St. Louis Cardinals receive their World Series rings - Sportsrageous

On Saturday morning, the St. Louis Cardinals celebrated winning the 2011 World Series title, and received their rings in a ceremony before their game against the Chicago Cubs.

Each player and staff member was recognized individually by owner Bill DeWitt, Jr.,  team president Bill DeWitt III and general manager John Mozeliak.

“We are excited to present the 2011 team with their rings,” owner Bill DeWitt III said. “We worked hard to design a ring that would tell the epic story of 2011, and also pay tribute to the great history of the franchise.”

The ring is 14K white gold, with 103 diamonds and 28 rubies. On one side, there is the player’s name and number, as well as the infamous rally squirrel that made his appearance during Skip Schumaker’s at-bat in Game 4 of the NLDS.

The other side features the number “11″ in rubies to signify the team’s eleven championships, and underneath, the years they have won are listed.

The inside of the ring has the phrase, “Happy Flight,” which became a common phrase amongst the team, as they won a number of games at the end of road trips during the second half of last season.  Above the phrase is the three playoff series scores.

“It’s one of those things where it just represents last year and all the hard work,” said outfielder Jon Jay. “Ever since I was a kid I dreamed of something like this.”

Cubs coach Dave Mckay was also recognized and received a ring, being manager Tony LaRussa’s first base coach last season.

The entire Cubs team was in their dugout to watch the ceremony.

“It’s important to show your respect for the world champions,” manager Dale Sveum said. “I can’t speak for the players, but it’s a special day to see that, especially watching one of our own get his ring. I hope when we win it, another team is watching us get our rings. I think that’s the way things should be done.”

Adam Wainwright received a ring, although he did not pitch last season. New Cardinal manager Mike Matheny was presented with a ring as well, but did not collect it today since he was not a part of the 2011 team.

“That was a great gift from the organization,” Matheny said. “When I wear that ring, when I look at it, I’ll realize what that team did last year. Being a part of the organization, everybody took a lot of pride in that.”

The Cardinals went on to defeat the Cubs 5-1 after the ceremony and a rain delay.