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.

By
Nancy Kercheval
-

Fri Mar 02 05:01:00 GMT 2012

All-Star catcher Yadier Molina
signed a five-year contract with the St. Louis Cardinals, the
team said on its website.

The team declined to disclose terms. The accord is worth
$75 million with a mutual option for 2018 worth $15 million,
ranking the 29-year-old second among catchers behind Joe Mauer
of the Minnesota Twins, who signed an eight-year deal worth $184
million, ESPN reported.

Drafted by the Cardinals in 2000, four-time Gold Glove
winner Molina is also a three-time National League All-Star. He
had career highs with a .305 batting average, 14 home runs and
65 runs batted in last season.

“Yadier possesses game-changing ability both in the field
and at the plate,” said Cardinals’ General Manager John Mozeliak. “Yadier has proven to be a special talent when it
comes to the all-important challenges of the catcher position.”

Molina, drafted by the Cardinals in 2000, leads Major
League Baseball catchers in stolen-base percentage (39 percent)
and pick-offs (38) since 2005. In 944 career games, he has a.274
batting average, 55 home runs and 390 RBIs.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Nancy Kercheval in Washington at
nkercheval@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Michael Sillup at
msillup@bloomberg.net

Back to square one.

MLB might not feel that way, but some of its fans certainly do.

Reigning National League MVP Ryan Braun was suspended for 50 games this upcoming season after testing positive for performance enhancing drugs in October. The suspension was overturned last week, because a part-time nurse didn’t know FedEx’s schedule and let Braun’s urine sit on a desk for a couple days.

The league’s drug policy states that after a sample is collected from a player, it must be shipped on the day that it was collected to the testing facility. According to multiple reports, Braun’s sample was collected on Oct. 1, but didn’t get sent to the testing facility until Oct. 3.

Good to know the MLB puts such competent people in charge of a matter they’ve put so much time, money and effort into.

Braun held a press conference Friday and seemed strangely calm and somewhat uncomfortable.

After being accused of breaking baseball’s most sacred rule, he didn’t come out sounding like a guy who was at all offended about such a heinous mistake.

“If I had done this intentionally or unintentionally, I’d be the first one to step up and say I did it,” Braun said.

Of course you would have, Ryan. Of course you would have.

It’s been nearly 14 years since the Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa home run race, one of the most remarkable individual battles in the history of sports. Three years later, the nation watched Barry Bonds send 73 balls over the fence to set a single season home run record that still stands today.

The achievements of McGwire, Sosa and Bonds soon became notorious because of alleged steroid use, launching MLB’s battle on steroids for much of the 21st century’s first decade.

To this point, baseball has done an admirable job of eliminating banned substances from the game. Three months ago, it seemed as though the tarnished reputation of America’s pastime had finally polished itself back to a reputable sport with honest players.

Then Ryan Braun’s pee sat on a desk for a couple days too long. Back to the drawing board, Bud Selig.

Braun can claim his innocence until the world ends. The fact remains that his urine tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. He cheated the fans, the league and himself. He made shameful decisions that affected baseball’s history.

If Braun plays the game honestly, maybe the St. Louis Cardinals don’t win the World Series. Maybe Braun’s Brewers don’t win the NL Central crown. And maybe the Dodgers’ Matt Kemp gets the MVP trophy that Braun didn’t really earn.

Unfortunately we’ll never see the honor of being named 2011′s most influential player in the National League given to someone who earned the title honestly.

What we do know is this: Braun’s MVP trophy will sit on the same disgraceful mantle in fans’ minds as Sosa’s ’98 MVP award, McGwire’s three Silver Slugger awards and Bond’s all-time single season home run record.

So admire that trophy, Ryan — you’re the only one who thinks you’re sincerely deserving of it.

ST. LOUIS — Outfielder Carlos Beltran and the St. Louis Cardinals agreed to a two-year, $26 million contract Thursday night.

