The Greatest Cardinals Of Each Time: Perfectos & Pre-Branch Rickey, 1899-1919

By 1898 the Browns, kings of the American Association, were NL bottom-feeders, and when a bereft Von der Ahe sold out to Frank and Stanley Robison there wasn't enough capital left in the name to avoid a change to the delightfully named fifth-place St. Louis Perfectos, the Frankenstein-ish result of an offseason heart transplant.

Viva El Birdos

The Greatest Cardinals Of Each Time: The Last Von der Ahe

By 1891 the American Association is about to topple over—the wealthier owners, like the Browns' Chris Von der Ahe, are no longer willing to float weaker teams to remain independent, and the National League agrees to accept four clubs (but not the 1891 pennant-winning Boston Reds) into the senior circuit. And that, for a decade, is the end of two-league baseball.

Viva El Birdos