Ferkovich: When the St. Louis Cardinals considered moving to Detroit

From SABR member Scott Ferkovich at the Detroit Athletic Co. on May 15, 2014:

In 1934, the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Detroit Tigers in an exciting seven-game World Series. They were known as the Gashouse Gang, a scrappy, hustling team of colorful characters led by Dizzy Dean, Frankie Frisch, Leo Durocher, Pepper Martin, and Joe Medwick, who captivated the imagination of Depression-Era America.

Did they almost become the Detroit Cardinals?

In a long-lost footnote in baseball history, the St. Louis Cardinals, with all their star power, actually flirted very briefly with the idea of picking up stakes and heading north to Detroit. While the whole scenario may have been nothing more than an offhand idea in an owner’s head, the possibility was there. Had that possibility turned into reality, the entire sports landscape of Detroit would have been radically altered.

It seems fantastical, doesn’t it? With 80 years of hindsight, it is easy to dismiss the whole idea as ridiculous. But the circumstances at the time argue that the idea isn’t as far-fetched as it may seem today.

Read the full article here: http://blog.detroitathletic.com/2014/05/15/cardinals-briefly-toyed-notion-leaving-st-louis-relocating-detroit/



Originally published: May 19, 2014. Last Updated: May 19, 2014.