Cardinals 3, Reds 1

CINCINNATI — Carlos Beltran and David Freese got their third home runs of the season Tuesday night, and Kyle Lohse provided another stingy pitching performance, as St. Louis made it two straight over the Cincinnati Reds with a 3-1 decision.

The Cardinals are off to a 5-1 start for the first time since 2008.

“If those guys keep doing that, we’re going to have a pretty good club,” first-year manager Mike Matheny said.

Beltran got a solo homer against Mike Leake (0-1) in the first inning. Moments after a Lance Berkman triple, Freese added a two-run shot off Leake in the sixth, giving him 10 RBI on the season.

St. Louis has hit 11 homers, including five in two games at hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park.

Lohse (2-0) took a no-hitter into the eighth on opening day in sunny Miami on his way to a 4-1 victory.

With temperatures in the 40s on Tuesday night, he was in control again, allowing Joey Votto’s sixth-inning RBI sacrifice fly and four hits in six innings. Former Collierville and Ole Miss star Zack Cozart led off the inning with a triple, his second of the season, and scored on Votto’s fly out.

Despite the blustery conditions, at night’s end, the Cardinal starters had an ERA of 1.86.

“You’re not going to get the same feel of the ball,” Lohse said.

Mitchell Boggs and Jason Motte retired the last nine Reds, Motte getting his second save.

“We’re going to win a ton of games when our starters are doing that.” Freese said.

Brandon Phillips, who earlier in the day signed a new six-year $72.5 million contract, remained out with a hamstring injury suffered Monday. He is expected to miss several days.

Leake escaped another big Cardinals first inning by getting Yadier Molina to ground into a bases-loaded double play.

“It’s still a difficult lineup,” Leake said after the loss. “They lost a big name, but they’re still a threat.”

Berkman left the game in the eighth, his left calf tightening after running out his triple.

National League

Braves 6, Astros 4 at Houston: Chipper Jones, taken off the disabled list earlier in the day, belted a two-run homer, rookie Tyler Pastornicky added a solo shot and Atlanta got its first win in five starts, snapping Houston’s three-game win streak. Former Memphis Tiger Dan Uggla broke out of a hitting funk with two hits, including a double.

Brewers 7, Cubs 4 at Chicago: Milwaukee lit up Cubs and former Germantown lefty Paul Maholm (0-1) for six runs in the first four innings, including Alex Gonzalez’ three-run homer in the first and a solo shot by Jonathan Lucroy.

Dodgers 2, Pirates 1 at Los Angeles: Andre Ethier, celebrating his 30th birthday, hit a tie-breaking homer with two outs in the eighth inning as Los Angeles got the win over Pittsburgh.

Nationals 6, Mets 2 at New York: Ross Detwiler (1-0) pitched five scoreless innings, Ian Desmond homered and Jayson Werth had four hits as Washington handed New York its first loss on the night it learned David Wright had suffered a broken finger.

American League

Tigers 5, Rays 2 at Detroit: Miguel Cabrera doubled and scored on Prince Fielder’s single to start a three-run eighth-inning rally in a snow shower as Detroit (4-0) beat Tampa Bay. Three of the Tigers’ wins have come in their last at-bat.

Blue Jays 7, Red Sox 3 at Toronto: Kyle Drabek won for the first time since June, Edwin Encarnacion homered and Toronto dropped Boston to 1-4.

Rangers 1, Mariners 0 at Arlington, Texas: Neftali Feliz pitched seven crisp innings in his first major league start as Texas made a second-inning RBI infield single by David Murphy stand up.

Yankees 5, Orioles 4 (12) at Baltimore: Doubles by Robinson Cano and Raul Ibanez in the 12th gave the Yankees a second straight win over Baltimore, which had the bases loaded in the ninth but couldn’t convert. Mariano Rivera pitched a perfect 12th for his first save of the season.

White Sox-Indians, ppd. at Cleveland: Rain and cold weather postponed the game. No new date has been set.

MIAMI — The sellout crowd in the Miami Marlins’ new ballpark cheered the introduction of their starters, who were accompanied by women dressed as Latin showgirls. There was another roar for Muhammad Ali, who delivered the first pitch.

Then Kyle Lohse and the World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals went to work, and the place grew quiet.

Lohse held Miami hitless until the seventh inning and pitched into the eighth to help the Cardinals win the first game in Marlins Park, 4-1 Wednesday night.

The Marlins’ new animated home-run sculpture never budged. It was the fourth inning before they even managed a baserunner, and by the time they scored in the eighth, they trailed 4-0.

