Cubs-Cardinals turf war (continued)
Rogers Photo Archive/Getty ImagesNo doubt the rivalry was on the minds of Frankie Frisch and Gabby Hartnett in the 1930s.Like a noted baseball rivalry rooted in the Northeast, this one pits an iconic national franchise against a perennial contender located in one of the game's most passionate markets. But if the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry is all about urban angst, this rivalry is enveloped in Midwestern propriety.
"It's a great rivalry," Johnstone said, "but there is no animosity. It's not like other rivalries I've been a part of … like the Dodgers-Giants or Yankees-Red Sox, where there is real hatred."
Hudler agreed.
"Everybody in the stands always has a smile on their face," he said. "I used to get ragged on by the crowd at Wrigley Field, but it was a friendly kind of ragging. It's not like an Oakland Raider crowd. I enjoyed interacting with the fans at Wrigley -- even when they were giving me a hard time -- because they had so much fun with it."
As much as the rivalry is fueled by geography, personalities have always played an important part in the series, particularly when they switch allegiances. Dennis Eckersley, Lee Smith and Jim Edmonds are among the high-profile players who have played for both teams.
The most significant uniform change came in June 1964, when the Cubs sent outfielder Lou Brock to the Cardinals in exchange for pitcher Ernie Broglio. The deal turned out to be an unqualified steal for St. Louis, paying immediate dividends as Brock hit .348 while stealing 33 bases in 103 games. The Cards went on to win the '64 National League pennant -- passing the Cubs along the way -- then took the World Series.
Broglio never made an impact in Chicago, winning just seven games for the Cubs. By 1967 he was out of baseball altogether while Brock was on his way to the Hall of Fame. Brock finished his career with a then-record 938 stolen bases while hitting .293 and helping the Cardinals to again reach the World Series in 1967, which they won, and 1968.
Crossing enemy lines reached a zenith -- and the press box -- when longtime Cardinals' broadcaster Harry Caray took up with the Cubs in 1981. Caray began his career in St. Louis, working alongside Cardinals Hall of Fame voice Jack Buck from 1954 to 1969. Caray would go on to call games in Oakland and for the White Sox before landing with the Cubs. En route to the broadcasters' wing of the Hall of Fame, Caray and Buck gave the rivalry two indelible voices.
But nobody in the history of the series made more noise than Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa.
In 1998 the two sluggers played their own version of the Home Run Derby in a duel where the participants seemed to embody the characteristics of their respective cities: McGwire was stoic and plain-spoken; Sosa vibrant and fun.
In one memorable late-season matchup, McGwire shattered Roger Maris's single season home run record when he belted his 62nd big fly of the season off the Cubs' Steve Trachsel. Fittingly, Sosa was one of the first people to congratulate him.
They say rivals have a way of bringing out the best in each other, and the Cubs-Cardinals conflict is no exception. The Cubs lead the all-time series by a meager 65 games, 1,149 to 1,085.
When it comes to winning World Series titles, however, this matchup is no match at all.
The Cardinals have those 10 championship banners flying over Busch Stadium, second only to the Yankees' 26 titles. At Wrigley Field, however, the only flag fans have seen lately is the one that flies after each game, with either a block letter "L" for loss or "W" for win.
No matter.
"The thing I love about the rivalry is that it doesn't seem to matter what the stakes are," said Cubs broadcaster Kasper. "It's always a great event with much anticipation when the two teams meet up."
And when they meet, regardless of who holds the deed, this remains a rivalry where the object is to plant your flag in the other guy's soil.
Doug Ward is a southern California-based freelance writer.
