Cardinal Nation

All of the great moments, the great performances, the great players in the history of St. Louis Cardinals baseball history comes together in this special commemorative book from The Sporting News.

From the Gashouse Gang to Big Mac, from Sportsman's Park to Busch Stadium, from Harry Caray to Jack Buck, Cardinal Nation celebrates everything that makes the Cardinals a special franchise. Includes a special foreword Mr. Cardinal himself, Stan Musial.

It's called Cardinal Nation, a region that encompasses Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Indiana, Tennessee and Kentucky. Its epicenter lies smack dab on the diamond at Busch Stadium.

Attracted for decades by the radio voices of Harry Caray and Jack Buck, men and women and boys and girls come to St. Louis with one thing on their minds: baseball.

Folks come from throughout Cardinal Nation, most adorned in red and many wearing jerseys with the names and numbers of their old Cardinal heroes: Musial, McGwire, McGee, Gibson, Brock. They also descend on St. Louis in apparel that reflects their new favorites: Pujols, Drew, Edmonds.

They come with stories of watching the Cardinals play at Sportsman's Park. They come with vivid memories of World Series games they've witnessed, historical performances they've seen.

They come because it is a pilgrimage--to the best baseball city in America. Cardinal Nation stretches beyond these borders, though. Take in a Cardinals game at Shea Stadium or Dodger Stadium and you'll see them: Cardinal Nation members proudly declaring their loyalty among the opposition. They know this is a special team, a special franchise.

Cardinal Nation is much more than a place­­it's a state of mind, too. It's about cheering on today's heroes in red--but never forgetting about the stars of yesteryear.

Cardinals baseball is about legendary players, storied moments and unforgettable favorites. It's about championships, and it's also about loyalty, win or lose. Most of all, it's about tradition--about doing things the right way.

Join The Sporting News as we bring you Cardinal Nation, an illustrated history of the team like none before it. Join us as we honor The Wizard, the Cardinals' Ozzie Smith, a 2002 inductee into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Join us as we honor one of the favorite Cardinals teams of all time, the championship team of 1982. Join us as we pay tribute to the career of a Cardinal who thrilled fans with his remarkable feats, Mark McGwire.

And if you're not a Cardinals fan, these pages just might make you yearn for residency in baseball's No. 1 enclave. Cardinal Nation.