History UsefulNotes / MLBTeams

* The '''Baltimore Orioles''': Although traditionally one of the flagship franchises of Baseball, they entered a DorkAge that previously seemed to have no end under the "leadership" of Peter Angelos, probably the most reviled owner in baseball. Since taking over the Orioles in 1993, his tremendous incompetence has turned a once proud franchise into the laughingstock of baseball. Almost everything he does makes you say WhatAnIdiot. They had 14 consecutive losing seasons, topped only by the Pirates' still active streak of 19 seasons. In 2012, they finally seem to be coming out of this, though, by making it to the play-offs and winning the first-ever AL Wild Card game against the Texas Rangers. The team's most famous players are super-fielder Brooks Robinson and "Iron Man" Cal Ripken Jr, both Hall-of-Famers who played their entire careers with the Orioles. Prior to 1953, the club was known as the St. Louis Browns and even then were mostly associated with losing, though they did manage a single World Series appearance in 1944 where they lost to in-town rivals the St. Louis Cardinals. During this era the Browns fielded the shortest player in baseball history, 3'7" midget Eddie Gaedel, who took one at-bat as a publicity stunt. The Browns years are something of an OldShame for Baltimore, as the Orioles do not recognize or commemorate any of their statistics or records from their time in St. Louis, and instead leave it to the Cardinals to honor the "Brownies." They currently play at Camden Yards, widely considered one of the most beautiful stadiums in the league.

* The '''St. Louis Cardinals''': The most successful team in the National League during the World Series era (11 championships) and by far the most popular "Small Market" franchise, the Cardinals are noted for their highly-devoted and [[ViewersAreGeniuses highly-knowledgable]] fanbase (it is not uncommon for them to applaud the opposing team or one of their players should they do something impressive), [[MemeticBadAss Albert Pujols]] and their rivalry with the city of Chicago in general and the Chicago Cubs in particular (it is said that the ''only'' way you can get booed in Busch Stadium is if you are wearing a Chicago jersey - just ask BarackObama). Their fanbase is not only incredibly devoted, but incredibly ''nice'' - see the booing example above. Three Hall of Fame broadcasters were once employed by the Cardinals: Harry Caray (who spent 25 years in St. Louis before moving to Chicago), catcher-turned-announcer Joe Garagiola, and Jack Buck. (Jack's son Joe is the current main broadcaster of both MLB and the NFL for Fox.)

* The '''Washington Nationals / Montreal Expos''': Founded in 1969, they are arguably TheChewToy of Major League Baseball. Sure, the Phillies have accumulated more than 10,000 losses, the Cubs have a century-long championship drought, the Red Sox spent decades always losing to their hated rival, the Pirates haven't had a winning season since the ''first'' George Bush was president, the Rangers didn't win a playoff series for 50 years, and the Mets have to share a city with the Yankees, but all those teams have bright spots in their history as well. The Expos almost had one; they were leading their division in August 1994 and were considered a legitimate threat to win it all that year, only for the season to be cancelled by a strike (itself a DorkAge), leading to the first year without a World Series since 1904. Their owner spent the rest of the decade trading their stars for much cheaper players. This eventually resulted in the team being bought by the league, nearly eliminated altogether, and eventually sold and moved to Washington D.C. The old owner is now doing pretty much the same thing to his new team, the Florida Marlins (see their paragraph above). Oh, and don't confuse them with the Washington Senators - local politicians vow to oppose that name as long as Washington, D.C. [[AmericanPoliticalSystem has no vote in Congress]], and the previous Senators baseball club still owns the rights to the name even though they became the Texas Rangers in 1972. As a result of their team's suckage, Washington D.C. is subject to favorite moniker "First in war, first in peace, and last in the National League" (which was true of both Senators teams except with "American" instead of "National"). More recently, though, they've had a couple of truly elite rookies, Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper, a stellar starting pitching rotation and a recent change in management (Manager Davey Johnson), all of which is beginning to help turn the team's fortunes around, including battling their way to the best record (98-64) in either league in 2012, though they lost to the Cardinals in the first round of the playoffs.

Major League Baseball has 30 teams, some more notable than others. This changes from year to year based on who does well (either financially or gameplay-wise.) In regards to the latter, the current defending World Series champion is the St. Louis Cardinals.

