2003 St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals franchise is one of the oldest and most storied teams in all of baseball. The Cardinals organization has been a member of the National League since 1892, formerly assuming the name "Cardinals" in 1900. The team has won a total of nine World Series Championships in its history, the last one coming in 1982.

There are 36 Hall of Fame "Cards" who played part, or all of their careers with the St. Louis Cardinals. Four of the most famous of these players are Stan Musial, Lou Brock, Bob Gibson, and Ozzie Smith. Musial was a lefty who could hit for power, but always had a high batting average, and he is known as one of the best hitters of all time. Brock was one of the speediest players in history, at one time having the all time stolen base record. Gibson was an overpowering and intimidating right-handed pitcher who is first in wins (251), complete games (255), shutouts (56), innings pitched (3,884.1) and strikeouts (3,117) in the Cardinals record book. Ozzie Smith is known as one of the best defensive shortstops of all time. The current team plays in the National League Central against such rivals as the Houston Astros, Cincinnati Reds, and their biggest rival, the Chicago Cubs.

The Cardinals are currently managed by former Oakland A's manager Tony La Russa. La Russa was a lawyer and is now regarded by his peers as one of the game's top managers. His honors include Manager of the Year recognition in four seasons, two N.L. Central Division titles, most recently in 2002, five A.L. Western Division titles, three A.L. pennants and one World Series Championship. The team is led by its solid number one starter, Matt Morris, and by its powerful offense. Cardinal's ticket holders are always treated to an offensive explosion, led by Edgar Renteria, Scott Rolen, Jim Edmonds, and Albert Pujols. Pujols has been an MVP candidate since he first entered the league in 2001. He has played 3rd base, 1st base and the outfield for the Cardinals, but no matter where he is playing defense, his offense is unparalleled among right-handed hitters in the National League.

Since 1966, Cardinals' ticket holders have been going to baseball games at Busch Stadium. Named for its owners, the Busch family, the stadium has been one of the best places to watch baseball since it opened. Recent improvements include the installation in 1997 of a hand-operated scoreboard flanked by flag decks commemorating the club's World Series Championships and retired numbers, the return in 1996 to a natural-grass playing surface, which replaced the artificial turf that had been in place since 1970, the opening in 1996 of the Family Pavilion, featuring a variety of games and attractions for families and children, and Homer's Landing, a picnic area located above the bullpen in left-center field, and the return of a more traditional "ballpark green" color scheme for the outfield fence and stadium trim. In 2006, the team will move into a new stadium.

St. Louis also is home to the 1999 Super Bowl champion St. Louis Rams. The Rams are led by their explosive offense, "the greatest show on turf", and play their home games in the Edward Jones Dome. The Blues of the NHL also call St. Louis home. They are led by defenseman Chris Pronger, and play their home games at the Savvis Center. The St. Louis Billikens play in Conference USA. Their best sport is basketball, which they play at SLU Arena.

The Cardinals and their offense should be a competitive force in the National League Central for years to come. They should remain competitive whether in Busch Stadium or in their new stadium.

Note: The St. Louis Cardinals are commonly affectionately referred to as the Cards by their fans.