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A few weeks ago I posited the question: What is the best Cardinals uniform ever?
Well friends, there is only one way to find out: Battle Royale.
So, to determine the best Cardinals uniform ever, I have, with your gracious assistance, created a bracket where each uniform will duke it out until we have a winner.
(Many of you have asked about the alternate jersey the Cardinals debuted in 2013. Don't worry, folks. I have a plan. Trust the system.)
Here is the bracket, updated to reflect the winner of last week’s matchup:
We have our first upset! It was a minor one, with the nine seed taking down the eight seed eighty-eight votes to sixty-five, but it is an upset all the same. This is why we play the games, folks.
This week the voting continues with...
This week is sure to be a heavy weight bout with two sentimental favorites up against each other. It is a retro classic versus a timeless classic, both lovely in their own way, and both representing the period of their inception perfectly.
To get to this point, the 1981 uniform handily took down the the 1903 uniform 353 votes to seventy. Voters clearly preferred the pullover with the gorgeous red and blue piping and the Birds on the Bat over the novelty of the blocked "St. L" lettering. There might also be some nostalgia for the 1981 uni, as the Cardinals experienced a wave of success in in this style, which seems to perfectly represent the Runnin’ Redbirds of the Whiteyball era that wore it.
Notable achievements:
- This season marked the 100th season of the Cardinals playing in St. Louis, Missouri
- Keith Hernandez won a Gold Glove
- The Cardinals finished the season at 59-43, the best record in the NL East, but missed the playoff due to strange rules with the strike that tallied the teams record separately for each half of the season
Though if success is what is desired, the 1969 uniform may be king of them all. This uniform was truly adopted around 1962 - when the players numbers began appearing on the front of the jersey - though with slight modifications to the birds on the bat over the years until the version we see above modeled by the lovely Steve Carlton. The Cardinals would essentially stick with this version to this day (with perhaps a much-maligned addition of "googly eyes"). The birds are a bit smaller than the present day’s version and these uniforms were wool, giving them a more rugged, durable look. The hat, of course, is the same iconic hat we know and love. Simplicity is key with jersey - it doesn’t try to do too much, there is no piping or gimmicks. It is the perfect combination of white space and design, which is why it is a classic uniform that has truly stood the test of time.
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Notable achievements:
- 1964 was the year the Cardinals acquired Lou Brock. The Cardinals would go on to face the Yankees in the World Series that year. Bob Gibson pitched three games of that series with thirty-one strikeouts across those games. He earned the MVP. His battery mate, Tim McCarver, also put up good numbers with a .478 series average with a double, triple, homer, and five RBI.
- The next two years belonged the Dodgers until 1967 when the Cardinals returned to the series, besting the Red Sox in seven games.
- The Cardinals repeated as National League Champions in 1968, but lost the series to the Tigers in seven games.
- 1969 was one of the final years in this uniform and the last year before AstroTurf was added to the stadium.
- Harry Caray was also fired in 1969, marking what truly was an end of an era.
- Bob Gibson and Curt Flood won Gold Gloves in 1969.
Vote below for the best!
St. Louis Cardinals Uniform and Team History | Heritage Uniforms and Jerseys
The Evolution of the St. Louis Cardinals Jersey
what else is going on in baseball...
- Jose Abreu homers for Sox fan, cancer patient | whitesox.com
- Ryon Healy crushed a 480-foot rainmaker that asserted its place in Statcast lore | MLB.com
- Hanley Ramirez, Red Sox stay hot, beat Yankees | MLB.com
- Kevin Kiermaier magically transformed Hyun Soo Kim's grand slam into a (very long) RBI single | MLB.com
- We are all this young fan catching a souvenir ball from Mike Trout | MLB.com
- Toronto slips in AL East after loss to Angels | MLB.com
- A Long-Needed Update on Reliability | FanGraphs Baseball
- Sunday Notes: Refsnyder’s Plan, Dozier’s Bananas, Santana, Hardy, Wainwright, more | FanGraphs Baseball
- The Best of FanGraphs: September 12-16, 2016 | FanGraphs Baseball
- The Year of the Struggling Rookie Pitcher | FanGraphs Baseball
- Addison Reed Has Become Andrew Miller-Lite | FanGraphs Baseball
- David Price ordered so many Jordan sneakers for his teammates, they came on two pallets | SBNation.com
- Someone made a custom ‘Fire Ned Yost’ Snapchat filter for the Royals stadium | SBNation.com
- Tim Tebow's professional baseball journey begins today | ESPN
- Cleveland Indians pitcher Trevor Bauer labels beat writer Paul Hoynes a "coward" | Let's Go Tribe
what the cardinals are up to...
- Cardinals come back in 9th to beat Giants | MLB.com
- The Cardinals score late again and salvage a 3-2 victory vs the Giants with another Oh save | Viva El Birdos
- Sunday Notes: Refsnyder’s Plan, Dozier’s Bananas, Santana, Hardy, Wainwright, more | FanGraphs Baseball
- Reyes shows poise beyond his years, keeps Cards in the race | St. Louis Cardinals | stltoday.com
- Cardinals @ Giants 9.18 recap - Reyes impressive as Cards pull one game closer to wildcard spot | Viva El Birdos
- St. Louis Cardinals move their high-stakes games to Coors Field | St Louis Cardinals | ESPN
- Cardinals notes: Oh shows no sign of rust after layoff | St. Louis Cardinals | stltoday.com
- Goold: Cardinals running behind in wild-card race, on bases | St. Louis Cardinals | stltoday.com
- The Cardinals Can't Go Through Another Season With a Weak Rotation | 101Sports.com
KNOW THINE ENEMY...
the colorado rockies
- Hochman: Unpredictable Coors Field is Cardinals' next challenge | Benjamin Hochman | stltoday.com
- Series preview: Cardinals at Rockies | St. Louis Cardinals | stltoday.com
- A Colorado Rockies Community | Purple Row
the san francisco giants
- Giants beat Cardinals to add to Wild Card lead | MLB.com
- Giants Buster Posey hits bloop single | sfgiants.com
- Aly Raisman got some tips from Johnny Cueto before her first pitch for the Giants | MLB.com
- I guess it’s time to write about another Santiago Casilla blown save because, hey, what else are you going to do, use someone else? | McCovey Chronicles
- Giants shut out again, nightmare 2nd half continues | SBNation.com
- Giants split series they should have won, lose ground to everyone in wild card race | McCovey Chronicles
the new york metropolitans
the nl central
- True to his word, Andrew McCutchen hit two homers after promising A.J. Burnett he would | MLB.com
- Pirates vs. Reds Wrapup | 09/17/16
- Cubs win NL Central for first time since 2008 | cubs.com
- A mustachioed hot dog vendor named Donny Franks had some fun at Wrigley Field | MLB.com
- Theo Epstein watched the Cubs game from the Wrigley Field bleachers while wearing a fake mustache | SBNation.com
- A velocity dip for Jake Arrieta doesn't have Joe Maddon concerned | Chicago Cubs Blog | ESPN
- Chicago Cubs regulars return to lineup -- along with some strikeouts | Chicago Cubs Blog | ESPN