* The '''San Francisco Giants''': Another of the [[OlderThanRadio classic]] NL teams, with roots going back to 1883. Most of their first seven decades were spent in [[BigApplesauce New York]] at the oddly-shaped Polo Grounds in Harlem, where they enjoyed a three-cornered rivalry with the [[TheRival (hated)]] Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Yankees (whom they faced in six World Series). The team's luster began to fade in the mid-1950s due to mediocre play and a crumbling stadium, but as luck would have it the [[ArchEnemy (hated)]] Dodgers were moving to sunny California and needed a travel buddy! And so in 1958 they relocated to San Francisco, where they've been ever since. From 1960 to 2000 they played in [[ImColdSoCold frigid, windy]] Candlestick Park, where (supposedly) a pitcher was blown off the mound during the 1961 All-Star Game, and (definitely) Game 3 of the 1989 World Series was interrupted by the Loma Prieta earthquake. After flirting with moves to SiliconValley and St. Petersburg, Florida they traded up to spiffy new [[ProductPlacement Pac Bell]] (now AT&T) Park in 2000 (with its rapidly-becoming infamous [[AlienGeometries Triples Alley]] and its constantly-changing name). The Giants have a proud pedigree of Hall of Fame players - including Carl Hubbell and Mel Ott from before the move, and Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Juan Marichal after - but they hadn't won a World Series since 1954 (putting them in front of only the Indians [1948] and Cubs [1908] in that respect). That is, of course, until 2010. Backed by a sterling pitching staff headed by two-time Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Tim Lincecum and closer Brian "The Beard" Wilson (no, not [[TheBeachBoys that one]]), along with a starting lineup composed largely of [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits other teams' castoffs]], they managed to [[MiracleRally overcome a big late-season deficit]] to beat the San Diego Padres for the NL West title, then squeaked by the Atlanta Braves in a tight, pitching-dominated Division Series, upset the heavily favored Philadelphia Phillies in the League Championship Series, and finally dominated the Texas Rangers in the World Series to bring the city of San Francisco its first ever World Series champion. But even when the team isn't going well, the garlic fries are tasty, the farm system is strong, Hall of Fame announcer Jon Miller does the radio broadcasts, Kruk and Kuip keep the TV broadcasts fun, and there's always the [[KillItWithFire (hated)]] Dodgers to hate.

* The '''Washington Nationals / Montreal Expos''': Founded in 1969, they are arguably TheChewToy of Major League Baseball. Sure, the Phillies have accumulated more than 10,000 losses, the Cubs have a century-long championship drought, the Red Sox spent decades always losing to their hated rival, the Pirates haven't had a winning season since the ''first'' George Bush was president, the Rangers didn't win a playoff series for 50 years, and the Mets have to share a city with the Yankees, but all those teams have bright spots in their history as well. The Expos almost had one; they were leading their division in August 1994 and were considered a legitimate threat to win it all that year, only for the season to be cancelled by a strike (itself a DorkAge), leading to the first year without a World Series since 1904. Their owner spent the rest of the decade trading their stars for much cheaper players. This eventually resulted in the team being bought by the league, nearly eliminated altogether, and eventually sold and moved to Washington D.C. The old owner is now doing pretty much the same thing to his new team, the Florida Marlins (see their paragraph above). Oh, and don't confuse them with the Washington Senators - local politicians vow to oppose that name as long as Washington, D.C. [[AmericanPoliticalSystem has no vote in Congress]], and the previous Senators baseball club still owns the rights to the name even though they became the Texas Rangers in 1972. As a result of their team's suckage, Washington D.C. is subject to favorite moniker "First in war, first in peace, and last in the National League" (which was true of both Senators teams except with "American" instead of "National"). More recently, though, they've had a couple of truly elite rookies, Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper, a stellar starting pitching rotation and a recent change in management (General Manager Davey Johnson), all of which is beginning to help turn the team's fortunes around, including battling their way to the best record (98-64) in either league in 2012, though they lost to the Cardinals in the first round of the playoffs.

* The '''Washington Nationals / Montreal Expos''': Founded in 1969, they are arguably TheChewToy of Major League Baseball. Sure, the Phillies have accumulated more than 10,000 losses, the Cubs have a century-long championship drought, the Red Sox spent decades always losing to their hated rival, the Pirates haven't had a winning season since the ''first'' George Bush was president, the Rangers didn't win a playoff series for 50 years, and the Mets have to share a city with the Yankees, but all those teams have bright spots in their history as well. The Expos almost had one; they were leading their division in August 1994 and were considered a legitimate threat to win it all that year, only for the season to be cancelled by a strike (itself a DorkAge), leading to the first year without a World Series since 1904. Their owner spent the rest of the decade trading their stars for much cheaper players. This eventually resulted in the team being bought by the league, nearly eliminated altogether, and eventually sold and moved to Washington D.C. The old owner is now doing pretty much the same thing to his new team, the Florida Marlins (see their paragraph above). Oh, and don't confuse them with the Washington Senators - local politicians vow to oppose that name as long as Washington, D.C. [[AmericanPoliticalSystem has no vote in Congress]], and the previous Senators baseball club still owns the rights to the name even though they became the Texas Rangers in 1972. As a result of their team's suckage, Washington D.C. is subject to favorite moniker "First in war, first in peace, and last in the National League" (which was true of both Senators teams except with "American" instead of "National"). More recently, though, they've had a couple of truly elite rookies, Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper, a stellar starting pitching rotation and a recent change in management (General Manager Davey Johnson), all of which is beginning to help turn the team's fortunes around.

* The '''Detroit Tigers''' are one of the charter American League teams. Historically, they've alternated between periods of brilliance and long dry spells of non-contention. After enduring one such dry spell for over two decades following their 1984 World Series championship (which included losing ''119 games'' in 2003, one shy of tying the Major League record for losses in 162 games), the Tigers came out of nowhere in 2006 to reach the Fall Classic again (only to get unexpectedly and swiftly defeated by the Cardinals). However, high expectations in ensuing seasons failed to bear fruit; in 2009, the team suffered one of the worst collapses in baseball history, losing a three game division lead with only four games to play. The Tigers seem to have redeemed themselves, however, in 2011, reaching the ALCS with an excellent offense and one of the best pitching rotations in AL history (headed by the aforementioned Justin Verlander, with Jose "Papa Grande" Valverde serving as an absolute top-notch closer). The Tigers have boasted several Hall of Famers in their history, including Ty Cobb and Sam Crawford in the 1900s and '10s, Hank Greenberg (the majors' first Jewish-American star) and Charlie Gehringer in the '30s and '40s, and Al Kaline in the '50s and '60s. Another Tiger Hall of Famer is the late broadcaster Ernie Harwell, who called the team's games for over 40 years and was basically the AL counterpart to Vin Scully.

