2008 St. Louis Cardinals

Though the St. Louis Cardinals finished the 2007 season in 3rd place in the National League Central, failing to make the playoffs, that has only increased their determination for a winning season in 2008. Owner William DeWitt, Jr. wasted no time shaking things up, replacing GM Walt Jocketty with John Mozeliak and adding Matt Clement, Troy Glaus, Cesar Izturis and Jason LaRue to the roster. Last year, the Cardinals set an all time attendance record, so it’s a safe bet that tickets to Busch Stadium will be hard to find. Get yours now and help the St. Louis Cardinals make it back to the World Series in 2008!

The Legend Begins

The St. Louis Cardinals franchise is arguably the most successful franchise in National League History. Having been founded in 1892 and adopted the Cardinals name in 1900 the team has won 9 Championships, most in National League History, with the most recent coming in 2006.

The Cardinals saw 36 members of the Hall of Fame suit up for them throughout their history. Four of the most prominent include Stan Musial, Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, and Ozzie Smith. Musial, a Cardinal his entire career, retired with the most hits in National League History. Gibson was a dominating and fierce competitor on the pitching mound who set several World Series records in the late 60’s. Lou Brock was one of the most feared baserunners of his time, finishing his career as both the season and career record holder for stolen bases along with over 3000 hits. Ozzie Smith, known as the Wizard of Oz, energized Cardinals fans for almost 2 decades as their acrobatic shortstop, and the best the game had ever seen.

The Cardinals Today

The Cardinals currently reside in the National League Central where their rivals include the Houston Astros, Cincinnati Reds, and their biggest rival, the Chicago Cubs. The Cards are managed by Tony LaRussa who leads all current managers in career wins with almost 2400. Regarded by his peers as one of the best Managers in the game, LaRussa has won 2 World Series and 4 Manager of the Year awards.

A New Stadium

After 40 years of playing in the original multipurpose Busch Stadium, the Cardinals moved into the new baseball-only Busch Stadium in 2006. The St. Louis fans are among the best in baseball and the Cardinals routinely draw 3 million fans a year. The new stadium is state of the art and will surely continue to draw people through the turnstiles.