2009 St. Louis Cardinals

Even as we say “Congratulations” to the Los Angeles Dodgers, who beat the Cardinals 3 games to 0 to advance to the National League Championship Series in the 2009 MLB Playoffs, we want to say a big “Thank you” to the St. Louis Cardinals, winners of the NL Central Division, for the great season they had!

The St. Louis Cardinals had an uninspired 2008 season, finishing in 4th place in the NL Central, but if starting pitcher Chris Carpenter can stay healthy in 2009, the Cards have a real shot at the division title. Carpenter was out due to elbow problems for almost the entire 2008 season, but if he’s fully healed, he and Adam Wainwright have the potential to be the best 1-2 in the division. Combine them with arguably the best player in baseball, Albert Pujols, and promising young rookies Chris Perez and Jason Motte, and you’ve got a very exciting 2009 Cardinals season. As one of the most popular teams in the major league, tickets to Busch Stadium never last long. Don’t wait to get your 2009 St. Louis Cardinals tickets!

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.