Baseball Magic and Mayhem in St. Louis

In 1926, the St. Louis Cardinals won their first championship after 38 years of frustration. Led by the mercurial trio of owner Sam Breadon, general manager Branch Rickey, and player-manager Rogers Hornsby, St. Louis claimed the National League pennant after a frenetic race and then toppled the mighty New York Yankees in a classic World Series showdown. This work provides a play-by-play of that dramatic season. At first, the young redbirds floundered, but two crucial acquisitions--veteran outfielder Billy Southworth and the legendary but alcohol-ravaged pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander, who was discarded by the Cubs--helped catapult the Cardinals to baseball's mountaintop. Within months, the fans' joy changed to shocked dismay as long-simmering tensions among the team's leaders led to the trade of Hornsby to the New York Giants. Despite this stunning development, the Cardinals were on the path to their eventual place as an illustrious franchise in major league baseball.