Does Team History Matter In The World Series?
ST. LOUIS (CBSDFW.COM) - Texas Rangers fans are well aware that the team has never won a championship. But the St. Louis Cardinals have a World Series ring for each finger. Should Rangers fans be a bit worried about long history of the Cardinals?
After all, the Redbirds are a team that kids love, their fathers love, their grandfathers love, their great-grandfathers love… the team devotion has been passed through generations of St. Louis fans. The Rangers were founded in 1972, but Cardinals fans are proud of their much longer history – the team has been around since 1892.
Cardinals fans sometimes even wear their team's history on their sleeves, literally. A man outside of Busch Stadium in St. Louis on Tuesday was sporting a jacket that included the years for each of the team's 10 World Series wins. Patches running down each arm noted the years of the victories. "It ranges from '26 on down to '06," said fan Tom Sullivan.
Outside of the stadium, fans are not the only reminder about the team's history. A big sign at the center field gate displays the 10 years of Cardinals championships. And in left field, heroes from the past now loom in bronze, so that fans and players can actually touch the Cardinals greats from throughout history.
"I was at the early ones and watched Gibson pitch the seventh inning," recalled Sullivan, talking about two-time World Series Most Valuable Player Bob Gibson, from the 1960s. "It was exciting. Back then, I was little."
Whether it's Bob Gibson or Lou Brock, Cardinals memories in St. Louis are handed down through generations, back to the team's first championship. "The 1926 World Series. We have got the ticket stubs from that year," said Elizabeth Sullivan. Her great-grandmother was at a game, and the memorabilia has been passed down in the family.
Does all this history rattle Rangers fans?
"They've got a good team," said Nick Vivino, a Rangers fan walking proudly in the streets of St. Louis. "They've been around a long time, but it's our time. We're destined – second straight year. We've got the offense. We've got the pitching this year."
"It's a storied franchise, iconic franchise in baseball," said former Rangers president Tom Schieffer. But it's no secret where his loyalty rests. "It's great to have a chance to play the Cardinals. I think the Rangers got the better team, and I think they'll wind up the winners."
NOTE: After every World Series game, be sure to flip over to TXA 21 for a complete wrap-up, including CBS 11's Doug Dunbar, Joel Thomas and Bill Jones live from St. Louis.