“It’s a good ballpark for a pitcher, obviously,” Lohse said. “It’s pretty hard to get it out.”

New Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen was asked if the team’s new home is a pitcher’s park.

“For Lohse, yes,” Guillen said. “But it’s too early to say how the ballpark is going to play.”

The crowd of 36,601 included newly retired Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, who quietly rooted for his former team from the press box.

He watched Lohse retire the first 10 batters before hitting Emilio Bonifacio with a pitch. The runner was erased when Hanley Ramirez grounded into a double play.

Newcomer Jose Reyes singled for Miami’s first hit to start the seventh, and Omar Infante scored the Marlins’ run in the eighth on John Buck’s double. Lohse went 7 1-3 innings, allowing only two hits and one run.

The right-hander led the Cardinals last year in victories and ERA but got the call for opening day only because ace Chris Carpenter is sidelined with nerve irritation that has caused weakness in his pitching shoulder.

David Freese, the World Series MVP, had a two-run single in the first inning to give Lohse the cushion he needed. Freese and Rafael Furcal each had three of the Cardinals’ 13 hits.

“Tonight was fun,” Freese said. “It’s always nice to get the season going and to open up here, beautiful ballpark, the fans were excited about it and so were we.”

Jason Motte earned the save with a one-hit ninth, completing the four-hitter and sending the Cardinals to the clubhouse to celebrate first-year manager Mike Matheny’s debut win.

“We gave him a little water shower,” Lohse said. “Most people go with the adult beverage but we went with the water.”

Things were so bad for Guillen’s team that Marlins ace Josh Johnson recorded the ballpark’s first strikeout — but as a hitter.

Johnson allowed 10 hits and three runs in six innings. The 2010 NL ERA leader was pitching for the first time since last May 16, when shoulder inflammation ended his year.

Ramirez, making the switch to third base from shortstop, had an especially rough night. He drew scattered boos when he pulled up rather than dive for a grounder to his left, and he failed to throw out Furcal on a bunt that went for a hit. Ramirez also struck out with a runner aboard in the ninth to finish 0 for 4.

Both teams began the season with a new look. The Marlins, anticipating better attendance and higher revenue in their new home, acquired three All-Stars in an offseason spending spree. The Cardinals, coming off a thrilling late-season charge to the World Series title, lost slugger Albert Pujols to free agency and La Russa to retirement.

La Russa visited with Matheny before the game. Also on hand was baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, who said his reaction to the ballpark was, “Wow.”

Among the eye-catching features is the colorful home-run sculpture beyond the center-field wall, but the Marlins failed to activate it, although Giancarlo Stanton did send two flies to the warning track.

The retractable roof, which is expected to be closed for all but about 10 games, was opened 30 minutes before the first pitch, revealing a nearly full moon on a 79-degree evening. Surprise guest Ali delivered the first pitch, which Ramirez gently took from the champ’s hand.

The first pitch from Johnson to Rafael Furcal caught the outside corner for a called strike. Furcal then grounded to new shortstop Reyes for the first out.

Cardinals newcomer Carlos Beltran followed with the first hit, a sharp single to right. He took third on a double by Lance Berkman, and Freese drove in both runs with a two-out single.

Furcal’s two-out RBI single in the second made it 3-0, and a 50-foot groundout by Daniel Descalso brought home an insurance run in the eighth.

NOTES: The Marlins drew 41,237 for last year’s home opener, then went on to finish last in the NL in attendance for the seventh consecutive year. … Before the game, Guillen said Ramirez has a chance to be the NL MVP. … The only no-hitter on opening day was thrown in 1940 by Hall of Famer Bob Feller for the Cleveland Indians against the Chicago White Sox. … Lohse pitched five shutout innings in his only other opening-day start, which was in 2008.

Allen Eyestone/The Palm Beach Post

Baseball commissioner Bud Selig, at Marlins Park before the first regular-season game at the stadium, says he has yet to award the All-Star Game site in 2013. The Marlins hope to host the 2015 midsummer game.

