For the thousands of St. Louis sports fans in the downtown area Monday night—a crowd that included droves of the Washington University community—hope and anticipation progressively eroded into disappointment and frustration. First, the Cardinals dropped to a 3-2 deficit in the World Series in their final home game of the season.

The St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox will meet in a World Series for the fourth time in history. St. Louis won the first two meetings, but the last time the teams met with a championship on the line was 2004, when Boston swept the Cardinals.

Anybody but Boston. As a Yankees fan whose team tragically missed out on the playoffs, “anybody but Boston” was the team I was rooting for to win the World Series once the postseason began.

Not sure who to root for? Can’t quite decide who the more appealing team is in this World Series? Here, we’ll help you by evaluating the teams (from 0 to 10) in several categories of the utmost importance. Stadium Red Sox: 8 Cardinals: 7 It’s the battle of old versus new.

Dear Cardinals fans, We’re very alike, you and I. Just as your hearts bleed for the Cardinals, my veins throb and pulse to the Bronx Bomber beat.

The 107th World Series in baseball history began last night here in St. Louis, as you might have heard already. And we know that some of you have been following the Cardinals since spring training began in Jupiter, Fla., back in February. But for you out-of-towners who haven’t been paying much attention before now, and watched last night’s 3-2 Cards’ victory without really knowing what was going on, fear not.

St. Louis, above all else, is a baseball town. The enthusiasm of the city is one of the things that has made the St. Louis Cardinals’ run through the playoffs and into the World Series so exciting. For Washington University students from different parts of the world, it has been easy to jump on the bandwagon as this team fought its way into the playoffs and past the competition. Here is a position-by-position breakdown of everything World Series.

Unlike Fenway Park, with its many seats behind giant green columns; Wrigley Field, forever enshrouded by a thick cloud of sadness; or Yankee Stadium, baseball’s equivalent of the Death Star, St. Louis’ Busch Stadium may be Major League Baseball’s finest establishment.

On Monday, April 5, the St. Louis Cardinals begin the regular season, hosting the Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium. After an NL Central division title and a first round exit in last year’s playoffs, the Cardinals are the clear favorites to take the division again. Here are some of the key themes and players who you should be watching out for:

For native St. Louisans, Cardinals baseball is a religion, and for Washington University students without a childhood team loyalty, the Cards are the team to watch.