Rob Rains, Editor, STLSportsPage.com
Rob Rains was named Missouri Sportswriter of the Year in January 2025, by The National Sports Media Associan (NSMA)
He was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2017, St. Louis Media HOF 2018, and is a former National League beat writer for USA Today’s Baseball Weekly. For three years he covered the Cardinals for the St. Louis Globe-Democrat until its demise in the 1980s.
Rains was awarded the Freedom Forum Grant to teach Journalism for a year at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State. Based in St. Louis, Rains is often a guest on Frank Cusumano’s Pressbox Show on 590AM and has been writing books, magazine articles, and covers the Cardinals for STLSportsPage.com. He has written or co-written more than 30 books, most on baseball, including autobiographies or biographies of Ozzie Smith, Jack Buck, and Red Schoendienst.
He was one of the founders of Rainbows for Kids and for 23 years has volunteered his time as a coach for the Rainbows for Kids baseball team which consists of children with cancer and their siblings. The photo, left, shows former Cardinal Matt Carpenter helping Rains at one of the Rainbows for Kids “All-Star Games.”
Working Hard For You
Rob Rains covers the Cardinals on a daily basis and he also travels to the minor leagues to keep the readers up to date on all of the young talent in the Cardinals organization. He has many sources and on occasion breaks stories.
He uses his platform to help others. His connections from baseball have often donated their time to help with Rainbows for Kids, especially a baseball team for children with cancer and their siblings held every summer in St. Louis.
The photo, right is former Mike Shildt at one of the “All-Star Games” for the kids.
Want to know more about Rob Rains?
- Interview of Rob done by Brian Garner for Brian’s “Tigers, Tailgates, and Friends.” CLICK HERE.
- Here is an interview by David Oliver for his podcast “OT With Oliver.” Oliver was surprised at all Rains had done :
Rob’s Awards and Honors
Missouri Sportswriter of the Year– June, 2025
ob Rains received the Missouri Sportswriter of the Year award on Monday presented by the National Sports Media Association (NSMA) at their annual dinner in Greensboro, N.C. National sports reporters including Mike Tirico, Ken Rosenthal, Ian Eagle and Dan Shaughnessy were also honored.
Missouri Sports Hall of Fame- -2017
Sally and Rob Rains: Citizens of the Year– 2021
In 2021- Rob and Sally Rains were named “Citizens of the Year” for their charity work through Rainbows for Kids working with Watson Trails Park to build a wheel chair accessible playground.
St. Louis Media Hall of Fame
Rob and Sally Rains were inducted into the St. Louis Media Hall of Fame in 2019.
Rob Rains and Sally Tippett Rains run STLSportsPage.com along with other writers and contributors. Rains is a credentialed reporter in the locker rooms and on the field, at the Winter Meetings, at the Draft and at Spring Training.
Some Books by Rob Rains:
Charlie Gitto: The Mayor of Sixth Street- Published in 2020
Intentional Walk, published by Thomas Nelson 2013, a look at the faith of the St. Louis Cardinals
Wild Cards. commemorating 2011 Cards Season.
The Curse: Cubs Win, Cubs Win … or Do They? Co-written,Andy Van Slyke. Ascend Books, 2010.
Tony LaRussa, Man on a Mission. Triumph 2009
James Naismith: Man Who Invented Basketball, Temple 2009
Accept the Challenge: The Memoirs of Jerry Clinton.Reedy Press, 2006
Albert the Great: the Albert Pujols Story. Sports Publishing. 2005.
My 1 Big Break: Inspiring Stories of Successful Business and Professional Leaders.w/ Grimm, Johnson. Spotlight Press. 2004.
Centerfield on Fire (with Dave Phillips). Triumph Books. 2004
Beyond X’s and O’s, My Thirty Years in the NFL (with Jim Hanifan). Sports Publishing Inc., 2003.
Whitey’s Boys. Triumph Books, 2002. *Cardinal Nation, The Sporting News, 2002
Ozzie Smith, the Road to Cooperstown. Sports Publishing, 2002.
Baseball Samurais, Ichiro Suzuki and the Japanese Invasion. St. Martin’s Press, 2001.
The Mighty ‘Mox, the 75th Anniversary History of KMOX Radio(with Sally Tippett Rains). Diamond Communications, 2000.
Marshall Faulk, Rushing to Glory. Sports Publishing, 1999.
Find A Way, Valpo’s Sweet Season (with coach Homer Drew) Diamond Communications, 1999.
3 Mark McGwire Books: Home Run Hero. St. Martin’s, 1998; Mac Attack, Sports Publshing, 1998; Slugger, Sports Pub. ’98
Red: A Baseball Life (with Red Schoendienst). Sports Publishing, 1998.
Jack Buck, That’s A Winner. Sports Publishing, 1997.
Playing On His Team (with Sally Tippett Rains). CrossTraining Publishing, 1996.
The Cardinal Fans Little Book of Wit and Wisdom. Diamond Communications, 1994.
The St. Louis Cardinals’ 100th Anniversary History. St. Martin’s Press, 1992.
Wizard (with Ozzie Smith). Contemporary Books, 1988.
Rob Rains, B.J. Rains are first ever father-son duo to win National Sports Media Association State Sportswriter of the Year the same year
Rob Rains won the Missouri Sportswriter of the Year, June 2, 2025. One of the highlights of the dinner was that his son, B.J. Rains, won the state writer of the year award for Idaho, where he runs the Bronco Nation News website covering Boise State athletics. CLICK HERE
Charity Involvement
Rains volunteers his time helping run Rainbows for Kids, a 501 (c)(3) charity for families of children with cancer in the Greater St. Louis Area.
