CARDINALS NOTEBOOK
Eckstein, Rolen Lead The Way
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, October 28, 2006; Page E07
ST. LOUIS, Oct. 27 -- It would seem logical that the St. Louis Cardinals would need Albert Pujols to produce for them to win the World Series. Yet after the Cardinals' Game 5 series-clinching win, it was the diminutive David Eckstein who won the most valuable player trophy, and it was Scott Rolen who had the highest batting average of any regular.
Meantime, Pujols ended the series just 3 for 15 (.200) with two RBI.
MLB Basics |
"It's a team that's got great depth and talent," Cardinals General Manager Walt Jocketty said. "We had a lot of guys that contributed. Detroit pitchers pitched Albert well."
The Cardinals had key hits in the series from Rolen, Jim Edmonds, Preston Wilson and Yadier Molina.
"If you look at our careers, we've all done some things," Wilson said of Pujols's supporting cast. "We may not get talked about in the media, but in our lineup, anybody from 1 to 9 can take over a game."
Weaver's Future
On Friday night in a postgame celebration on the field, Cardinals Game 5 starter Jeff Weaver, who allowed just one earned run in eight innings, was weeping and hugging his brother Jered, who pitches for the Los Angeles Angels. In a few weeks, it may be Jocketty who is weeping. Weaver, a free agent after the season, has likely earned himself a big contract. Jocketty said the Cardinals would love to have him back. Weaver said he would like to come back. But any negotiation involving agent Scott Boras could be complicated.
"Why wouldn't you?" Weaver asked if he wanted to return. "If you have the opportunity to have the chance to do this each and every year, which they've done over the past years, this is what we play for, is to have the chance to win and we'll just have to wait to see what happens."
Edmonds Treated
Cardinals center fielder Jim Edmonds said he no longer feels the effects of post-concussion syndrome, but he is still getting cortisone shots to relieve pain in his foot. Edmonds went 0 for 4 in Game 5 and finished the Series with a .235 average.
"As far as the foot is concerned, it's just something that we pretty much perfected as far as for me, being able to really localize the area and they put an injection right into the joint and just keeping that area numb for just long enough to get through the game," Edmonds said.
La Russa Recalls O's
Imagine what might have happened if Cardinals Manager Tony La Russa had taken the Baltimore Orioles manager job after the 1995 season. La Russa said he met with owner Peter Angelos that offseason.
"I was in the American League, I wanted to stay in the American League," La Russa said. "But the day I met there, I would never discuss a managerial job unless that job was vacant. And I thought it was and when I found out that Phil Regan was still under contract, I got home and said, 'I better not be considering it.' "