St. Louis was the center of attention in 1904.
The city was hosting the World’s Fair in Forest Park and was also selected to have the first Summer Olympic Games on American soil. People from all over the world met in St. Louis and not only witnessed what the Fair had to offer, but the city as well — and baseball was part of the summer spectacle. The St. Louis Cardinals didn’t have an exciting season that year, they eventually finished in fifth place with a 75-79 record.
St. Louis visitors were entertained, St. Louis baseball fans probably weren’t happy their baseball team wasn’t doing so well, but there was one particular road trip they took where the fans came out in mass numbers — the Cardinals probably couldn’t count the number of people that showed up to the train station to greet them, yet that’s what happened when the St. Louis Cardinals came to play Hannibal.
It was all thanks to veteran first baseman Jake Beckley. The Hannibal native was near the end of his career when he came to the Cardinals and since the team was going to have some open dates following a series with the Chicago Cubs before a road trip to play the Cincinnati Reds, Beckley was able to bring his team to Hannibal for a Sept. 8, 1904, exhibition game. This wasn’t the first time “Old Eagle Eye” — Beckley’s popular nickname — brought a big league team to town. Beckley brought the Pittsburgh Pirates to Hannibal in 1896 — his seventh year in the pros.
The train pulled into station at noon and when the players exited the cars, They were met with a roar of cheers and applause. Beckley made room arrangements in the Kettering Hotel (demolished in the 1990s to make room for the new flood wall) where the team rested before game time at Athletic Park later that afternoon.
“I may pitch an inning or two to satisfy the crowd, but that will be all” Cardinals player/manager and future Hall of Fame pitcher Kid Nichols told a Courier-Post reporter at the train station. “The team is badly crippled and I have been doing so much of the pitching here of late that I’m in no condition to do any work today. I am well pleased with Hannibal, and I think you have a nice little city here.”
After the players were out of the public eye, fans headed for the ballpark where they would witness a close battle and a dramatic finish.

Down to the wire
The Cardinals scored first with a run in the top of the first. The Redbirds added to their lead with another run in the third.
It looked as if this was going to be a routine exhibition game with a big league team going up against nine amateurs, but Hannibal came back in the bottom of the fourth when the second baseman Monahan and outfielders Jessup and Gallagher scored after reaching on base hits. The big inning put Hannibal up over St. Louis 3-2, but the Cardinals kept going strong.
According to the Courier-Post article, “it was apparent that something had to be done or the visitors would be beaten.”
After a scoreless fifth thanks to dominant pitching from St. Louis’ Nichols and Jack Dunleavy and Hannibal’s Myers (who pitched a complete game), the Cardinals came back to tie Hannibal 3-3 when they scored a run in the sixth.
Hannibal’s eight total hits on the day weren’t enough to send more runners home following their big fourth inning takeover. Myers struck out four Cardinal batters while Nichols only managed to whiff one and Dunleavy retired two. In the seventh, however, the Hannibal hurler couldn’t stop his fellow Hannibalian from stealing the show.
“It was in the air that the Cardinals would win in the seventh inning and they appeared to save that determination themselves,” the Courier-Post reported.
After St. Louis’ Charlie Swindells and John Farrell reached on base hits, Beckley came to the plate. He was a big man standing higher than six feet and weighed at just about 200 pounds.
“He made a feint as if he intended to bunt the ball and all the base runners to make a double steal,” the Courier-Post reported, “but instead he lifted the sphere over the right field fence and with that ever present smile that accompanies his feats, he trotted around the bases.”
Beckley’s blast put St. Louis ahead, and with the scoreless innings that followed, the homer that gave the Cardinals a 6-3 lead ended up being the game’s final score.
The Cardinals left the next morning for their road series where they took two of three games from the Reds.

The defending World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals will start their 2012 season next week, but traveling there to ball games this year will be a bit more complicated this year because of highway construction in central Illinois.

Construction will be taking place where westbound Interstate 64 and I-57 are merged for a few miles at Mt. Vernon, Ill., about midway between Evansville and St. Louis.

Starting this Thursday night, westbound I-64/northbound I-57 will be reduced to one lane for three

miles. The lane closure is expected to continue until Nov. 1 as that side of the interstate is reconstructed and widened from two lanes to three.

The Illinois Department of Transportation is warning motorists to “expect major delays.”

“You don’t think something that far north is going to affect you,” but motorists traveling from here to St. Louis and beyond certainly will be affected, Illinois DOT spokesman Keith Roberts said Monday.

That stretch of I-64/I-57 has daily traffic counts “approaching 40,000. It’s busier than any interstate (in Illinois) outside of Chicago,” Roberts said.

He declined to speculate on how long motorists might be delayed by merging traffic and one-lane traffic. More will be known after the lane closure has been put into effect.

The Illinois DOT said motorists traveling westbound on I-64 should consider exiting at Illinois 37, traveling north through Mt. Vernon, then taking Illinois 15 west to I-64/I-57. But Roberts acknowledged that isn’t a pain-free detour. “It has lots of stop signs and stoplights,” he said, and Illinois 15 will be dumping traffic into the middle of the work zone.

