From the announcement in January that St. Louis born educator/poet Dr Maya Angelou and st. Louis Cardinals legend Stan Musial were two of several who would receive the National Freedoms Award from President Obama at The White House to St Louis Rams' wide receiver rookie Austin Pettis receiving a four game suspension in December for taking performance enhancement drugs this season, St Louis had many arts and entertainment based events and notable stories that not only made an impact in the city, but also across the country.
Eight of the 10 stories chosen were sports related.
Below are the BIG STL A&E STORIEZ of 2011 from #10 to #1
6.St Louis Cardinals veteran Stan Musial Receives the National Freedoms Award. After a lengthy campaign in 2010 by stalwart St Louis Cardinals fans to persuade President Obama to give Stan the Man the National Freedoms Award, it became reality late last year that he along with several other noted people (including St Louis born poet/educator Dr Maya Angelou) would receive his award in February. It was an important moment for Cards fans, even slugger Albert Pujols delayed his contract negotiations that week with the organization in respects to Musial's day.
5.The Cardinals Rally Squirrel Becomes a Phenomenon During The Playoffs and World Series. During the Oct 5 Game between the Cardinals and the Phillies in Busch Stadium a weird happening occurred when a random squirrel appeared on the field and ran across home plate. As a result, the furry animal became a national phenom and a celebrity mascot for the Cardinals winning a spot in the World Series yielding a Twitter page, Rally towels and tee-shirts for Cards fans throughout the playoffs and the Cards eventual World Series achievement.
4.St. Louis Cardinals Manager Tony LaRussa Retires From Baseball. The past few months of this year for the St. Louis Cardinals has seen its share of swooping highs (winning the World Series) and swooping lows (Albert Pujols leaving the Cards for the Angels). In between both extremes was the shocking newz that its Skipper, Tony LaRussa, not only was departing as the manager of the Cards after 11 years, but he was retiring from baseball (some were not who listened to JC Cochran's show on KTRS where he hinted at LaRussa's intentions a month prior) --and he announced it during a press conference a couple days after St. Louis' win of the World Series in October. It made national newz, even getting him landed in the chair talking about it with David Letterman on his talk show. LaRussa became the first manager to retire in the same season after a World Series.
3.St. Louis Holds a World Series Pep Rally for the St Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium/MVP David Freese Receives The Key to the City. For a few weeks in October, St Louis was the talk of the country after the Cardinals' historic 11th World Series victory. What followed was an insanely populated rally that took place the Sunday after the victory in downtown St. Louis where hundreds of thousands of fans dressed in the team's red and white colors caught a glimpse of its heroes being heralded in a mini parade that ended at Busch Stadium. There, a quickly sold out rally had taken place where the team and its organization were celebrated. The highlight of the event was when St Louis Mayor Francis Slay had given the hero of Game 6 of the Series, MVPer and third baseman David Freese the Key to the City.
2.St Louis Cardinals Slugger Albert Pujols Leaves The Organization/Signs a $250 Million Deal with the Anaheim Angels. Throughout slugger Albert Pujols career, he has been dubbed "The Next..."Well, when December arrived, he became , "The Pariah." Pujols' final season with the St Cardinals was a bit aloof after the organization didnt re-sign Pujols before his deadline in February and the beginning of the 2011 Season clenching the fact he would be a Free Agent soon to be.
1. The St. Louis Cardinals Win The World Series at Busch Stadium.We wouldn’t be surprised if Oct 29 will become a holiday in St Louis when that was the day that The St Louis Cardinals won its 11th World Series Title in 2011 (dubbed “11 in 11”) by defeating the Texas Rangers. Yet the road to the Series was not easy. A frantic rush from 10½ games out in late August to reach the postseason on the final day of qualification was succeeded. Then, when they clenched the World Series slot in the Playoffs against the Phillies in early October, to play against the Rangers.
Below are the BIG STL A&E STORIEZ of 2011 from #10 to #1
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10. Mizzou Tigers Splits with Big 12 Conference. There have been rumors and rumblings about the Mizzou football team ciphering their ties from the iron clad Big 12 Conference to The Big 10 Southeastern Conference in mid 2010. It came into reality in November and it will be official in July.
