In the 1931 World Series, the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Philadelphia Athletics in seven games, a rematch and reversal of fortunes of the 1930 World Series.

The same two teams faced off during the 1930 World Series and the Athletics were victorious. The only day-to-day player in the Cardinals' lineup who was different in 1931 was the "Wild Horse of the Osage", Pepper Martin—a 27-year-old rookie who spent seven (7) years in the Minor Leagues. He led his team during this series in runs scored, hits, doubles, runs batted in and stolen bases, and also made a running catch to stifle a ninth-inning rally by the A's in the final game.

The spitball pitch was banned by Major League Baseball in 1920, but those who were grandfathered in were permitted to continue using it in their arsenal. One of those still pitching who "wet his pill" was Burleigh Grimes, who had two starts, two wins, and seven innings of no-hit pitching in Game 3.

The Athletics had captured their third straight American League pennant—winning 107 games—tallying their three year total to 313 wins. However, this would prove to be the final World Series for Athletics' manager Connie Mack. As with the loss in 1914, Mack would break up this great team by selling off the best players, this time out of perceived economic necessity rather than pique. It would be 41 years and two cities later before the A's would return to World Series action, the club having moved to Kansas City and then to Oakland in the meantime.

The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB), played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy. As the series is played in October, Major League Baseball also refers to it as the "Fall Classic". The most recent World Series was won by the St. Louis Cardinals, who defeated the Texas Rangers in 7 games in 2011.

The New York Yankees of the American League have played in 40 World Series and won 27, and the Oakland/Philadelphia Athletics have played in 14 and won 9. In the National League, the St. Louis Cardinals have played in 18 and won 11, while the San Francisco/New York Giants and Los Angeles/Brooklyn Dodgers have both appeared in 18 and won 6.

Until the formation of the American Association in 1882 as a second major league, the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (1871–75) and then the National League (founded 1876) represented the top level of organized baseball in the United States. All championships went to whoever had the best record at the end of the season, without a postseason series being played. Starting in 1884 and going through 1890, the National League and the American Association faced each other in a series of games at the end of the season to determine an overall champion. These matchups were disorganized in comparison to the modern Series: games played ranged from as few as three in 1884 (Providence defeated New York 3 games to zero), to a high of 15 in 1887 (Detroit beat St. Louis 10 games to 5), and both the 1885 and 1890 Series ended in ties, each team having won three games with one tie game.

Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was the 31st President of the United States (1929–1933). Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business under the rubric "economic modernization". In the presidential election of 1928, Hoover easily won the Republican nomination, despite having no previous elected-office experience. Hoover is the most recent cabinet secretary to be elected President of the United States, as well as one of only two Presidents (along with William Howard Taft) to have been elected without previous electoral experience or high military rank. America was prosperous and optimistic at the time, leading to a landslide victory for Hoover over Democrat Al Smith.

George Herman Ruth, Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948), best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American baseball player who spent 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) playing for three teams (1914–1935). Known for his hitting brilliance, Ruth set career records for home runs (714), slugging percentage (.690), runs batted in (RBI) (2,217), and on-base plus slugging (OPS) (1.164). Ruth originally entered the major leagues with the Boston Red Sox as a starting pitcher, but after he was sold to the New York Yankees in 1919, he converted to a full time right fielder. He subsequently became one of the league's most prolific hitters and with his home run hitting prowess, he helped the Yankees win seven pennants and four World Series titles. Ruth retired in 1935 after a short stint with the Boston Braves, and the following year, he became one of the first five players to be elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Ruth was the first player to hit 60 home runs in one season (1927), a mark first eclipsed by Roger Maris in 1961 with 61. Ruth's lifetime record of 714 home runs stood until 1974 when it was surpassed by Hank Aaron. Unlike many power hitters, Ruth also hit for a high batting average: his .342 lifetime average is the tenth highest in baseball history, and in one season (1923) he batted .393, a Yankee record. Ruth dominated the era in which he played. He led the league in home runs during a season twelve times, slugging percentage and OPS thirteen times each, runs scored eight times, and RBIs six times. Each of those totals represents a modern record.

The Stands were an English band from Liverpool.

The Stands were formed by Howie Payne in 2002. There was no fixed line up in the band originally and local musicians Martyn Campbell (Richard Ashcroft, Rain) Sean Payne (Zutons) Russel Pritchard (Zutons) and Robby Stevenson (Hokum Clones) all contributed to early shows. Payne recruited local acoustic performer Steve Pilgrim to play drums and Luke Thomson on Guitar. The trio along with Martin Cambell on Bass recorded a selection of demos at Parr St Studios in Liverpool. Payne reportedly financed the demos by roadying for The Zutons on the first UK tour.

In September 2002 the ITV program This Is Music was in Liverpool to film bands who played The Bandwagon night at The Zanzibar Club in the city. Originally The Stands were not on the bill until the rest of the bands appearing petitioned the producers of the show to add The Stands to the Program. The Stands were added to the program and performed All Years Leaving. Russ Pritchard (Zutons) played Bass. It was at this show that Dean Ravera approached the band and asked to play bass in the band. Ravera joined the band a week later and the band were invited to support The Coral on the autumn UK tour.