** This St. Louis native has noticed, despite having nice fans, there have been a few news stories about Cubs fans actually [[DisproportionateRetribution GETTING BEAT UP]] in or outside Busch Stadium because they either said something nice about the Cubs or were wearing Cubs clothing.

* The '''New York Yankees''': If you can name only one Baseball team, it probably is this one. Being the most successful team in the World Series era (27 titles) and the fact that it is based in the BigApplesauce have combined to make the Yankees the most popular team in America.... and the least popular team in America. You must, by internet law, either [[{{Hatedom}} hate them with a passion that rivals the love you have of your own team]] or be an [[FanDumb obnoxious]], [[UnpleasableFanbase unpleasable]] pinstripe-wearing fan. An entire industry exists of anti-Yankee media, and although primarily centered in UsefulNotes/{{Boston}}, it thrives throughout North America, including New York itself. The same thing goes for pro-Yankee media. ''Easily'' the BigBad of Major League Baseball. Team owners [[BigScrewedUpFamily George Steinbrenner and his sons]] are, however, universally considered an example of EvilOverlord (or at least a MeanBoss), while Lou Gehrig is universally beloved. This is not a new phenomenon. The play ''Damn Yankees!'', about a man who hates them so much he sells his soul to the Devil to beat them, was written over fifty years ago. Choked in game 4 of the 2004 ALCS, allowing the Red Sox to make the first 0-3 comeback in baseball history and win their first Series title in 86 years. Red Sox fans [[NeverLiveItDown will never let them forget this]]. Notable for having not one (Ruth), not two (Gehrig), not three ([=DiMaggio=]), but four (Mickey Mantle) names in the argument for best baseball player ever. Their 27 World Series championships make them both the most successful team in Major League Baseball, AND North American professional sports. Their current GM is Brian [[MeaningfulName Cashman]].

* The '''Atlanta Braves''' are, along with the Cubs, one of the two franchises that have existed since the beginning of the National League, though they were originally based in Boston and later Milwaukee. Actually, they're even older than that; they were formed when the first professional baseball team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, folded and their manager and key players migrated to Boston. They are the oldest continuously existing sports franchise in America. Historically, they've had flashes of success interspersed with long periods of being a ButtMonkey. The team of Hank Aaron, who broke Babe Ruth's career home run record despite receiving numerous death threats. After Aaron, they went from mediocre to horrible in the mid-to-late 1980s. In 1991, they went worst-to-first, went on an absolute tear in the second half of the season, defeated the Pirates on a controversial call in the NL Championship Series, and lost in the World Series. Then, in 1992, they basically did the same thing all over again. From then until 2005, they made the playoffs every year, won one World Series, and were best known for their outstanding starting pitching rotation. After 2005, they've alternated between also-rans to low-rung playoff team. They are one of two teams (the other one being, again, the Cubs) that has had nationwide television coverage thanks to Ted Turner's WTBS "superstation" (now Atlanta-only), and, therefore, one of the Majors' biggest fan bases.

* The '''Baltimore Orioles''': Although traditionally one of the flagship franchises of Baseball, they have entered a DorkAge with seemingly no end under the "leadership" of Peter Angelos, probably the most reviled owner in baseball. Since taking over the Orioles in 1993, his tremendous incompetence has turned a once proud franchise into the laughingstock of baseball. Almost everything he does makes you say WhatAnIdiot. They've had 14 consecutive losing seasons, topped only by the Pirates' still active streak of 19 seasons. The team's most famous players are super-fielder Brooks Robinson and "Iron Man" Cal Ripken Jr, both Hall-of-Famers who played their entire careers with the Orioles. Prior to 1953, the club was known as the St. Louis Browns and even then were mostly associated with losing, though they did manage a single World Series appearance in 1944 where they lost to in-town rivals the St. Louis Cardinals. During this era the Browns fielded the shortest player in baseball history, 3'7" midget Eddie Gaedel, who took one at-bat as a publicity stunt. The Browns years are something of an OldShame for Baltimore, as the Orioles do not recognize or commemorate any of their statistics or records from their time in St. Louis, and instead leave it to the Cardinals to honor the "Brownies." They currently play at Camden Yards, widely considered one of the most beautiful stadiums in the league.

