Nelly baseball related song “Batter Up”)
A fun/weird fact about the Cardinals?
Not weird, not fun, but more holy shit!
The Cardinals have won more than 9,300 games, 11 World Series Championships, 18 National League Pennants, 3 National League Eastern Division Titles, and 8 National League Central Division Titles!!
Thirty before 30 