Beltran, 34, likely will play right field. Allen Craig was penciled in to play right until undergoing a knee surgery that will sideline him for at least the first month.

“Beltran is a proven outfielder who obviously has been a tough opponent against the Cardinals for many years,” Cardinals General Manager John Mozeliak said in a statement released by the team. “It is going to be nice to have his bat and competitive nature working for us instead of on the other side of the field for the next couple of years.”

Beltran, a former center fielder and six-time All-Star, batted .300 with 39 doubles, six triples, 22 home runs and 84 RBIs in 142 games with the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants. Beltran won Gold Glove Awards from 2006-08.

The switch-hitting Beltran has had injury problems in the past, but if he’s healthy, he figures to be a force in a lineup that will try to recover from the free-agent defection of Albert Pujols to the Los Angeles Angels.

New Cardinals manager Mike Matheny could bat Beltran third or fifth, assuming left fielder Matt Holliday remains in the cleanup spot. Lance Berkman, who played right field last season, will take over at first base for Pujols.

Beltran has a .283 career average with 302 homers and 1,146 RBIs in 1,768 games. His signing makes him a teammate of pitcher Adam Wainwright, who caught Beltran looking at a called third strike to end Game 7 of the National League Championship Series in 2006 when Beltran was with the New York Mets.

The Cardinals went on to defeat the Detroit Tigers in the World Series.

Beltran also had a big series against St. Louis in the 2004 NLCS, that series also was won by the Cardinals in seven games.

St. Louis will be Beltran’s fifth team, following the Kansas City Royals, Houston Astros, the Mets and Giants.

ST. LOUIS (AP)—The St. Louis Cardinals finalized a two-year, $14 million
free agent deal with shortstop Rafael Furcal, a trade deadline pickup who helped
them in their run to the World Series title.

The deal was completed Wednesday after the 34-year-old Furcal passed a
physical. He gets salaries of $6 million next year and $7 million in 2013, along
with a $1 million signing bonus.

Furcal batted .255 with St. Louis, solidifying the defense along with the
leadoff slot. He turned 36 double plays, most among National League shortstops,
in the final two months.

The Cardinals moved to retain Furcal after star slugger Albert Pujols signed
with the Los Angeles Angels, freeing up payroll. They had been considering
giving prospect Tyler Greene a shot at regular duty.

ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Cardinals finalized a two-year, $14 million free agent deal with shortstop Rafael Furcal, a trade deadline pickup who helped them in their run to the World Series title.

The deal was completed Wednesday after the 34-year-old Furcal passed a physical. He gets salaries of $6 million next year and $7 million in 2013, along with a $1 million signing bonus.

Furcal batted .255 with St. Louis, solidifying the defense along with the leadoff slot. He turned 36 double plays, most among National League shortstops, in the final two months.

The Cardinals moved to retain Furcal after star slugger Albert Pujols signed with the Los Angeles Angels, freeing up payroll. They had been considering giving prospect Tyler Greene a shot at regular duty.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The St. Louis Cardinals were feted by hundreds of thousands of fans, two days after their determined triumph over the Texas Rangers in the World Series.

Not even the prospect that Albert Pujols could be lost to free agency could dim fans’ enthusiasm, as those who turned out cheered the slugger as he and their teammates made their way down the parade route ending at Busch Stadium.

“Hey, why not?” Pujols smiled when asked if he’d like to stay in St. Louis and try for another Major League Baseball title next year.

Whatever uncertainties hover over next season, the Cardinals faithful were keen to celebrate their team’s unlikely run to the 2011 crown.

The Cardinals didn’t even book their playoff berth until the last day of the regular season. They beat the favored Phillies in the National League playoffs, and were twice down to their last strike in game six of the World Series against the Rangers — who would have taken the title with a victory in that contest.

“This 11th Cardinals world championship will always be remembered as one of baseball’s greatest achievements,” Cardinals owner Bill DeWitt jnr said, noting that his team had to win four elimination games in the post-season.