* The '''Pittsburgh Pirates''' are best known today as the league's best example of "small-market syndrome"; they just can't pony up the cash to put a decent team together, though many fans argue that there's as much front-office ineptitude at work here as lack of money. If ever a Pirate becomes a legitimate All-Star, it's a sure bet he'll be traded to a richer team mid-season. Their last winning season was 1992; their streak of 18 consecutive losing seasons is the longest such streak in American professional sports history. And don't expect it to be ending any time soon. They've been a bit better in recent years, but still have this nasty tendency towards late-season collapse that keeps the streak going. The Pirates have such a small budget, they still turn a pretty decent profit despite how terrible they are; consequently, management feels no obligation to change its penny-pinching ways. In 1991 and 1992, they lost the NL Championship Series twice, both to the Braves, both in 7 games, and both times on controversial umpiring decisions at home plate. Before that they were a somewhat respected franchise with 5 World Series championships. The team of Roberto Clemente, a very highly regarded right fielder who hit his 3000th hit, then after the season died in a plane crash delivering supplies to earthquake victims. Also the original team of the preternaturally talented and equally hated Barry Bonds, whose departure in 1992 began the collapse of the franchise.

* The '''Boston Red Sox''' are often considered by their fans - beg your pardon, [[InsistentTerminology Red Sox Nation]] - to be LaResistance to the Yankees' [[TheEmpire Evil Empire]] (a view not much shared by fans of other teams these days, [[RuleAbidingRebel given that they have effectively acted exactly like the Yankees since 2004]]), and had a 86-year span from 1918 to 2004 in which they did not win a single World Series (this is sometimes known as "The Curse of the Bambino", although despite what the [[CulturalTranslation American film version of]] ''FeverPitch'' told you, barely any hardcore Sox fans believed that this curse was why they kept losing). That finally ended in 2004 when the Red Sox, coming off a MiracleRally that saw them come back from an unprecedented 3 games to nothing hole to beat the Yankees, swept the Cardinals in the World Series (during [[WeirdMoon a lunar eclipse]], nonetheless). The Red Sox are SeriousBusiness in Boston, and the rivalry between them and the Yankees is the biggest FandomRivalry in North American sports, if not sports period. When viewed from outside the rivalry, however, the Red Sox have since the end of the curse merely become the lesser of two evils (the result of [[HeWhoFightsMonsters adopting Yankee-like spending habits]]). For a while they were said to be "{{Moneyball}} on an unlimited budget", as their (then) general manager Theo Epstein used those ideas to great effect. The Red Sox play in Fenway Park, the oldest stadium in Major League Baseball. Fenway itself is known for "The Green Monster", a ridiculously high left-field wall erected to compensate for its close relative proximity to home plate. (Short pop flies that would be easily caught in other parks can turn into home runs over the Green Monster, while hard liners that would fly out of other parks bounce off the Green Monster for doubles or sometimes even singles. In rare cases balls have come close to landing on the nearby Mass. Pike.) [[NeverLiveItDown Because of the management after Jackie Robinson's debut, they were the absolute last team to integrate in baseball]], passing on both Robinson and Willie Mays.

* The '''Boston Red Sox''' are often considered by their fans to be LaResistance to the Yankees' [[TheEmpire Evil Empire]] (a view not much shared by fans of other teams these days, [[RuleAbidingRebel given that they have effectively acted exactly like the Yankees since 2004]]), and had a 86-year span from 1918 to 2004 in which they did not win a single World Series (this is sometimes known as "The Curse of the Bambino", although despite what the [[CulturalTranslation American film version of]] ''FeverPitch'' told you, barely any hardcore Sox fans believed that this curse was why they kept losing). That finally ended in 2004 when the Red Sox, coming off a MiracleRally that saw them come back from an unprecedented 3 games to nothing hole to beat the Yankees, swept the Cardinals in the World Series (during [[WeirdMoon a lunar eclipse]], nonetheless). The Red Sox are SeriousBusiness in Boston, and the rivalry between them and the Yankees is the biggest FandomRivalry in North American sports, if not sports period. When viewed from outside the rivalry, however, the Red Sox have since the end of the curse merely become the lesser of two evils (the result of [[HeWhoFightsMonsters adopting Yankee-like spending habits]]). For a while they were said to be "[[Moneyball]] on an unlimited budget", as their (then) general manager Theo Epstein used those ideas to great effect. The Red Sox play in Fenway Park, the oldest stadium in Major League Baseball. Fenway itself is known for "The Green Monster", a ridiculously high left-field wall erected to compensate for its close relative proximity to home plate. (Short pop flies that would be easily caught in other parks can turn into home runs over the Green Monster, while hard liners that would fly out of other parks bounce off the Green Monster for doubles or sometimes even singles. In rare cases balls have come close to landing on the nearby Mass. Pike.) [[NeverLiveItDown Because of the management after Jackie Robinson's debut, they were the absolute last team to integrate in baseball]], passing on both Robinson and Willie Mays.

