If St. Louis Can't Play Base Ball, What Can It Do?

The Tribune is now called upon to record the fact that St. Louis can't play base ball...If St. Louis can't play base ball, what can it do? Chicago can do something, if it cannot play base ball. Chicago has built several railroads. Chicago has something of a record for fast time made in running the race of rivalship for superiority as a city in the Northeast. Chicago has built railroads, made tunnels, and extended her business connections generally. But how with St. Louis? That city has been spending both time and money in endeavoring to get up a base ball club. It did get up several nines...and after playing each other, and beating each other several times, they came to the conclusion that they were sufficiently experienced to go outside for glory. They went outside. The Unions, so called because in union there was thought to be strength, was the champion club, and so it challenged the famous Red Stockings of Cincinnati. The Red Stockings went to the "River" city. The Red Stockings went out on the famous Union grounds. The Red Stockings played with the Unions and made the...score of 70 to 9...

-Chicago Tribune, September 17, 1869


Somebody really needs to take the time and document the history of the St. Louis/Chicago baseball rivalry. It would make for a good book. And it would sell well in two cities.