I actually enjoyed the films of the WWII World Series they showed this week. When the Cardinals played the Browns in 1944, would all the series games have been played in Sportsmans Park (later to be the first Busch Stadium)? I think that was the Browns stadium and the Cardinals played there too and then became the sole occupant when the Browns moved somewhere that had a Memorial Stadium.
You are correct -- both the Cards and Browns shared Sportsmans Park in St. Louis prior to the Browns vacating for Baltimore. The Browns were the landlord -- they rented the Park to the Cards, and there was an apartment in the Stadium that both the Browns and Cardinals managers shared living quarters -- each staying there when their team was playing home games. For the 1944 series, one manager had to find another place to stay. When Bill Veeck owned the Browns, his family lived in the apartment.
Its interesting. One of the reasons why the Cards eventually became as successful as they were was the fact they didn't have to invest in building a stadium. They rented the park, and put what otherwise would have been spent on bricks and concrete in their farm system. Although, if you read about the history surrounding the Browns move out of St. Louis, there was a time in the early 50s when it wasn't for sure which of the two St. Louis teams would leave town first. The Browns, of course, were miserable, and didn't draw many fans. The Cards had a bigger following, but had fallen on hard times -- after winning it all in 1946, and still fielding generally competitive teams, the Cards owner was indicted for tax fraud, and suspended by the other owners. He had to sell the team quick to pay off his debts, and there were rumors the Cards were moving to a variety of outposts -- Milwaukee, Houston, Baltimore, Atlanta. Then, in 1953, Gussie Busch rode in on his white horse and rescued the Cards, and by buying the Stadium, freed the Browns and allowed them to relocate the following year.
