Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity. As such, we are very happy to present the pre-2021 update of our top 50 St. Louis Cardinals of all-time.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National League. 

3. Playoff accomplishments.

4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

There are two new additions, but neither are active players.  As always, we announce our top five immediately, but out full list can be found here.

1. Stan Musial

2. Albert Pujols

3. Rogers Hornsby

4. Bob Gibson

5. Ozzie Smith

There was some minor tinkering on the list due to the changing values from Baseball Reference.

Only one active Cardinal,Yadier Molina, moved up a spot to #13.

With the changes of Baseball Reference’s advanced stats, two Pitchers, Steve Carlton, and Slim Sallee replace Tim McCarver and Jesse Burkett respectively at #49 and #50.

We welcome your input and commentsand as always, we thank you for your support.

Fiercely passionate about sports, nothing gets Canadian fans more excited than beating those noisy neighbors from south of the border. Whenever that happens, it’s always a cause for wild celebrations, especially when major league championships are at stake. Let’s take a look at which teams have enjoyed the most success.

NFL

Compared to all the other major professional sports competitions, the NFL is the only one that has never featured a Canadian franchise. However, that could change in the coming years if Toronto billionaire entrepreneur Pat Mazza gets his way.

Instead, the Canadian Football League (CFL) is the professional competition north of the border, played under a slightly different set of rules to those of the NFL. Winnipeg Blue Bombers are the most successful CFL team of all time, winning the Grey Cup 25 times.

Nevertheless, numerous Canadian gridiron players have enjoyed solid NFL careers. The most successful was quarterback Mark Rypien of the Washington Redskins, who won the Super Bowl twice and the Super Bowl XXVI MVP in 1992.

NBA

Professional basketball has largely struggled to make inroads in Canada. While there is the Canadian Elite Basketball League and the National Basketball League of Canada, the NBA has never featured more than one team from north of the border.

In 1995 the Vancouver Grizzlies franchise moved to Memphis in the United States, although they were immediately replaced by the Toronto Raptors, who debuted in the NBA the same year.

Like many new franchise teams, life was difficult at first. Nevertheless, the Toronto Raptors have continued building and improving. After becoming a regular in recent years, the whole of Canada celebrated when the Raptors triumphed in the 2018-19 NBA Finals.

MLB

While there are many professional minor league teams located in Canada, of the current 30 Major League Baseball franchise teams, just one hails from north of the border. This is the Toronto Blue Jays, who were part of the 1977 MLB expansion.

The Blue Jays have won the World Series twice in 1992 and 1993, boasting the honor of being the only Canadian team ever to achieve that feat. Sadly, their only success in recent years was to win the MLB East Division title in 2015.

As this Interac Casinos article highlights, it’s fair to say that online gambling is arguably more popular than baseball in Canada, where online operators are more established compared to those in the United States.

NHL

Considering the fact that professional ice hockey was a Canadian creation, over the last few decades, there has been a surprising lack of NHL and Stanley Cup champions from the Big White North.

It wasn’t until 1927 when teams from the United States began to join the NHL, with the first major expansion. As more American teams joined and started becoming successful, the balance of power largely remained with the Canadian teams, up until around the 1980s.

The most successful NHL franchise of all time is the Montreal Canadiens, who have lifted the Stanley Cup on 24 occasions. However, the last of those was back in 1993, almost three decades ago, which underlines how much American teams now dominate the NHL.

MLS

Soccer is by far the most popular sport in the world, although it took a long time to be embraced in North America as a major sport. The MLS was launched after the United States hosted the 1994 World Cup, enjoying phenomenal growth since then.

While they didn’t participate when the MLS debuted in 1996, three Canadian teams are now prominent members of the competition. The first was Toronto FC in 2005, followed by CF Montreal in 2010, then Vancouver Whitecaps in 2011.

The strongest team from Canada is undoubtedly Toronto FC, who have reached the MLS Cup final three times in the last five seasons, winning the overall championship decider once in 2019. They are probably the best hope for sustained Canadian success in major league sports.

When David Beckham was first nominated for a place in the National Soccer Hall of Fame, he was largely known as an influential player for LA Galaxy. The former England international had already agreed to produce the newest franchise in MLS but the wider public was largely unaware of the formation of Inter Miami.

Back in 2019, Beckham’s legacy for United States’ soccer was yet to be fully appreciated but, fast forward two years and he’s starting to become more widely acknowledged.

Galaxy Alumni

It’s not a great surprise that David Beckham was overlooked when the 2019 nominations were assessed. He had been a pivotal figure for LA Galaxy and made over 100 appearances for the franchise between 2007 and 2012. Galaxy won the MLS Cup twice in that period and Beckham had a significant role to play each time.

As impressive as his contributions may have been, David Beckham’s efforts were hardly worthy of a place in the Hall of Fame at that time. However, two years later, his work to bring Inter Miami into the top division might just see his place among the elite confirmed at the awards ceremony in March.

First Year Report

Inter Miami became the newest members of the MLS family when they were included at the start of the 2020 season. Beckham appointed Diego Alonso as coach and the franchise subsequently finished in tenth place in the Eastern Conference. It was a respectable return for a brand new side and it was enough to see Inter progress beyond the regular season.

The journey didn’t last much longer, however, with the club eliminated at the very next stage - the play in round. David Beckham would have been happy enough with a solid start but it’s clear that he’s aiming much higher in 2021.

A New Era

Diego Alonso’s performance in the dugout wasn’t enough to earn him another shot at the MLS Cup. Inter Miami removed the experienced coach in the close season and replaced him with Beckham’s former Manchester United teammate, Phil Neville. Formerly in charge of England ladies, Neville will need to improve on Inter’s performance in their inaugural season.

The sportsbooks aren’t offering too much hope in this respect: The best betting sites listed on sbo.net indicate Los Angeles FC listed as favorites to win the MLS Cup in 2021. Close behind are last season’s finalists Columbus Crew and Seattle Sounders while Canada’s Toronto FC are also rated highly. Meanwhile, Inter Miami are way down the list as 12th favorites for success.

The new MLS campaign gets underway in April and those market odds will start to move as the games commence. To keep up with the changing patterns, stay tuned to sbo.net who will update the prices while offering insight and news updates along the way. Sportsbook offers and promotions will also be in place for those who want to get involved.

Peer Recognition

David Beckham’s potential induction into the National Soccer Hall of Fame isn’t dependent on whether his Inter Miami side win the MLS Cup but success would certainly raise his profile even higher. By that point, he may already be among the elite within the game and the recognition of his peers would be fully deserved.

Beckham’s legacy is largely felt in his native England where he helped to make Manchester United win multiple Premier League titles. Major League Soccer with LA Galaxy was largely seen as a stop along the way before the midfielder finally ended his playing career in France with Paris Saint-Germain. As a soccer club owner, his work will be most keenly felt in the United States as Inter Miami look to make their mark on the national game.

Slim Sallee began his Major League career with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1908, and the Pitcher played for the Redbrids until he was traded to the New York Giants during the 1916 season.

The southpaw had three 15-win years with St. Louis, tallying 106 against 107 Losses.  Sallee started and finished his share of games, twice leading the National League in Saves twice as a Cardinal.  His versatility was unheralded in his day, but is certainly recognized here.