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Franchises

Cardinals Receive '11 World Series Rings; Design Includes Rally Squirrel

The MLB Cardinals presented the '11 World Series Championship rings to players during a ceremony before Saturday's home game against the Cubs. The ring features the Cardinals' bird-on-bat logo made of faceted red rubies and surrounded by a 14 karat white gold frame. The bird is surrounded by 103 round diamonds, and the rest of the ring is made of 14 karat yellow gold. The phrase "WORLD CHAMPIONS" appears around the logo, with diamonds set behind the words. One side of the ring features the player's name, number and a ruby-filled "StL" emblem surrounded by the World Series leaf design that was used in the '11 version of the MLB Fall Classic logo. That side also features the Cardinals' "Rally Squirrel" jumping over home plate. The opposite side of the ring features Busch Stadium's Gate 3 bridge, including the Stan Musial Statue underneath, with a ruby-embellished "11" above the phrase "World Series Titles" (Cardinals). In St. Louis, Derrick Goold noted the Cardinals' ring may be the "first championship ring to feature a squirrel." Any player who "appeared in a single game last year for the team will receive" a ring. The ring's design also features the "results of all three 2011 playoff rounds" engraved on the inside of the ring, including the logos of the opponents. Beneath the results is the phrase "HAPPY FLIGHT." Goold noted the "facet of the ring that could start a trend is the shadowbox-like effect behind 'WORLD CHAMPIONS.'" Team President Bill DeWitt III called this the ring's "bling factor" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 4/15).

LEAVING A LEGACY: In St. Louis, Joe Strauss wrote if Cardinals Chair Bill DeWitt Jr. "consistently conveys a long-term vision, it is not by accident." DeWitt insists that he and his group's "control of the franchise is open-ended." Rather than "seek to cash out on a franchise that has more than quadrupled in value since it was purchased, DeWitt frames the club as a long-term hold by him, his partners and their families." He said, "Obviously from my family's perspective we've talked about it. From our perspective, the next generation is very interested in continuing on past me. We have no interest in divesting." DeWitt intends for his children, Bill III and Donna DeWitt Lambert, to "remain among the investment group long after his stewardship ends." A number of other investors also "have long-standing ties to the franchise." DeWitt said, "It's not something I think about on a daily bases but you get to a certain age and there is estate planning to do. In our case, it will not involve selling our interest" in the club. He added, "If we were going to sell, we wouldn't have put all that money into a new facility. That was more for the future than for the present. It was a big commitment" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 4/15).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

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