Added manager Tony La Russa: “What these guys did so many times facing elimination, it’s a lesson for all of us,” La Russa said. “They never quit.”

David Freese, the hometown boy who was named Most Valuable Player of the World Series, recalled his joy in 2007 at learning he had been traded to the Cardinals.

Freese said he was sitting in a fast-food restaurant when “I got the greatest phone call of my life, that I had been traded to the St. Louis Cardinals.”

Amid the music of high school marching bands and the cries of hot dog and peanut vendors, pickup trucks carrying the current players and Cardinals legends such as Lou Brock and Red Schoendienst received euphoric welcomes from the people they passed.

“I’ll never forget any of this,” said outfielder Allen Craig, who hit three homers in the World Series, said. “It’s been great.”

By
Sportsmail Reporter

Last updated at 10:26 AM on 29th October 2011

St Louis Cardinals completed their magical comeback season by beating the Texas Rangers 6-2 in a deciding Game Seven to clinch the World Series.

After left-fielder Allen Craig caught David Murphy’s fly for the final out, the Cards rushed into the infield to celebrate a season in which they overcame a 10-1/2 game deficit in the last month to reach the playoffs and battled back twice in the postseason for their 11th Major League Baseball crown.

Delight: St Louis Cardinals celebrate winning the World Series

Confetti filled the chilly night air as the raucous, white-towel waving crowd at Busch Stadium roared in delight and fireworks lit the sky.   

‘There’s just one way to describe it – it’s unbelievable, amazing, incredible,’ Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said in a ceremony in the middle of the diamond. ‘It’s hard to imagine it actually happened.’

The World Series Most Valuable Player award went to hometown hero David Freese, whose two-run triple in the bottom of the ninth sent Game Six into extra innings before his 11th-inning home run won that game for the Cardinals to force the decider.

Freese, who also won MVP honours in the National League Championship Series against Milwaukee, drove in two runs on Friday and finished the Fall Classic with seven runs batted in.   

‘This is definitely a dream come true,’ the 28-year-old third baseman said after being awarded the trophy and a new sports car. ‘This is incredible.’

Main man: David Freese marks his game-winning home run

It was a wrenching defeat for the Rangers, who had twice been one strike away during Game Six of clinching their first title in 51 years of existence, and who had fallen last year to the San Francisco Giants in their first Fall Classic.

‘I just told my team they are champions,’ said Texas manager Ron Washington. ‘Someone had to win and someone had to lose and it was the Cardinals who won.   

‘It was in our grasp and we didn’t get it done. We fought hard but the Cardinals were too good. My hat’s off to the Cardinals, they cleanly beat us.’

The Cardinals rallied one last time in their season of heart-stopping comebacks by spotting the Rangers a 2-0 lead in the first inning before surging to victory.

After back-to-back run-scoring doubles by Josh Hamilton and Michael Young in the first off St Louis starter Chris Carpenter, the Cards immediately tied the game in their half of the first on a two-run double by Game Six hero Freese.   

A solo home run by Craig in the third inning gave St Louis a 3-2 lead before Texas pitching unravelled in the fifth. St Louis tacked on two more runs in the fifth without a hit as the Texas bullpen wilted.

Off the rails: Freese flips over trying to field a foul ball

Scott Feldman, who had relieved starter Matt Harrison, issued a one-out walk to Craig and then hit Albert Pujols with a pitch. The runners moved up on Lance Berkman’s ground out and with first base open, Freese was intentionally walked.   

Yadier Molina walked on a full-count pitch just outside the strike zone to force in a run. Left-hander C.J. Wilson, the Game One and Game Five starter, was brought in to face Rafael Furcal and he hit the shortstop with a pitch to allow another run to score for a 5-2 St Louis lead. Molina drove in the last St Louis run with a seventh-inning single.   

Cardinals starter Carpenter, pitching on a short rest period, went six innings for the series-clinching win, giving up two runs on six hits while striking out five.