Return trips from St. Louis won’t be affected by the construction project; the eastbound I-64/southbound I-57 lanes were widened last year. In fact, one of those lanes will be used to carry traffic through the work zone and toward St. Louis this year. That oversized lane will be 17 feet wide, which Roberts said engineers hope will help traffic move more smoothly past the construction area.

Still, he advised motorists to allow extra time for trips past Mt. Vernon.

The project is intended to improve traffic flow along the two merged interstates.

“It will be a pleasant addition; it’s a needed addition,” Roberts said. “But it will be painful” while construction is under way.

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Daniel Bard is not concerned with the stamina needed to start. He’s concentrating on his control.

Bard was hit hard, with Shane Robinson’s bases-loaded triple in the eighth inning chasing the Boston pitcher Thursday as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Red Sox 9-6.

Bard, trying to convert to a starter after serving as Boston’s setup man, allowed seven earned runs in 2 2-3 innings.

“Physically, I could throw more pitches,” Bard said. “Obviously (I) just wasn’t in the zone, wasn’t throwing strike one. (I) just need to be a little more aggressive early in the count.”

The Cardinals trailed 6-4 entering the eighth inning but Robinson, a reserve center fielder, cleared the bases with a triple off

Bard.

“I actually felt pretty comfortable because I’d faced Bard all three years of college,” said Robinson, who went to Florida State when Bard was at North Carolina. “I was just looking for something I could do some damage with. He gave me a pitch to hit.”

Boston starter Alfredo Aceves, one of the pitchers Bard is competing with, scattered three hits over four innings and struck out four while allowing just one run.

The start was Aceves’ first of the spring and he has a 1.00 ERA in nine innings.

He allowed three hits in the first two innings before retiring six consecutive batters to conclude his appearance.

With rumors swirling about how the Red Sox may use him, Aceves believes he is “valuable” in whatever

role Boston chooses for him.

“The rhythm of the game was a priority for me personally,” Aceves said when asked about Thursday’s outing. “So far, so good (this spring). I think everything is good.”

Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said before the game that he wants to see all the fourth and fifth starter candidates throw two more times before making any decisions.

Kyle Lohse made the start for the Cardinals and allowed three runs in 3 2-3 innings. He gave up a two-run home run to Darnell McDonald in the fourth.

Lohse did not allow a run in his first three innings on the mound. Cardinals manager Mike Matheny indicated Lohse began to tire in the fourth inning.

“I thought he looked good in the first three (innings),”

Matheny said. “When he starts feeling a little bit fatigued, the ball starts coming up for him. . That’s kind of something I’ve seen from him in the past. As we stretch him out, he’s going to get stronger and carry that good stuff later in the game.”

Cardinal right fielder Erik Komatsu had an RBI double to right-center field in the top of the second inning to open the game’s scoring.

Attempting to score from first on the double, St. Louis’ Matt Carpenter collided with Boston shortstop Nick Punto as Carpenter rounded second base. The Cardinals’ left fielder, who was knocked to the ground and lost his helmet after the two slammed into each other, was awarded home as interference was called on Punto.

Both players were not

injured and remained in the game.

Dustin Pedroia hit a solo home run in the fourth inning to give the Red Sox a 4-1 lead.

St. Louis shortstop Rafael Furcal was 2 for 4 with an RBI while center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury was 2 for 3 for the Red Sox.

Also on Thursday, MESA, Ariz. (AP) — The Chicago Cubs have sent a minor league pitcher to Boston as part of the compensation deal for hiring executive Theo Epstein.

The Cubs traded 21-year-old righty Aaron Kurcz to Boston. He was 5-4 with a 3.28 ERA last season as a starter and reliever at Class A Daytona.

The Cubs previously sent reliever Chris Carpenter to Boston. The Red Sox still owe a player to Chicago to complete the deal.

The retired St. Louis Cardinals manager shared career jokes, stories and highlights Wednesday at Jesse Auditorium.

By

Nate Atkins

Published March 16, 2012

It has been nearly five months since Tony La Russa retired after leading the St. Louis Cardinals to one of the most memorable World Series victories in recent memory.

But when he addressed the MU community Wednesday night at Jesse Hall, La Russa talked as if he never left the Cardinals at all.

Referring to the 2011 Major League Baseball champions as “we” and “our team,” La Russa told anecdotes of his career managing the Cardinals, Chicago White Sox and Oakland Athletics to a red-dominated crowd in Jesse Auditorium. The event, hosted by the Missouri Students Association, ran under the theme, “How to manage winning baseball teams,” La Russa said.

“A lot of those happened here in St. Louis,” La Russa said. “We have a great example that we should take advantage of and that was the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals.”

