It’s the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox meeting in the 109th World Series, beginning tomorrow night. Game 2 is at Boston on Thursday. Games three through five will be at the St. Louis Cardinals, with the series finishing back up in New England, if necessary.
It’s also the World Series of the two most polarizing fanbases in all of MLB. These are two extremely passionate groups of fans, some would say even irrationally so.
“Two of the originals, two cities with a century worth of history, two cities that are absolutely in love with their baseball team, it’s religion, it’s a way of life,” Curt Schilling said.
Schilling, an ESPN baseball analyst, was on media conference call today to preview the World Series. He was joined by cohort John Kruk.
“There’s always a team to root against in the World Series, I assume if you’re not from New England you’re rooting against the Red Sox,” Schilling said.
I agree, people in this country, especially New York, hate the Red Sox. But of course, this website is headquartered in Chicago; in a part of Chicago near the heart of Cubs territory. So I know all too well about the hatred people have for the St. Louis Cardinals, and the St. Louis Cardinals fans. The one Cards home game I went to, almost a decade ago, when they were playing the Reds, I wore a Chicago Cubs shirt.
I knew it would provoke them, and I was asking for it. However, it was much worse than I anticipated, and I regret the decision, as the Cardinals fan meat-headedness and hatred of the city of Chicago was more than I was willing to deal with.
If you want to see the worst of St. Louis Cardinals fans, in a hilarious manner, check out this Twitter account.
SportsCenter will be live from the Baseball Tonight set, which will be on location in both cities during the series, with Kruk and Schilling throughout the series.
“Boston was an experience like nothing else,” Schilling said.
“I never played in St. Louis, but it was the one city when I retired I wish I had been able to play in. Going there, I enjoyed it. They’re such amazing fans. They turn out. They’re smart. They’re respectful. A lot fewer four-letter words coming from the stands. They don’t like you, but they don’t voice it as adamantly as people in other cities. I always enjoyed playing there.”
The St. Louis Cardinals have the second most World Series titles (11) behind the New York Yankees 27. They just won it all in 2011; and 2006. Maybe you were actually alive when the St. Louis Cardinals won it all in 1982 as well. Viva Darrell Porter! Who crushed the hopes and dreams of the lowly Milwaukee Brewers. Pecota ran the numbers for this Fall Classic, and they found that the St. Louis Cardinals to be the favorites.
The St. Louis Cardinals have the most National League pennants in history (19) taking the flag but losing the Series recently in 2004, 1987 and 1985. Viva Jack Clark and John Tudor!
John Kruk on the St. Louis Cardinals fan base:
“St. Louis is a place, looking back, you wish you had at least one year there. Loved Philadelphia, the passion of those fans. Similar to what Boston brings as far as fan base. St. Louis, though, the nuances of the game they get, they understand. Moving a runner, hitting a ground ball right side, they appreciate that. They also appreciate good play by the opponent. They’re not happy with it, but they appreciate it. That’s why I think they’re in a class by themselves as far as what you would picture as the perfect fan base to be. ”
Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. He’s also a regular analyst on news talk radio stations across the world; with weekly segments on NBC and Fox Sports Radio. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks) and RSS