‘It’s awesome to get the World Series back in St Louis and get another ring,’ said Carpenter, who was also a member of the 2006 World Series-winning Cardinals team.   

Pujols, the three-times National League MVP who put on a record-setting offensive display in Game Three with three home runs, five hits and six runs batted in, was thrilled.

‘Two months ago we were supposed to be at home watching the World Series,’ said Pujols. ‘Now we are the world champions.’

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Albert Pujols joined Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson as the only players to hit three home runs in a World Series game as the St. Louis Cardinals routed the Texas Rangers 16-7 on Saturday to take a 2-1 Series lead.

Pujols, the three-time National League Most Valuable Player from the Dominican Republic, also matched a World Series record with six RBIs in a single game, set by Bobby Richardson in 1960 and Hideki Matsui in 2009.

And he equaled a Series mark with five hits in a game, set by Paul Molitor in 1982.

“It’s an honor to be named in the same category as those guys,” said Pujols, who was 0 for 6 in the first two games.

“Hopefully, at the end of my career, I can look back and say, ‘Wow, what a game it was in Game 3 in 2011,” he added.

Pujols hit a long three-run homer off Alexi Ogando in the sixth that helped the Cardinals open a 12-6 lead. He added a two-run drive off Michael Gonzalez in the seventh and a solo shot off Darren Oliver with two outs in the ninth.

Babe Ruth hit three homers in a World Series game in 1926 and again in 1928. Reggie Jackson matched the feat in 1977.

For the Cardinals, it was the highest-scoring game in the team’s postseason history. And they head into Game 4 with momentum: 36 of 54 teams that have won Game 3 to take a 2-1 Series lead have won the title, including 10 of the last 11.

After two taut games in St. Louis, this suddenly turned into a messy slugfest. The fourth and fifth innings alone took 1 hour, 22 minutes to play and the game itself lasted for more than four hours.

Texas fans booed after first base umpire Ron Kulpa’s blown call helped the Cardinals score four times in the fourth for a 5-0 lead.

But Texas came back, closing to 5-3 in the bottom of the fourth. St. Louis then opened an 8-3 lead in the fifth, but the Rangers got to 8-6 in the bottom of the inning and had the bases loaded when Ian Kinsler hit an inning-ending popup.

Pujols followed in the sixth with his first homer — a 423-foot shot that rattled the windows of the club level in left field — and the Rangers could get no closer the rest of the game.

“When Pujols is at the plate, that’s the first time he did damage. We fought back pretty good, the next thing you know he’s up there batting with guys on base and brings them in,” Oliver said. “That’s what he does. That’s why he’s the hitter he is.”

The teams combined for 23 runs and 28 hits for the night. In St. Louis, they combined for eight runs and 23 hits in two games.

“You leave a ball up in this park it’s going to carry a little more than it does in St. Louis,” Pujols said.

Allen Craig also homered for St. Louis and Yadier Molina drove in four runs.

Adrian Beltre had four hits and drove in four runs for Texas.

Josh Hamilton, the reigning American League Most Valuable Player, went 1 for 4 and dropped to 1 for 11 in the Series, although he stopped an 0-for-18 Series streak dating to last year with a fifth-inning single.

Early in the game, it appeared Kulpa’s call would be the focal point.

The Cardinals were ahead 1-0 when Pujols led off the fourth with a single. Matt Holliday followed with a perfect double-play ball, but was ruled safe by Kulpa at first. Replays clearly showed that first baseman Mike Napoli caught Kinsler’s high toss from second and slapped a tag on Holliday before he reached the bag.

The Rangers argued, to no avail. The Cardinals quickly scored four times, helped when Napoli threw wide to the plate for an error that let two runs cross.

After the game, Kulpa said: “I saw a replay when I walked off the field, and the tag was applied before his foot hit the bag.”

Starters Kyle Lohse of St. Louis and Matt Harrison were both pulled in the fourth inning. Lance Lynn earned the win with 2 1-3 innings of relief and Harrison took the loss.

