St. Louis Cardinals IQ

Book excerpt: St. Louis trailed Milwaukee by ten games in the NL Central on August 25, 2011, and even more discouraging was the 10.5 game deficit to Atlanta that the Cardinals faced in the Wild Card chase. That frustration was completely erased on September 29, however, as the Cardinals completed one of the greatest comebacks in history to make the postseason. It took a lot of help from a Braves team that lost 20 of its final 31 games, but the Cardinals did their part, winning 23 of 32 to close out the regular season and claim the Wild Card berth on the season's final day. But the fun was just starting for this club. The Phillies and the Brewers were expected to meet in the NLCS, but the Cardinals spoiled their postseason plans as well, knocking off the Phillies first, and then taking care of the Brewers in the NLCS to claim the pennant and set up a seven-game showdown with the Texas Rangers in the 2011 World Series. The drama of the 2011 season unfolded against the backdrop of Albert Pujols' looming free agency and an uncharacteristic slow start offensively for arguably the greatest player of his generation -- but when a fractured left forearm threatened to sideline the three-time MVP in late June for up to six weeks, Pujols demonstrated the tenacity and intense desire to win that come October would define this Cardinals team ... and he returned to the field after only two weeks. No wonder this team was down to it's final strike in consecutive innings in Game 6 of the World Series, with the season, hopes, and dreams of its fans all hanging in the balance, and somehow still prevailed. This second volume of Cardinals history and trivia from author Larry Underwood and Black Mesa Publishing is a tribute not only to the 2011 World Series Champion Cardinals, but to the many legends and heroes who's exploits on the field of play have made this organization one of the most respected and accomplished in professional sports. With eleven chapters of history and more than 225 brand new trivia questions, author Larry Underwood takes readers through every era of this beloved franchise -- from the American Association days to their first World Series appearance in 1926, the dominance of Stan Musial and the 1940s teams to the struggles of the 1950s, the resurgence of the club and the dominance of Bob Gibson in the 1960s and its fall back to mediocrity in the 1970s ... and then finally, the success of the Herzog and La Russa eras all the way to the story of 2011, when baseball gave its fans a season that will be written about for decades, and the Cardinals run at history was its greatest chapter.