Why the Rivalry Between the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals Is the Best

What is often referred to as "The Best Rivalry In Sports" kicks off again this weekend as the defending World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals host the Chicago Cubs in St. Louis' home opener.

Some may argue that the Dodgers and Giants rivalry is better. Those two teams do share a great history that stretches from coast to coast. But it's also gotten too heated and even dangerous in recent years. Who can forget about Giants fan Brian Stow who was severely beaten in the parking lot at Dodger Stadium last year. For that reason alone, the Cardinals and Cubs rivalry gets the nod here. And that's tough to say, because I have a soft spot in my heart for that famous 1951 season and Bobby Thomson's walk-off home run against Ralph Branca and that famous radio call: "The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!"

And then there is the Red Sox and Yankees. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Buzz Bissinger, in his book, Three Nights in August, echoed my sentiments when he called that rivalry cash-driven and hype-fueled, saying, "The Red Sox and Yankees is a tabloid filled soap opera about money and ego and sound bites. But the Cubs and Cardinals are about geography and territorial rights."

And it's about Musial and Banks, Gibson and Jenkins, Santo and Shannon, Broglio and Brock, Dusty, LaRussa and Durocher, Caray and Buck and the Clydesdales and the Billy Goat.

So here we go. Here are five reasons why the Cubs in Cards is the best rivalry in Major League Baseball.

Uh One and Uh Two and Uh....

Baseball broadcasters share a special bond with the fans of the teams whose games they call. The late Harry Caray called games for the St. Louis Cardinals and then left after a fallout with ownership and eventually went on to a long and storied career calling games in Chicago for both the White Sox and Cubs.

Caray, who grew up in St. Louis, called Cardinal games on KMOX from 1945 until he was fired in 1969 by Cardinals owner August A. Busch Jr. Legend has it that Caray was dumped because he was having an affair with Busch Jr.'s daughter-in-law. Caray never confirmed or denied the story before he died in 1998.

Before working with the Cubs, where he became an icon on WGN, Caray went on to call the Oakland A's games for one year in 1970, where he worked for Charlie Finley. He then went to the White Sox, where he worked for Bill Veeck. He finally made his way to the Cubs in 1982, where he replaced fellow Hall of Fame announcer Jack Brickhouse.

St. Louis didn't exactly suffer when Caray left. Jack Buck, who had been Caray's partner, took over and went on to carve out a nice career of his own.

The Sandberg Game

Back before ESPN gained traction and there was a game on every night of the week, there used to be, at most, two nationally televised baseball games per week. On June 23, 1984, Cubs Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg had a game for the ages on one such broadcast of NBC's Game of the Week. 

In a game that is now known simply as "The Sandberg Game", Ryno hit two home runs, finished with five hits and drove in seven runs. The Cubs rallied from a deficit of 7-1 to beat the Cardinals, 12-11 in extra innings, at Wrigley Field. With Bob Costas as the television announcer, Sandberg homered in the bottom of the ninth and then the bottom of the 10th, tying the contest both times. The Cubs went on to win the division and make the postseason before losing a heart-breaking five-game series to the San Diego Padres. Sandberg went on to win the National League MVP. That Saturday afternoon performance served as the centerpiece of his season.

Chasing Maris

Back before we knew about HGH or ever heard the term PEDs, the Cardinals Mark McGwire and the Cubs Sammy Sosa engaged in one of the most dramatic home run chases in the sport's history.

McGwire and Sosa both left the yard with stunning regularity in the summer of 1998 as the duo tried to chase down Roger Maris's single-season home run record of 61. The gripping dual brought fans back to stadiums across the country and rekindled the popularity of a sport severely damaged by the work stoppage of 1994.

Big Mac ended up breaking Maris' record of 61 on Labor Day Night in St. Louis against the Cubs when he stroked a line drive homer into the left field corner. Sosa, who was playing right field for the Cubs, famously embraced McGwire during the ensuing stop in play to celebrate McGwire's milestone home run.

The Quest for a Ring

Another factor that makes the rivalry between the Cardinals and Cubs so compelling is that the Cardinals have had so much more success when it comes to winning rings. St. Louis can claim 11 World Series titles while the Cubs have won just two and haven't won one since 1908.

Despite the Cardinals superiority in world titles the two teams have been just about even in regular season matchups. The Cubs lead in the season series between the two teams compiling a record of 1,092-1,047 against their I-55 rivals.

Steal of the Century

Nothing can stir a rivalry like when one team robs another in a trade.

Exhibit one in that category is the deal that brought Lou Brock to the Cardinals. On June 15, 1964, the Cubs dealt Brock and pitchers Jack Spring and Paul Toth to St. Louis for pitchers Ernie Broglio, Bobby Shantz and outfielder Doug Clemens.

Brock went on to become a six-time All-Star, win two World Series, steal 888 bases in his career and earn a spot in Cooperstown. Broglio, who was the major piece the Cubs received, went on to go 7-19 in 33 more career starts and was out of baseball by 1966.