9.St Louis Based Production Team Foxx Starstuckk Sues Saturday Night Live's Andy Samberg and Lonely Island for Royalties. In November, the Emmy award nominated St. Louis production duo Foxx Starstrukk (Monique Hines and Aleric Banks) filed suit in NYC claiming Saturday Night Live based group Lonely Island and NBC did not pay them production royalties when NBC used their beats for the Emmy Award nominated song, "Shy Ronnie" that was featured in a SNL Digisode featuring Rihanna and Lonely Island. The case is still pending.
8. St. Louis Filmed Reality Documentary Series "Welcome To Sweetie Pies" Becomes a Big Hit on OWN. Who knew that a documentary about a former backup singer for Ike and Tina Turner turned soul food proprietor in St. Louis (Robbie Montgomery) and her family and work brood would become the saving grace of megamillion TV goddess Oprah Winfrey's ratings waned OWN? The series, which filmed this spring in St Louis, aired this Fall and became a smash hit. So much, that The Big O greenlit a second season that began filming in December and will air next Spring.
7.Former St Louis Rams Player Marshall Faulk is Inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame.
10. Mizzou Tigers Splits with Big 12 Conference. There have been rumors and rumblings about the Mizzou football team ciphering their ties from the iron clad Big 12 Conference to The Big 10 Southeastern Conference in mid 2010. It came into reality in November and it will be official in July.
9.St Louis Based Production Team Foxx Starstuckk Sues Saturday Night Live's Andy Samberg and Lonely Island for Royalties. In November, the Emmy award nominated St. Louis production duo Foxx Starstrukk (Monique Hines and Aleric Banks) filed suit in NYC claiming Saturday Night Live based group Lonely Island and NBC did not pay them production royalties when NBC used their beats for the Emmy Award nominated song, "Shy Ronnie" that was featured in a SNL Digisode featuring Rihanna and Lonely Island. The case is still pending.
8. St. Louis Filmed Reality Documentary Series "Welcome To Sweetie Pies" Becomes a Big Hit on OWN. Who knew that a documentary about a former backup singer for Ike and Tina Turner turned soul food proprietor in St. Louis (Robbie Montgomery) and her family and work brood would become the saving grace of megamillion TV goddess Oprah Winfrey's ratings waned OWN? The series, which filmed this spring in St Louis, aired this Fall and became a smash hit. So much, that The Big O greenlit a second season that began filming in December and will air next Spring.
7.Former St Louis Rams Player Marshall Faulk is Inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. Despite the NFL Lockout that was going on during the summer days of August, the NFL Hall of Fame festivities remained intact as former St. Louis Rams running back Marshall Faulk, who was part of the 1999 Greatest Team on Turf Super Bowl Champs, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
The remaining six stories are all associated with each other directly and indirectly.
6.St Louis Cardinals veteran Stan Musial Receives the National Freedoms Award. After a lengthy campaign in 2010 by stalwart St Louis Cardinals fans to persuade President Obama to give Stan the Man the National Freedoms Award, it became reality late last year that he along with several other noted people (including St Louis born poet/educator Dr Maya Angelou) would receive his award in February. It was an important moment for Cards fans, even slugger Albert Pujols delayed his contract negotiations that week with the organization in respects to Musial's day. 
5.The Cardinals Rally Squirrel Becomes a Phenomenon During The Playoffs and World Series. During the Oct 5 Game between the Cardinals and the Phillies in Busch Stadium a weird happening occurred when a random squirrel appeared on the field and ran across home plate. As a result, the furry animal became a national phenom and a celebrity mascot for the Cardinals winning a spot in the World Series yielding a Twitter page, Rally towels and tee-shirts for Cards fans throughout the playoffs and the Cards eventual World Series achievement.
4.St. Louis Cardinals Manager Tony LaRussa Retires From Baseball. The past few months of this year for the St. Louis Cardinals has seen its share of swooping highs (winning the World Series) and swooping lows (Albert Pujols leaving the Cards for the Angels). In between both extremes was the shocking newz that its Skipper, Tony LaRussa, not only was departing as the manager of the Cards after 11 years, but he was retiring from baseball (some were not who listened to JC Cochran's show on KTRS where he hinted at LaRussa's intentions a month prior) --and he announced it during a press conference a couple days after St. Louis' win of the World Series in October. It made national newz, even getting him landed in the chair talking about it with David Letterman on his talk show. LaRussa became the first manager to retire in the same season after a World Series. 