La Russa was able to glean insight into his managerial career, which stands as one of the most successful in MLB history. La Russa is a four-time league manager of the year and ranks third all-time in MLB victories with 2,728 wins in his 33 years at the pro level. He has also led three teams to World Series championships, two of which came with the Cardinals.

With a wealth of St. Louis natives and Cardinals fans in the audience, La Russa described the most recent World Series title, when his team grabbed a playoff spot on the final day of the regular season and proceeded to come back from a 3-2 series deficit to defeat the Texas Rangers in a best-of-seven series for the championship.

“The only way we had gotten there was we had the guts that you needed,” La Russa said of the postseason run. “Plus, we had more talent than people thought.”

La Russa paced the speech with stories and jokes from throughout his career while translating the lessons he taught in baseball into teachable points for a collegiate audience. He talked of his managerial key of “personalization,” or of reaching out to players as individuals to create team chemistry.

“We try to get the players to believe that they want this, whatever it is, and then you try to get them to understand how important it is to want it,” La Russa said.

One story La Russa told that received laughter from the crowd was of Cardinals All-Star ace Chris Carpenter. Carpenter had been getting hit consistently in an outing, and La Russa had gone to the mound to take him out.

“I went over to talk to him, and I’d seen enough,” La Russa said. “I said, ‘Carp, give me the ball.’ ‘What are you talking about, man?’ he says. ‘I’m not tired.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, but our outfielders are.’”

The two-hour event included a lengthy question-and-answer session. La Russa tackled questions about the recent departures of star slugger Albert Pujols and outfielder Colby Rasmus, topics La Russa earlier joked that he would save until question time.

The event offered a good opportunity to discover the method behind La Russa’s questionable managerial calls, sophomore Casey Reichart said.

“Personally, as a Cardinals fan, I really liked it, and for more than just the fact that I am a fan,” Reichart said. “We got to hear about the game of baseball and kind of how he’s done along the way to be a successful manager.”

MSA Speakers Committee chairwoman Amanda Gastler was unable to be reached for comment.

03/14/2012

by Joe Wilhelm Jr., Staff Writer

Based on his experiences with three high-profile sports franchises — the New York Giants, New York Jets and St. Louis Cardinals — new Jacksonville Jaguars President Mark Lamping sees similar opportunities in Jacksonville.

Lamping began his career with the Jaguars last week evaluating staff and facilities, joining a leadership team that includes general manager Gene Smith and head coach Mike Mularkey.

“My fundamental role is to do everything we can to make Gene Smith and Coach Mularkey’s job easier,” said Lamping in an interview Tuesday.

“From a functional standpoint, I am basically responsible for all the business aspects of the Jaguars,” he said.

Though Lamping said he was impressed with the Jaguars staff, daily evaluations will continue.

“I think evaluations happen every day, whether you are the first year in the organization or 10th or 20th. I’ve been very pleased with the staff that we’ve found here,” he said.

“Does that mean there won’t be some tweaking? Obviously, every organization evolves. Evolution happens quicker when there is an ownership change dropped in the middle of the organization. First we need to determine where we want to end up and everyone is given the resources and the ability to make decisions to get there,” he said.

A veteran of more than 20 years as an executive in professional sports, Lamping became the Jaguars’ first president in 15 years.

He was named president of the Jaguars on Feb. 13 and his first day on the job was Feb. 27.

Lamping’s professional career includes serving as a marketing executive with Anheuser-Busch, commissioner of the Continental Basketball Association, 14 seasons as president of the St. Louis Cardinals and the past four years as CEO of New Meadowlands Stadium Co., the joint venture formed between New York Giants and the New York Jets to develop and operate the new $1.6 billion stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

Lamping also understands that he is coming into a different situation than he has experienced during the last few stops on his career path.

St. Louis and New York offer larger fan bases, but they also have their challenges.

“I tend to look at what we have and not at what we don’t have. We have one professional team that does business in North Florida and Southern Georgia,” he said.

“I just came from New York, where there were 10 major league teams, so there is not a lot of clutter (here). There are a huge number of football fans in Northern Florida and Southern Georgia and they are very knowledgeable fans.”

He made the comparison between his hometown of St. Louis and Jacksonville.

“They are similar in a lot of ways. One is a little bit of the attitude. In St. Louis, some of the time we were our own worst enemy. We were very protective of the things that were St. Louis,” said Lamping.

“The other side of the coin is that we were always envious of Chicago and when you go through that, sometimes you don’t spend as much time focusing on those things that are really unique, special and unique about where you are.”

He said Jacksonville is one of the most “geographically desirable places to live in the country.”