* The '''Boston Red Sox''' are often considered by their fans to be LaResistance to the Yankees' [[TheEmpire Evil Empire]] (this view is not well received by fans of other teams these days, [[RuleAbidingRebel given that they have effectively acted exactly like the Yankees since 2004]]), and had a 86-year span from 1918 to 2004 in which they did not win a single World Series (this is sometimes known as "The Curse of the Bambino", although despite what the [[CulturalTranslation American film version of]] ''FeverPitch'' told you, barely any hardcore Sox fans believed that this curse was why they kept losing). That finally ended in 2004 when the Red Sox, coming off a MiracleRally that saw them come back from an unprecedented 3 games to nothing hole to beat the Yankees, swept the Cardinals in the World Series (during [[WeirdMoon a lunar eclipse]], nonetheless). The Red Sox are SeriousBusiness in Boston, and the rivalry between them and the Yankees is the biggest FandomRivalry in North American sports, if not sports period. When viewed from outside the rivalry, however, the Red Sox have since the end of the curse merely become the lesser of two evils (the result of [[HeWhoFightsMonsters adopting Yankee-like spending habits]]). For a while they were said to be "[[Moneyball]] on an unlimited budget", as their (then) general manager Theo Epstein used those ideas to great effect. The Red Sox play in Fenway Park, the oldest stadium in Major League Baseball. Fenway itself is known for "The Green Monster", a ridiculously high left-field wall erected to compensate for its close relative proximity to home plate. (Short pop flies that would be easily caught in other parks can turn into home runs over the Green Monster, while hard liners that would fly out of other parks bounce off the Green Monster for doubles or sometimes even singles. In rare cases balls have come close to landing on the nearby Mass. Pike.) [[NeverLiveItDown Because of the management after Jackie Robinson's debut, they were the absolute last team to integrate in baseball]], passing on both Robinson and Willie Mays.

* The '''Boston Red Sox''' are often considered by their fans to be LaResistance to the Yankees' [[TheEmpire Evil Empire]] (this view is not well received by fans of other teams these days, [[RuleAbidingRebel given that they have effectively acted exactly like the Yankees since 2004]]), and had a 86-year span from 1918 to 2004 in which they did not win a single World Series (this is sometimes known as "The Curse of the Bambino", although despite what the [[CulturalTranslation American film version of]] ''FeverPitch'' told you, barely any hardcore Sox fans believed that this curse was why they kept losing). That finally ended in 2004 when the Red Sox, coming off a MiracleRally that saw them come back from a unprecedented 3 games to nothing hole to beat the Yankees, swept the Cardinals in the World Series (during [[WeirdMoon a lunar eclipse]], nonetheless). The Red Sox are SeriousBusiness in Boston, and the rivalry between them and the Yankees is the biggest FandomRivalry in North American sports, if not sports period. When viewed from outside the rivalry, however, the Red Sox have since the end of the curse merely become the lesser of two evils (the result of [[HeWhoFightsMonsters adopting Yankee-like spending habits]]). For a while they were said to be "[[Moneyball]] on an unlimited budget", as their (then) general manager Theo Epstein used those ideas to great effect. The Red Sox play in Fenway Park, the oldest stadium in Major League Baseball. Fenway itself is known for "The Green Monster", a ridiculously high left-field wall erected to compensate for its close relative proximity to home plate. (Short pop flies that would be easily caught in other parks can turn into home runs over the Green Monster, while hard liners that would fly out of other parks bounce off the Green Monster for doubles or sometimes even singles. In rare cases balls have come close to landing on the nearby Mass. Pike.) [[NeverLiveItDown Because of the management after Jackie Robinson's debut, they were the absolute last team to integrate in baseball]], passing on both Robinson and Willie Mays.

* The '''New York Yankees''': If you can name only one Baseball team, it probably is this one. Being the most successful team in the World Series era (27 titles) and the fact that it is based in the BigApplesauce have combined to make the Yankees the most popular team in America.... and the least popular team in America. You must, by internet law, either [[{{Hatedom}} hate them with a passion that rivals the love you have of your own team]] or be an [[FanDumb obnoxious]], [[UnpleasableFanbase unpleasable]] pinstripe-wearing fan. An entire industry exists of anti-Yankee media, and although primarily centered in UsefulNotes/{{Boston}}, it thrives throughout North America, including New York itself. The same thing goes for pro-Yankee media. Depending on your point of view, the Yankees are either [[TheEmpire The Evil Empire]] or [[TheChosenOne The Chosen Team]], but it's clear that the Yankees are the BigBad to many fans and media heads. Team owners [[BigScrewedUpFamily George Steinbrenner and his sons]] are, however, universally considered an example of EvilOverlord (or at least a MeanBoss), while Lou Gehrig is universally beloved. This is not a new phenomenon. The play ''Damn Yankees!'', about a man who hates them so much he sells his soul to the Devil to beat them, was written over fifty years ago. Choked in game 4 of the 2004 ALCS, allowing the Red Sox to make the first 0-3 comeback in baseball history and win their first Series title in 86 years. Red Sox fans [[NeverLiveItDown will never let them forget this]]. Notable for having not one (Ruth), not two (Gehrig), not three ([=DiMaggio=]), but four (Mickey Mantle) names in the argument for best baseball player ever. Their 27 World Series championships make them both the most successful team in Major League Baseball, AND North American professional sports. Their current GM is Brian [[MeaningfulName Cashman]].