Former President and former Rangers owner George W. Bush sat in the front row next to the Texas dugout with Rangers CEO Nolan Ryan and former First Lady Laura Bush. Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki threw out the first ball of the game.

In Game 4 on Sunday night, Derek Holland pitches for the Rangers and Edwin Jackson starts for the Cardinals.

Area St. Louis Cardinals fans packed area bars and restaurants with plenty of red Sunday afternoon to cheer on their team in the first game of the National League Championship Series.

Donald Wozniak of Peoria watched the Cardinals’ 9-6 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers from the friendly confines of Johnny Vig’s Scotch and Cigar Lounge with his friend Zach Hedeman and other fans.

“It’s going to be a tough battle against the Brewers, but we have high hopes,” said Wozniak, who inherited his love for St. Louis’ ballclub from his father. “We ended the season on a roll and battled back against the Phillies, so we got some fight in us.”

Beating the team with the best regular season record in baseball in the first round of the playoffs was nice, said Hedeman, but it’s far from over.

“My grandfather grew up in Missouri, so being a Cards fan is a family heritage for me,” the Peorian said.

Peoria resident Jerry Velpel sported a bright red Cardinals pullover at Kouri’s Pub on Sunday to show his pride. He’s been a fan of the team since Stan Musial was setting records for them as a Hall of Fame outfielder in the ’40s and ’50s.

“It was exciting beating the Phillies, but the Brewers are a tough club,” said Velpel, who makes it to Busch Stadium, where the Cardinals play their home games, up to a dozen times a season with friends and family.

Velpel travels down to Fort Myers, Fla., to work for the Minnesota Twins during spring training each year, helping direct autograph seekers and keeping distractions for the ball players to a minimum. He’s a St. Louis Cardinals fan first and foremost, but he’ll go see any team play.

“I’m just an all-around fan of baseball,” he said.

Rob Kenny has been a fan of the Cardinals since he was 4 years old. He said he never once thought they’d make the playoffs this year, so just seeing his squad play Sunday was enjoyable.

“We have experience, so I like their chances, but this is the sixth extra game this season, so that’s a gift in itself for me,” said Kenny, who was born and resides in Peoria but has a loyalty to the baseball team from St. Louis that is unparalleled.

“If I was only allowed to cheer for one team in any sport, I’d cheer for St. Louis Cardinals baseball,” he said.

The Cardinals continue their series against the Brewers on Monday in Milwaukee.

Eric Engel can be reached at 686-3194 or eengel@pjstar.com.

One of the rare players who has enjoyed recent, albeit limited, success against Halladay is Cardinals outfielder Lance Berkman.

During the Phillies’ 11-6 win over the Cardinals in Game 1, Berkman opened the scoring with a three-run, first-inning home run off Halladay.

The Phillies righthander promptly shut down the Cardinals during the remainder of his time on the mound. After Berkman’s one-out home run, Halladay allowed just one hit until he departed after the eighth.

It was the second time in a two-week span that Berkman had taken Halladay deep. On Sept. 19, Berkman hit a solo home run in the first inning off Halladay in a 4-3 Cardinals win in Philadelphia.

To put that in perspective, Halladay surrendered 10 home runs in the regular season, and nobody hit more than one.

Berkman, who is 2 for 5 lifetime against Halladay in the regular season, isn’t very impressed by his limited success against the Phillies righthander.

“I think it’s meaningless,” Berkman said in the Cardinals clubhouse. “He is going to go out there tomorrow night and be really good and be really tough, and what you have done against him in the past or what he has done against you is irrelevant.”

Berkman said past performance isn’t a good way to judge a pitcher-vs.-batter matchup.

“Most of the time when you are talking of a good pitcher, it’s what he has that night,” Berkman said. “If he has good stuff, you do the best you can, and if he doesn’t, maybe you have a chance.”

Contact staff writer Marc Narducci at 856-779-3225, mnarducci@phillynews.com,

or @sjnard on Twitter.