“If you live here, you probably take it for granted a little bit,” said Lamping.

Lamping explained that the comparison relates to the Jaguars in that the team was a source of pride for the city when it was first announced and when it would contend in the playoffs.

“Think about the pride Jacksonville had when the team first came here. It was like ‘we shocked the world.’ You all had this great success,” said Lamping.

“Then you go through this tough economic time and it’s hard to remember when it was really good. I don’t see any reason why Jacksonville can’t rediscover its swagger a little bit. There are a lot of wonderful things that have happened here, that are happening here today and will continue to happen in the future,” he said.

jwilhelm@baileypub.com

356-2466

JUPITER, Fla. — St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Adam Wainwright isn’t trying to make too big of a deal about his upcoming spring training start.

Sure, it’s his first time pitching in a game since he was sidelined in 2010 and missed the entire 2011 season because of elbow surgery.

But after a year of rehab and waiting to get back on the mound, Wainwright knows Friday’s start against Minnesota won’t be just another day either.

“I’m normally not a butterfly guy. I expect some butterflies,” he said Sunday after throwing his final batting practice session in preparation for the appearance. “There have been several real key moments in my career that I had some butterflies. This year when I pitch at Busch Stadium for the first time, there’ll probably be some butterflies. We’ll have to wait and see.”

Wainwright threw around 30 pitches Sunday and said he approached it with the kind of intensity he usually reserves for game days during the regular season.

Wainwright will likely throw a bullpen session before Friday but said he said he was maximizing the time against hitters on Sunday.

“I wanted it to be as close to a simulated game as possible,” he said. “I knew I walked (Tyler Greene), so I went out and stretched the rest of that inning. Just to simulate what I would do in an inning. I did my normal warmups between innings and tried to think what I would normally think.

“There were a couple of pitches I wouldn’t have done during a game. But mostly I was trying to be me out there. This is my last hurdle and my last go of it.”

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny watched the session and said that it’s no secret that the coaching staff has been very deliberate with Wainwright.

“He’s been the one guy we’ve been clear about from the beginning that we’ve got to stay on the program with him,” Matheny said. “He’s been on track and to stay on track is really important.”

Other developments

Union says leak of Braun test isolated: The players’ association believes the leak of NL MVP Ryan Braun’s drug test was an isolated occurrence.

Speaking Sunday at the Milwaukee Brewers’ training camp, union head Michael Weiner says “the leak was specific to this case” and “does not threaten the confidentiality of the program.” Weiner says “the idea that there is confidentiality to the appeals process is critical. If we felt there was a real threat to that here, we’d have a big problem.”

Briefly: Oft-injured reliever Joel Zumaya has told the Minnesota Twins he’ll have reconstructive surgery on his right elbow. Twins general manager Terry Ryan confirmed that noted orthopedist Dr. James Andrews will perform the Tommy John ligament replacement procedure on Zumaya’s throwing arm later this month. … Stephen Strasburg struck out three in his spring training debut, but gave up two runs while pitching into the third inning of the Washington Nationals’ 10-2 loss to the Houston Astros. … Alex Rodriguez homered on the first pitch he saw from Roy Halladay and later added an RBI double and single in the Yankees 7-4 win over Philadelphia.

Ryan Braun struck out in his only two at-bats in Milwaukee’s tie with a San Francisco split squad in the reigning NL MVP’s first game since getting caught up in a drug case during the offseason. … Oakland’s Brandon Allen belted a grand slam and drove in seven runs in a 12-10 win over the Chicago Cubs. … Cleveland’s Ubaldo Jimenez allowed five runs — one earned — in one inning in his spring debut and Cincinnati beat the Indians, 8-6.

By Jeff Reed
Arkansas News Bureau

LITTLE ROCK — St. Louis Cardinals legend Lou Brock said he did not watch Game 7 of the 2011 World Series.

St. Louis Cardinals great Lou Brock speaks during a news conference Friday in conjunction with the opening of a Cardinals exhibit at the Clinton library. (Jeff Reed photo)

He had an engagement to attend the Diabetes Foundation event in Little Rock so he missed the Cardinals 6-2 victory over the Texas Rangers that earned the team its 11th championship.

“I would peek at the score every once in a while,’’ he said today during at news conference at the William J. Clinton Presidential Center to promote the opening of Play Ball! The St. Louis Cardinals, an exhibit that recognizes Cardinals history and the history of Arkansas baseball greats.