* The '''Montreal Expos / Washington Nationals''': Founded in 1969, they are arguably TheChewToy of Major League Baseball. Sure, the Phillies have accumulated more than 10,000 losses, the Cubs have a century-long championship drought, the Red Sox spent decades always losing to their hated rival, the Pirates haven't had a winning season since the ''first'' George Bush was president, the Rangers didn't win a playoff series for 50 years, and the Mets have to share a city with the Yankees, but all those teams have bright spots in their history as well. The Expos almost had one; they were leading their division in August 1994 and were considered a legitimate threat to win it all that year, only for the season to be cancelled by a strike (itself a DorkAge), leading to the first year without a World Series since 1904. Their owner spent the rest of the decade trading their stars for much cheaper players. This eventually resulted in the team being bought by the league, nearly eliminated altogether, and eventually sold and moved to Washington D.C. The old owner is now doing pretty much the same thing to his new team, the Florida Marlins (see their paragraph above). Oh, and don't confuse them with the Washington Senators - local politicians vow to oppose that name as long as Washington, D.C. [[AmericanPoliticalSystem has no vote in Congress]], and the previous Senators baseball club still owns the rights to the name even though they became the Texas Rangers in 1972. As a result of their team's suckage, Washington D.C. is subject to favorite moniker "First in war, first in peace, and last in the National League" (which was true of both Senators teams except with "American" instead of "National"). More recently, though, they've had a couple of truly elite rookies (Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper) who are beginning to help turn the team's fortunes around.

Major League Baseball has 30 teams, some more notable than others. Here are some things to know about the teams and, perhaps more importantly, their fanbases.

The current defending World Series champion is the St. Louis Cardinals.

* The '''St. Louis Cardinals''': Current defending champs. The most successful team in the National League during the World Series era (11 championships) and by far the most popular "Small Market" franchise, the Cardinals are noted for their highly-devoted and [[ViewersAreGeniuses highly-knowledgable]] fanbase (it is not uncommon for them to applaud the opposing team or one of their players should they do something impressive), [[MemeticBadAss Albert Pujols]] and their rivalry with the City of Chicago in general and the Chicago Cubs in particular (it is said that the ''only'' way you can get booed in Busch Stadium is if you are wearing a Chicago jersey - just ask BarackObama). Their fanbase is not only incredibly devoted, but incredibly ''nice'' - see the booing example above. Three Hall of Fame broadcasters were once employed by the Cardinals: Harry Caray (who spent 25 years in St. Louis before moving to Chicago), catcher-turned-announcer Joe Garagiola, and Jack Buck. (Jack's son Joe is the current main broadcaster of both MLB and the NFL for Fox.)

* The '''Atlanta Braves''' are, along with the Cubs, one of the two franchises that have existed since the beginning of the National League, though they were originally based in Boston and later Milwaukee. Actually, they're even older than that; they were formed when the first professional baseball team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, folded and their manager and key players migrated to Boston. They are the oldest continuously existing sports franchise in America. Historically, they've had flashes of success interspersed with long periods of being a ButtMonkey. The team of Hank Aaron, who broke Babe Ruth's career home run record despite receiving numerous death threats. After Aaron, they went from mediocre to horrible in the mid-to-late 1980s. In 1991, they went worst-to-first, went on an absolute tear in the second half of the season, defeated the Pirates on a controversial call in the NL Championship Series, and lost in the World Series. Then, in 1992, they basically did the same thing all over again. From then until 2005, they made the playoffs every year, won one World Series, and were best known for their outstanding starting pitching rotation. After 2005, they slid back into mediocrity for the next few years, but returned to the postseason as the wild card in 2010. In 2011, they were poised to reach the postseason again, but suffered a horrific collapse in the season's final month and watched the St. Louis Cardinals overtake them for the wild card and, eventually, the World Series championship. They are one of two teams (the other one being, again, the Cubs) that has had nationwide television coverage thanks to Ted Turner's WTBS "superstation" (now Atlanta-only), and, therefore, one of the Majors' biggest fan bases.

* The '''Montreal Expos / Washington Nationals''': Founded in 1969, they are arguably TheChewToy of Major League Baseball. Sure, the Phillies have accumulated more than 10,000 losses, the Cubs have a century-long championship drought, the Red Sox spent decades always losing to their hated rival, the Pirates haven't had a winning season since the ''first'' George Bush was president, the Rangers didn't win a playoff series for 50 years, and the Mets have to share a city with the Yankees, but all those teams have bright spots in their history as well. The Expos almost had one; they were leading their division in August 1994 and were considered a legitimate threat to win it all that year, only for the season to be cancelled by a strike (itself a DorkAge), leading to the first year without a World Series since 1904. Their owner spent the rest of the decade trading their stars for much cheaper players. This eventually resulted in the team being bought by the league, nearly eliminated altogether, and eventually sold and moved to Washington D.C. The old owner is now doing pretty much the same thing to his new team, the Florida Marlins (see their paragraph above). Oh, and don't confuse them with the Washington Senators - local politicians vow to oppose that name as long as Washington, D.C. [[AmericanPoliticalSystem has no vote in Congress]], and the previous Senators baseball club still owns the rights to the name even though they became the Texas Rangers in 1972. As a result of their team's suckage, Washington D.C. is subject to favorite moniker "First in war, first in peace, and last in the National League" (which was true of both Senators teams except with "American" instead of "National").

