Jan 26 2009
The Arizona Cardinals Played at Comiskey??
“Hey, whatcha you guys watching,” inquired Dad of my brother Frank and me.
It was Thanksgiving Day, 1975, and after stuffing ourselves with turkey, dressing, Brussel Sprouts and all the other T-Day delicacies we had settled down in front of the T.V. to fart away the afternoon and take in the St. Louis Cardinal-Buffalo Bill football game.
“We’re watching O.J. go in from the 3 yard line to put those damn Bills ahead 12-7,” I reported as I removed myself from his easy chair.
“Good! I hope they bury those bastards,” he grunted as he sunk into the seat of honor.
“Why are you rooting against an NFC team, Dad? They’re a gutsy bunch. I like the Cards myself.”
“No true Bears fan can ever cheer for the Cardinals.”
“Oh yeah? Why is that?
“Jesus! Read your history books, son! Don’t you know that the Bears and the Cardinals have been at each others throats since the Cards were playing at Comiskey Park?”
“What are you talking about? Why were the St Louis Cardinals playing on the South Side of Chicago?”
“Didn’t you know that Chicago had two professional football teams until 1959?”
“Now, you’re pulling my leg again. Just like the time you told us you piloted the plane that dropped the bomb on Nagasaki!”
“Nah! This is the truth. Go to the library and look it up if you don’t believe me. You should hate the Cardinals even more than the Packers. They cost the Bears a championship or two.”
So I did, and his story checked out again. My old man knew a lot of good stuff.
Anyway, the Bills went on to thrash the Cardinals 32-14 in that Thanksgiving game, but I never could work up the animosity towards the red birds that my dad said a good Bears fan should feel. They were just too far removed from my times and my Chicago for me to do that.
In fact, I’m pulling for the Cardinals to win this Super Bowl. NFC all the way, Baby! Besides they’re really from Chicago.
P.S. It’s even funnier to learn that the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cardinals were once one team. Yep, they merged in 1944 because of personnel shortages caused by World II. They were known as the “Card-Pitt”, or derisively as the “Carpets”.
Yeah, it’s true. Look it up.
What a conflicted mess.
The Steelers were a small franchise and consisted of many players who were actual steel workers. They would play football after work.