“But I was not going to let those 500 people down who came to hear me speak,” he said. “The next day, I got back to St. Louis and they were asking ‘where we you?’“

The exhibit includes decades of memorabilia from the Cardinals and features more than 100 historic artifacts about the team, the World Series trophies from 2006 and 2011, World Series rings and a Stan Musial uniform.

“Arkansas is a big contributor to the Cardinal organization,’’ Brock said.

He is the featured speaker at the grand opening tonight night. The exhibit, which runs through September 16, opens to the public today.

“This is an all-time first, having Cardinals museum exhibit outside St. Louis. Little Rock is a big part of Cardinal Nation,” Brock said. “This is a great partnership between the Cardinals and the Clinton Foundation. This is a great venue to kick it off in. When I first walked in here I felt like I was walking into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown (N.Y.).”

Born in El Dorado in 1939, Brock said his family moved to Louisiana when he was 2. He attended college at Southern (La.) University.

“I did play some baseball as a teenager, over around Lake Village, along [U.S.} Highway 82,” he recalled. “For the most part, outside of Crossett Ark., is where I grew up in Morehouse Parish.’’

Brock’s Major League Baseball career spanned nearly 20 years, the first three years with the Chicago Cubs and the rest with the Cardinals. In 1974 he set a Major League record with 118 stoles bases. Rickey Henderson broke it with 130 in 1982 but Brock’s mark is the National League’ record, as is his 938 career stolen bases. He established the MLB record with 12 seasons of 50 or more steals, led the league in steals eight times and was the first player to steal at least 50 bases and hit 20 homers in a season. His 3,023 career hits rank 23rd on the all-time list.

Brock said that, like many people, he thought the Cardinals would be home watching the playoffs and World Series, not making a playoff run last fall.

“But somehow destiny took over and they just played baseball and had no choice but to play,” he said.

The Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum is the largest team-held collection in Major League Baseball and is second only to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in terms of size with more 16,000 items and more 80,000 photographs.

No Jim Brown, no Gary Collins, no problem as the Cleveland Browns defeated the St. Louis Cardinals, 27-24, on this date, Dec. 19, of 1965.

Long-suffering Cleveland Browns fans deserve a holiday treat. So we’re offering 10 victories in 10 days leading up to Christmas.

Here’s the game story, as it appeared in the next day’s Plain Dealer.

Browns Win With Collins, Brown Out

Busch Stadium, St. Louis

By Charles Heaton
Plain Dealer Reporter

The Browns’ wild regular-season finale in St. Louis may be just the
tuneup the team needed for the National Football League title match.

They rallied in the last quarter yesterday to topple the St. Louis
Cardinals, 27-24, at Busch Stadium. And they did it with both Jim Brown
and Gary Collins on the bench

Jim had been tossed out of the game
late in the second quarter along with Joe Robb, the Cards defensive end,
after a kicking, fist-swinging altercation.

Collins, the clutch
catcher and league’s leading punter, moved to the sideline earlier with
bruised ribs. Stunned by the loss of two standouts, the Eastern
champions saw the Cards score 17 points to take a seven-point lead.

Then the Browns slashed back with Tom Hutchinson taking a 24-yard pass from Frank Ryan in the end zone for the winning points.

Now the Blanton Collier club, which wound up with an 11-3 mark, must
start preparations for the Jan. 2 visit to Green Bay or Baltimore and
its bid for a second straight NFL crown. Yesterday’s finish, in which
the Browns beat the Cards after two straight losses to the Missouri
club, started out like a romp.

THE BROWNS jumped out to a 17-0 lead and seemed on the way to another score when the roof started to come down.

Collins had opened the scoring with a nice catch of a 13-yard pass from Ryan. That came in the first period.

Early in the second quarter, Jim Brown bulled three yards for a score
so the fullback’s banishment a few minutes later killed his chances of
moving ahead of Chicago’s Gale Sayers in the touchdown race. An
interception by Jim Houston, Cleveland’s all-pro linebacker, had given
the Browns those two scoring opportunities.

THEN LARRY BENZ picked
off a pass by Buddy Humphrey in the same period to set the Browns in
motion again. This time they settled for Lou Groza’s 44-yard field goal.
The mighty Toe also had one for 45 yards in the final.

Cleveland seemed on its way to clinching the victory on this bright
chilly day as many of the 29,348 fans booed the Cards in general and
Humphrey in particular. It was second down on the St. Louis 20 with
seven yards to go when Ryan fired in the direction of Brewer.

The slot end, who caught five passes for 51 yards, was well covered.
Larry Wilson, who finished the day with three thefts, grabbed the ball
and set out down the sideline.

Ryan tried to block the gutty
safetyman out of bounds about the Cleveland 20, but failed and Wilson
scooted in for the score. So the Cards trailed by only 10 at the half.

