The St. Louis Cardinals are a storied franchise for a number of reasons. Very few organizations in baseball can rival the consistency with which they win games or the championship pedigree that they carry. Perhaps even fewer organizations can compare to the decades of ruthless support they've received from their fanbases. That has allowed this "small market" team to punch well above its weight class for over 100 years now, and a major reason why we've seen so many stars wear the Birds on the Bat.
Stan Musial. Rogers Hornsby. Bob Gibson. Lou Brock. Ted Simmons.