Cardinal Points

In every video replay of the game
till the end of time
Todd Worrell’s foot slaps first
And the Cards win the Series
They lost the next day.
—from “The Cardinals Win the 1985 World Series”

The St. Louis Cardinals, whom many called “America’s Team” in the early to mid 20th century, are a franchise with a winning past and a fan base that runs coast to coast. A handful of teams, perhaps, can say as much. The club’s importance is better shown in its all-time roster, one of the better maps to baseball lore: “Alexander” marks the spot where Lazzeri and the murderous Yankees were bowed, “Gibson” where the hitters gave up hope and at last sent the rules framers to bat for them, “McGwire” where the haughty Ruth was made to doff his cap.
This book is a collection of poems devoted to the Cardinals and their fans. It covers more than 100 years of Cardinal people and moments, including celebratory poems for the triumphant squads, detailed portraits—the book’s lush prints, as well as the poet’s interest in the visual arts, justifies the term—of standout players, and memorial pieces for some of the greats who have passed from the Cardinal Nation.

Joseph Stanton, a widely published poet and professor of arts and humanities for the University of Hawaii, Manoa, grew up in St. Louis.

Joseph Stanton
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 128
Bibliographic Info: 10 photos, indexes
Copyright Date: 2002
pISBN: 978-0-7864-1373-7
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments     vi
Preface: Cardinal Land     1

Prologue      5
The 1920s and 30s     9
The 1940s and 50s     27
The 1960s and 70s      45
The 1980s and 90s     79
The 2000s     97
Postgame Points     105
Index of Titles and First Lines     113
Index of People     117

“a number of excellent pieces evoke fond memories of the game…a delight”—Nine; “evokes the past with the power of carefully chosen words”—Sports Collectors Digest; “his collections reads as a good history of the team…delightful”—Aethlon; “a stunning tribute”—Journal of Popular Culture; “a joy to read”—Honolulu Weekly; “devoted to the Cardinals and their fans…covers more than 100 years of Cardinal history including such notable moments like Enos Slaughter’s furious dash for home, Grover Cleveland Alexander’s stand against Murders’ Row in the ’26 Series and many more classic Cardinal moments”—Bookshelf; “fun to read”—Spitball.