ST. LOUIS struck back in the third quarter with Terry Nofsinger, a Pittsburgh castoff, at quarterback.

Terry scored the first touchdown on a sneak and then accurate Jim Bakken evened the count at 17-all on a 23-yard field goal.

The Cleveland offense, with Charley Scales at fullback, and Hutchinson
replacing Collins, couldn’t move in the third period and Bobby Franklin
punted poorly.

So the Cards had field position and kept the pressure on as the finale started.

WILSON made
his third interception and returned 19 yards to the Cleveland 16. Five
plays later, Nofsinger passed to Bill Triplett, former Miami of Ohio
star, for five yards and the touchdown.

Bakken’s extra point
gave the Cards a 24-17 bulge and it seemed that the Browns would take a
second straight defeat into the title game.

Matters still
remained dark when Groza missed a 39-yard field goal. Minutes later,
however, the Toe redeemed himself with one of 45 right through the
uprights.

That made it 24-20 in favor of the Cards. A touchdown would mean victory.

THAT’S WHEN Vince
Costello made the biggest interception of all. The veteran middle
linebacker picked off a Nofsinger pass intended for Triplett and
returned 10 yards to the St. Louis 24.

On the first play, Ryan
fired a strike to Hutchinson, who beat Pat Fischer, a pro bowl defensive
back last season, to get open in the end zone.

There were more than four minutes left and time for a final St. Louis threat.

The Browns again were able to move into field position but the fiery
Fischer sliced through to block Groza’s try from the 38. And Pat,
picking up the ball about midfield, raced all the way to the Cleveland
23 before being slammed down.

THE BROWNS’
defense, which sagged in the third period, suddenly became a
championship unit again. Galen Fiss reached out with one arm to stop
Willis Crenshaw for a one-yard gain when the big back seemed about to
break away.

Then Nofsinger’s pass to Triplett made only three and Jackie Smith couldn’t hang on to another in the end zone.

St. Louis could have had a tie with the usually unerring Bakken ready,
but coach Wally Lemm went for the victory. Nofsinger couldn’t find Bobby
Joe Conrad with his pass, however.

It was an important victory
because the club shook off the loss of Brown and Collins and rallied to
win. Now on to Green Bay or Baltimore.

DALLAS — Miami Marlins executives looked like a boy band trying to elude fans as they traversed the Hilton Anatole on Tuesday afternoon with media members in close pursuit.

That was the scene at the winter meetings as Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria, team president David Samson, president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest and general manager Michael Hill returned to the team’s suite after meeting with the agent for Albert Pujols.

The Marlins have intensified their quest to pry the slugger from the champion St. Louis Cardinals, increasing their offer to 10 years and more than $200 million, a source confirmed.

“I know we’re getting a lot of attention,” Beinfest said.

The Cardinals aren’t conceding. They reportedly sweetened their nine-year, $198 million offer from last offseason to 10 years and at least $220 million.

There are conflicting media reports on whether the Los Angeles Angels also bid for Pujols, a 31-year-old with 445 career home runs.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak believes the ball is in Pujols’ court.

“I suspect (a response) is going to come quickly,” Mozeliak said. “That would have to come from that camp. …

“In this situation, we’re participants. I don’t think we’re dictating anything.”

The Marlins see Pujols as a once-in-a-generation player. His free agency, coupled with the organization opening a new stadium and having money to spend, created circumstances the Marlins could not ignore.

Blue Jays get Santos

DALLAS — The Chicago White Sox traded closer Sergio Santos to the Toronto Blue Jays, sending him back to the organization where he spent three seasons trying to make the majors as a shortstop.

Toronto gave up pitching prospect Nestor Molina, 22, to acquire the 28-year-old Santos.

Santos had 30 saves in 36 chances this year, going 4-5 with a 3.55 earned-run average.

Santos struck out 92 in 65-1/3 innings.

Notes

• Minnesota traded pitcher Kevin Slowey, 27, to the Colorado Rockies for a player to be named.

Slowey was 39-29 with the Twins, but went 0-8 with a 6.67 ERA this year. He was out from May to August because of an abdominal strain.

• Lawyers for home-run king Barry Bonds, 47, asked a federal judge for probation when Bonds is sentenced for obstruction of justice later this month.

Bonds was convicted in April of obstructing a grand jury’s sports-doping investigation with an evasive answer.

• Baseball has issued dress guidelines for media members at games, banning items such as muscle shirts, ripped jeans, flip-flops, visible undergarments, excessively short skirts or anything with a team logo.