The two pennant winners in 1926, the National League's Cardinals and the American League's Yankees, were a study in contrasts. The Yankees were heavily composed of ?rst- and second-generation Americans and based in New York, the epicenter of baseball; the Cardinals, on the other hand, were mostly a collection of farm boys playing at the western fringe of the major leagues. But both teams arrived battle-tested, as St. Louis had fought a long, close race with Cincinnati and New York had survived a dramatic late-season run by Cleveland. Their classic World Series meeting went seven games and produced one of the legendary pitcher-batter confrontations of baseball history.

Celebrate the 90th birthday of Stan "The Man" Musial with the Post-Dispatch's new book! "Stan Musial - Baseball's Perfect Knight" tells the story of Stan's childhood, and his quick rise to baseball history in St. Louis. Loaded with archival photos, this book is sure to win a coveted place on your bookshelf!

Finally, here is a biography of Stan Musial that is worthy of the player himself. The author, who grew up in Musial's hometown, has spent years researching the slugger's life and career. The result is a biography broad in scope and deep in analysis. Stan the Man details not only the personality and the accomplishments of the man but artfully examines Musial's life against the backdrop of the Great Depression (which the already-impoverished Musial family endured), race and integration, and the tragedy that struck his hometown of Donora, Pennsylvania, and claimed many lives, including ultimately his father's.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 142-148) and index.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [197]).

All fans want to see their team win a World Series in their lifetime. It's the most exultant experience any baseball fan can have. But being a Cardinals fan is about more than watching your team win the World Series. 100 Things Cardinals Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die will help fans of the Redbirds get the most out of being a fan. It takes 125 years of Cardinals history and distills it to the absolute best and most compelling, identifying in an informative, lively, and illuminating way the personalities, events, and facts every Cardinal fan should know without hesitation. Numbers with huge import, such as 10, .331, and 938, nicknames such as Dizzy and Ducky and Stan the Man, memorable moments, singular achievements, and signature calls all highlight the list of 100.

Thanks to a computer generation, it takes only a few keystrokes to compile a list of statistics verifying Albert Pujols' status as the game's best hitter.  Every fan old enough to punch out the space next to his name on the All-Star ballot can tell you that Pujols is the only player in baseball history to hit .300, hit 30 or more home runs and drive in 100 or more runs in his first eight seasons in the majors. One more statistic - Pujols does not turn 30 years old until next January.  Albert Pujols: Simply the Best offers a compelling portrait of this superstar's life and career.