3.St. Louis Holds a World Series Pep Rally for the St Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium/MVP David Freese Receives The Key to the City. For a few weeks in October, St Louis was the talk of the country after the Cardinals' historic 11th World Series victory. What followed was an insanely populated rally that took place the Sunday after the victory in downtown St. Louis where hundreds of thousands of fans dressed in the team's red and white colors caught a glimpse of its heroes being heralded in a mini parade that ended at Busch Stadium. There, a quickly sold out rally had taken place where the team and its organization were celebrated. The highlight of the event was when St Louis Mayor Francis Slay had given the hero of Game 6 of the Series, MVPer and third baseman David Freese the Key to the City.
2.St Louis Cardinals Slugger Albert Pujols Leaves The Organization/Signs a $250 Million Deal with the Anaheim Angels. Throughout slugger Albert Pujols career, he has been dubbed "The Next..."Well, when December arrived, he became , "The Pariah." Pujols' final season with the St Cardinals was a bit aloof after the organization didnt re-sign Pujols before his deadline in February and the beginning of the 2011 Season clenching the fact he would be a Free Agent soon to be. Despite the contractual drama, and a near season ending arm injury, Pujols still delivered on the mound breaking and making records during regular and post season including becoming the third player in history to hit three homeruns in a World Series game. Soon after the World Series victory, he became a free agent and received a long planned 10 foot statue in front of his eatery Pujols 5 at West port Plaza.
The negotiations of his return with the Cards swiftly became headline news again. Rumors were flying that Pujols was interested in signing with The Cubs (after the hugging "incident" with GM Jim Hendry during a game at Wrigley Field game in May) and the newly named Miami Marlins. St Louis talk host HJC Cochran put a bug on his KTRS radio ears in mid November that Pujols was set to sign again with The Cardinals through a reliable source, which was true up until the final hours when the Cards offered him $200 million for five years which brought a snag in Pujols' hopes for a 10 year deal. Then during the final hours in mid December , out of left field, the Anaheim Angels gave him what he wanted and more--$250 million for 10 years with no restrictions.
After the announcement of Pujols' departure to a new team, St Louis fans began "Judas--ing" the slugger even having security guards to guard the newly erected statue in his honor he received a month prior.
AND THE NO. 1 STL A&E STORY OF 2011 IS:
NO DOUBT
1. The St. Louis Cardinals Win The World Series at Busch Stadium.We wouldn’t be surprised if Oct 29 will become a holiday in St Louis when that was the day that The St Louis Cardinals won its 11th World Series Title in 2011 (dubbed “11 in 11”) by defeating the Texas Rangers. Yet the road to the Series was not easy. A frantic rush from 10½ games out in late August to reach the postseason on the final day of qualification was succeeded. Then, when they clenched the World Series slot in the Playoffs against the Phillies in early October, to play against the Rangers. The Series began on October 19, and The Cardinals enjoyed home-field advantage for the series. As the Series progressed, the series turned into an epic movie when Game 6 came into play. The game was originally scheduled for Wednesday, October 26, but was postponed due to heavy rain in the forecast but was played the next day. The Cards were a game behind the rangers leading into Game 6 (2-3) and had to win both game 6 to tie and Game 7 to win.
And then, the unbelievable happened. When it looked as though the Rangers were about to clench a victory in Game 6 at Busch Stadium, the Cards kept coming back even going into the 11th inning resulting in the game tied 9-9 and third baseman David Freese, who became the MVOP of the Series, hitting a homerun at the bottom of the 11th and adding an extra run making it 10-9 and tying the Series 3-3. After boosted hope that the Cards had a chance of winning the Series, it all was decided in Game 7 , which appeared anti-climatic after Game 6, and the Cards was able to hold out to win at the top of the 9th 6-2.
Critics and sports pundits have agreed that the comeback season of the Cardinals was one of the historic moments ever in MLB history. The overall average national Nielsen rating for the seven games was 10.0, with Fox's 14.7 rating for Game 7 being the network's highest for a World Series telecast since Game 4 of the 2004 World Series.
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