* The '''Boston Red Sox''' are often considered by their fans to be LaResistance to the Yankees' [[TheEmpire Evil Empire]] (this view is not well received by fans of other teams these days, [[RuleAbidingRebel given that they have effectively acted exactly like the Yankees since 2004]]), and had a 86-year span from 1918 to 2004 in which they did not win a single World Series (this is sometimes known as "The Curse of the Bambino", although despite what the [[CulturalTranslation American film version of]] ''FeverPitch'' told you, barely any hardcore Sox fans believed that this curse was why they kept losing). That finally ended in 2004 when the Red Sox, coming off a MiracleRally that saw them come back from a unprecedented 3 games to nothing hole to beat the Yankees, swept the Cardinals in the World Series (during [[WeirdMoon a lunar eclipse]], nonetheless). The Red Sox are SeriousBusiness in Boston, and the rivalry between them and the Yankees is the biggest FandomRivalry in North American sports, if not sports period. When viewed from outside the rivalry, however, the Red Sox have since the end of the curse merely become the lesser of two evils (the result of [[HeWhoFightsMonsters adopting Yankee-like spending habits]]). The Red Sox play in Fenway Park, the oldest stadium in Major League Baseball. Fenway itself is known for "The Green Monster", a ridiculously high left-field wall erected to compensate for its close relative proximity to home plate. (Short pop flies that would be easily caught in other parks can turn into home runs over the Green Monster, while hard liners that would fly out of other parks bounce off the Green Monster for doubles or sometimes even singles. In rare cases balls have come close to landing on the nearby Mass. Pike.) Experienced one of the biggest collapses in baseball history in September 2011 when they went 7-20 blowing not only the lead in the AL East to the Yankees, but losing their wild card spot to the Rays despite being ahead of them by 9 games at the start of the month. [[NeverLiveItDown Because of the management after Jackie Robinson's debut, they were the absolute last team to integrate in baseball]], passing on both Robinson and Willie Mays.

* The '''Atlanta Braves''' are, along with the Cubs, one of the two franchises that have existed since the beginning of the National League, though they were originally based in Boston and later Milwaukee. Actually, they're even older than that; they were formed when the first professional baseball team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, folded and their manager and key players migrated to Boston. They are the oldest continuously exsisting sports franchise in America. Historically, they've had flashes of success interspersed with long periods of being a ButtMonkey. The team of Hank Aaron, who broke Babe Ruth's career home run record despite receiving numerous death threats. After Aaron, they went from mediocre to horrible in the mid-to-late 1980s. In 1991, they went worst-to-first, went on an absolute tear in the second half of the season, defeated the Pirates on a controversial call in the NL Championship Series, and lost in the World Series. Then, in 1992, they basically did the same thing all over again. From then until 2005, they made the playoffs every year, won one World Series, and were best known for their outstanding starting pitching rotation. After 2005, they slid back into mediocrity for the next few years, but returned to the postseason as the wild card in 2010. In 2011, they were poised to reach the postseason again, but suffered a horrific collapse in the season's final month and watched the St. Louis Cardinals overtake them for the wild card and, eventually, the World Series championship. They are one of two teams (the other one being, again, the Cubs) that has had nationwide television coverage thanks to Ted Turner's WTBS "superstation" (now Atlanta-only), and, therefore, one of the Majors' biggest fan bases.

* The '''Philadelphia Phillies''': [[LongRunner Played their first season in 1883]] after [[MeaningfulRename replacing]] the [[NamesTheSame Worcester]] [[LocationThemeNaming Worcesters]], making them one of the oldest franchises in baseball, if not all of modern professional sports. 2008 World Series champions and 2009 runners-up, their victory in the 2008 WS ended Philly's long run of All-Sports ButtMonkey. Though they've been the best team in the National League the last few years, historically, they are the losingest baseball franchise ever (and in terms of number of losses, the losingest team in all of professional sports). They were also the last of the 16 original Major League teams to win a championship, their first title not coming until 1980. Like all Philadelphia sports teams, their fans are usually appear to be generally good-hearted working-class folk, but they can get really dangerous if drunk or if their team wins a championship (rioting is a popular Philly pastime), or if you are wearing a Mets uniform. Then you are just asking for it. The late great Harry Kalas -- TheVoice of NFL Films after John Facenda died -- was their radio announcer until his death during the 2009 season. Currently known for their ludicrously talented roster of starting pitchers: 2008 World Series MVP Cole Hamels was joined in 2009 by Cliff Lee, who left in the off-season and was replaced by Roy Halladay. Midway through 2010, the Phillies picked up Roy Oswalt, and then managed to sign Cliff Lee in the offseason, even though the Yankees and Red Sox were offering more money. Thus the Phillies started 2011 with what was quickly dubbed the Four Aces -- Halladay, Lee, Hamels, and Oswalt. With rookie Vance Worley having an astounding year, the Phillies ended up with ''five'' aces. Normally, a team is lucky to have one pitcher that good. The Phillies had more of them than they could start in the playoffs -- surely a problem anyone else would love to have. By the way, the team's somewhat uncreative nickname is an artifact of history; in the early days of baseball media would often refer to teams by simply pluralizing a city name. Also the home of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phillie_Phanatic Phillie Phanatic]], one of the goofiest and most-beloved mascots in sports.

* The '''New York Mets''': TheUnfavourite of the two New York baseball teams, the Mets have, for most their history, been the polar opposite of their more popular and older brother. They tend to go through cycles of brilliant play for five or six years followed by stretches where they're one of the worst teams in the league. They've won two World Series titles, both of which are the source of major Baseball mythology (the first one literally considered a miracle, the second one only happening because they were playing the Red Sox during their [[TheWoobie Curse of the Bambino]] stage (see: Bill Buckner). The Mets' first season (1962) featured only 40 wins in 160 games, and is considered the worst team in modern history. They have one of the higher budgets in the majors, but in recent years have an uncanny tendency to collapse in the season's final weeks, having done so (both times losing a division championship to the Phillies) in 2007 and 2008. Don't worry, they have their fans ([[BigNameFan most notably]] [[TheDailyShow Jon Stewart]]). Everybody loves an underdog, right? The Mets are also infamous for attracting somewhat rowdy, undisciplined players; as a case in point, many of the players on the 1986 World Series team had cocaine problems at some point during their career.

