Cincinnati Reds vs. St. Louis Cardinals Currently Best Rivalry in Baseball

The Cincinnati Reds completed a three-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals with Sunday's 9-7 win, going from a 1.5-game deficit to a 1.5-game lead in the National League Central.

There weren't any brawls, but that didn't mean the series was without controversy.

As soon as the final out was recorded, the Cardinals' bench screamed at Reds' closer Coco Cordero. Pitching coach Dave Duncan took offense to a ninth-inning Albert Pujols' hit by pitch. With the Reds clinging to a two-run lead, and Pujols dealing with a 0-2 count, it was clearly not intentional.

Gerald Laird and other Cards shouted at Cordero, and he fired right back.

This is just the latest example of how much these teams despise one another.

They were the two best teams in the NL Central last year and once again look like the top-two teams competing for the pennant as the Milwaukee Brewers struggle to keep up.

The rivalry really heated up when Reds' second baseman Brandon Phillips gave Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News this classic quote last August:

"

I’d play against these guys with one leg. We have to beat these guys. I hate the Cardinals. All they do is bitch and moan about everything, all of them, they’re little bitches, all of ‘em.

I really hate the Cardinals. Compared to the Cardinals, I love the Chicago Cubs. Let me make this clear: I hate the Cardinals.

"

Tell us how you really feel, Brandon.

His words sparked a huge brawl that ended with Jason LaRue getting a career-ending concussion, and multiple suspensions were handed out.

Phillips has been booed mercifully at Busch Stadium every at-bat since.

In addition to the heated exchange to end Sunday's game, starter Chris Carpenter complained that a poorly conditioned mound bothered him in the first inning. He also said the smoke from fireworks following a Ramon Hernandez home run effected him in the third inning.

Last year, the Cardinals accused the Reds of not rubbing down their balls enough.

The root of this rivalry can be directly pointed to the managers.

Tony La Russa and Dusty Baker flat out don't like each other. They have never made that a secret, and both teams feed off that energy.

Baker played for La Russa in the late stages of his career and was later snubbed by him for a assistant coach position only a few years later.

Aside from the ESPN-forced Boston Red Sox-New York Yankees rivalry, name me two teams that hate each other more than the Cards and the Reds.

Giants-Dodgers certainly don't like each other and violence among their fans sometimes get in the way, but both teams haven't been competing against one another in quite some time.

Phillies-Braves have been great so far this year, but they don't posses the pure hatred of the Reds-Cards.

With the two teams slated to meet nine more times this summer, stay tuned for more drama-filled baseball that features two of the NL's best teams battling it out for supremacy in the Central.