* The '''Pittsburgh Pirates''' are best known today as the league's best example of "small-market syndrome"; they just can't pony up the cash to put a decent team together, though many fans argue that there's as much front-office ineptitude at work here as lack of money. If ever a Pirate becomes a legitimate All-Star, it's a sure bet he'll be traded to a richer team mid-season. Their last winning season was 1992; their streak of 18 consecutive losing seasons is the longest such streak in American professional sports history. And don't expect it to be ending any time soon. It appeared to be ending in 2011, but, 6 games over .500 after the All-Star Break, they went on an amazing 9-27 (as of this writing) run proving they're still the Pirates. The Pirates have such a small budget, they still turn a pretty decent profit despite how terrible they are; consequently, management feels no obligation to change its penny-pinching ways. In 1991 and 1992, they lost the NL Championship Series twice, both to the Braves, both in 7 games, and both times on controversial umpiring decisions at home plate. Before that they were a somewhat respected franchise with 5 World Series championships. The team of Roberto Clemente, a very highly regarded right fielder who hit his 3000th hit, then after the season died in a plane crash delivering supplies to earthquake victims. Also the original team of the preternaturally talented and equally hated Barry Bonds, whose departure in 1992 began the collapse of the franchise.

* The '''Baltimore Orioles''': Although traditionally one of the flagship franchises of Baseball, they have entered a DorkAge with seemingly no end under the "leadership" of Peter Angelos, probably the most reviled owner in baseball. Since taking over the Orioles in 1993, his tremendous incompetence has turned a once proud franchise into the laughingstock of baseball. Almost everything he does makes you say WhatAnIdiot. They've had 14 consecutive losing seasons, topped only by the Pirates' still active streak of 19 seasons. The team's most famous players are super-fielder Brooks Robinson and "Iron Man" Cal Ripken Jr, both Hall-of-Famers who played their entire careers with the Orioles. Prior to 1953, the club was known as the St. Louis Browns and even then were mostly associated with losing, though they did manage a single World Series appearance in 1944 where they lost to in-town rivals the St. Louis Cardinals. During this era the Browns fielded the shorted player in baseball history, 3'7" midget Eddie Gaedel, who took one at-bat as a publicity stunt. The Browns years are something of an OldShame for Baltimore, as the Orioles do not recognize or commemorate any of their statistics or records from their time in St. Louis, and instead leave it to the Cardinals to honor the "Brownies." They currently play at Camden Yards, widely considered one of the most beautiful stadiums in the league.

* The '''Baltimore Orioles''': Although traditionally one of the flagship franchises of Baseball, they have entered a DorkAge with seemingly no end under the "leadership" of Peter Angelos, probably the most reviled owner in baseball. Since taking over the Orioles in 1993, his tremendous incompetence has turned a once proud franchise into the laughingstock of baseball. Almost everything he does makes you say WhatAnIdiot. They've had 14 consecutive losing seasons, topped only by the Pirates' still active streak of 19 seasons. The team's most famous players are super-fielder Brooks Robinson and "Iron Man" Cal Ripken Jr, both Hall-of-Famers who played their entire careers with the Orioles. Prior to 1953, the club was known as the St. Louis Browns. They play at Camden Yards, widely considered one of the most beautiful stadiums in the league.

* The '''Milwaukee Brewers''' are descended from Seattle's original team, the Pilots, who were a complete disaster that only lasted one season. Then they were bought by a Milwaukee car salesman, Bud Selig, who somehow worked his way up to commissioner of MLB. The Brewers are best known for playing at Miller Park, considered by many to be the best modern ballpark, and for their odd traditions such as the 6th inning "sausage races" and the mascot, Bernie Brewer, who formerly slid into various containers of liquid but now just slides down a waterpark-sponsored slide as [[ThinkOfTheChildren a cute mascot marketed towards children can't dive into an oversized mug of beer these days]]. Brewers fans are also considered to have invented tailgating back when the team played at County Stadium. Bob Uecker, better known outside of Wisconsin for his appearances in Lite Beer commercials, the sitcom ''MrBelvedere'', and the ''MajorLeague'' movies (not to mention being choked by AndreTheGiant at WrestleMania IV), has been the team's radio announcer since 1971. The Brewers had their glory days in the early '80s, nearly winning the 1982 World Series. They are the first of the currently existing MLB teams to have switched leagues, as they were American until 1998. Despite their fairly small market (smallest in MLB by Nielsen TV market size), the Brewers are generally considered an above-average team. In many ways, they're considered a SpiritualSuccessor to the Milwaukee Braves, having retired Hank Aaron's jersey and erected a statue of him outside of Miller Park despite having only spent two uneventful seasons with the Brewers. The Brewers are also the fourth team to have the name; the first two were short-lived (as in one season) teams in the also short-lived American Association and Union Association, and the third is now the Baltimore Orioles.