Saint Louis Cardinals Baseball Team

Gary Buckles walked slowly from the St. Louis Cardinals' bullpen; the beating of his heart and voices in his head all he could hear. Hoping to calm his nerves, Buckles took a deep breath on reaching the mound at Busch Stadium. Nice try, but a Club Med vacation wouldn't have relaxed Buckles. Buckles, a career minor league reliever, appeared in his first game for the Cardinals on July 23 after being promoted from triple-A Louisville that day.

Andre Ethier isn't the same player he was last week. Ethier, who batted .202 over the final 35 games of the regular season, was six for 12 with two home runs and drove in three runs in the Dodgers' three-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League division series. Ethier fell a single short of the cycle in the Dodgers' series-clinching 5-1 victory on Saturday night, driving in two runs and scoring two more. "This kid is remarkable right here on my left," Manager Joe Torre said of Ethier.

His hair was a mess. His gray T-shirt was soaked. He wore a pair of goggles, protecting his eyes from the streams of champagne and beer descending upon him. And yet, in the middle of the visiting clubhouse, a woman walked right up to him and planted a kiss on his lips. And then, after the congratulatory kiss for her husband, Dana Suppan exhaled. "I can breathe now," she said. So could the St.

When the Texas Rangers learned two months ago that Vicente Padilla would no longer pitch for them, several players exchanged handshakes with General Manager Jon Daniels in the clubhouse. Second baseman Ian Kinsler even reportedly said, "Congrats." Padilla spurred a different kind of clubhouse celebration Saturday at Busch Stadium. The castoff with a reputation as a bad teammate was among the most popular Dodgers during the fizzy festivities that ensued after a 5-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 3 of the National League division series.

Ozzie Smith will get his wish, to stay in St. Louis, well beyond the day he can no longer field a ground ball. His agent, Debbie Ehlmann, said Smith, 37, agreed to accept the Cardinals offer of a $3-million salary for 1993 and each remaining season on his career. To qualify for the $3 million for the following season, he must have 400 plate appearances and be cleared by an independent physician. Smith also gets a six-year, $1.2-million personal services contract upon his retirement.

It was the longest 341-foot home run in history, sailing from a grainy pale bat into the hearts of a nation. Although the big man stumbled around first base, he eventually touched them all; his son, his teammates, his town, our towns. With his 62nd home run Tuesday night, a brilliant white streak through a sea of murky red, Mark McGwire did a number on America.

They'd come in campers and in station wagons and trucks. They'd come from the suburbs and from surrounding states. Indiana Coach Bob Knight was here. So was Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson. And actor Billy Bob Thornton interrupted a project in Arkansas to catch a glimpse of Mark McGwire's pursuit of Roger Maris. McGwire's parents had flown in from Southern California. His son, Matthew, served as bat boy.

Wes Brickey's most treasured baseball memento is a game ball from a Houston Astros' 6-4 regular-season victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. It was the ball Darryl Kile pitched while claiming his first major league victory on June 23, 1991. Kile gave the ball to former Chaffey College baseball coach Howard Lowder, the man credited with teaching Kile the curveball that he developed into the signature pitch of his repertoire.

The ending was as unpredictably classy as the journey. First, the Dodgers congratulated the St. Louis Cardinals, jogging on to the field to shake hands for what may be the first time in baseball history. Then, the Dodgers congratulated their fans, clapping at them, waving to them, showering them with wristbands and batting gloves and caps. In Eric Gagne's case, he even ripped off and threw in his goggles, unashamed to reveal eyes brimming with tears.

There are 8 million stories in the naked clubhouse, but not all concerning the St. Louis Cardinals have to do with the exploits of flaky left-handed pitchers Joe Magrane and Greg Mathews. As the World Series between the Cardinals and the Minnesota Twins returns to the Metrodome today for Game 6, the most effective pitcher has been Cardinal left-handed reliever Ken Dayley, who has been nearly unhittable in three appearances.

Some of the highs and lows of watching Dodgers-Cardinals, Game 3: Say hey With their ovation at the introduction of Matt Holliday, St. Louis fans were saying, "We don't care if you blew a catch and cost us Game 2 and maybe the series." Nice people, those Midwesterners. Say what? In the top of the third, James Loney was safe at first when Cardinals pitcher Joel Pineiro, covering the bag, dropped Albert Pujols' perfect toss. Play-by-play man Dick Stockton said, "Manny safe at first."

The journey from a small town in Nicaragua to Busch Stadium was a long one for Vicente Padilla . So long, in fact, that Padilla said it compelled his mother to make her first trip to the United States in three years. Padilla's mother will be among the spectators when Padilla takes the mound today for the Dodgers, who will be looking to complete a three-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League division series. "I never dreamed of this," said Padilla, who will be pitching in his first playoff game in 11 major league seasons.

Even though they hold a commanding two-games-to-none lead in the National League division series, the Dodgers could have some extra incentive to complete a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals today at Busch Stadium. If the Cardinals beat the Dodgers in Game 3, they could bring back co-ace Chris Carpenter on short rest for Game 4 and have Adam Wainwright , their other co-ace, available on regular rest for Game 5. Cardinals Manager Tony La Russa acknowledged Friday that Carpenter was one option to start a potential Game 4. The other alternatives are Kyle Lohse or John Smoltz , who has a record 15 postseason victories but has struggled for most of the season.

Jonathan Broxton was called out of the bullpen with two out in the eighth inning Wednesday night. The first batter he faced: Albert Pujols. Broxton was called out of the bullpen again in the eighth Thursday evening, this time to start the inning. The first batter he faced: Albert Pujols. Both times, Broxton retired the hitter Dodgers Manager Joe Torre says is "in a class by himself." Broxton fell behind 2-0 to Pujols but forced him to ground out to third on a 3-1 pitch on his way to earning a four-out save in the Dodgers' 5-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 1 of the National League division series.

Brendan Ryan kept asking silly questions, so his teacher countered with an inquiry of his own: What does any of this have to do with freshman English? After a few weeks, Ryan had become such a distraction that the teacher at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame High assigned one of Ryan's classmates to screen his questions. "When he raised his hand," teacher Tom Dill said of Ryan, "I wouldn't even look at him. He'd ask the person next to him and I'd see the other kid shaking his head no."

On the far end of the Dodgers' clubhouse, the vote was unanimous. The most important at-bat in the Dodgers' 3-2 come-from-behind victory wasn't that of Ronnie Belliard , who tied the game with a two-out single. Nor was it the one taken by Mark Loretta , who drove in the deciding run. The honor was bestowed on the two-out, nine-pitch walk by Casey Blake that put men on first and second. Then Belliard drove in the tying run. "The hero of this game was Casey Blake," Belliard said.

The Dodgers should be grateful Chris Carpenter doesn't pitch in the National League West. The right-hander who will start Game 1 of the division series for St. Louis is 5-0 with a 2.20 earned-run average in his career against the Dodgers. He was particularly stingy against them this season, going 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA in two starts. "It's about being prepared and having a game plan and going out there and executing," Carpenter said. "I've been able to do that both times against those guys."

The Boston Red Sox committed eight errors in the first two games of the World Series, setting a record for fielding futility, and their defensive alignment will actually get worse tonight. David Ortiz, who started only 31 games at first base this season, committing four errors, will take over for Kevin Millar at the position in Game 3 because Manager Terry Francona needs to keep his cleanup hitter's bat in the lineup in Busch Stadium, where the designated hitter is not used.

The line drive pounded below Matt Holliday's chest and the dormant Dodgers' heart started pumping. A chance . . . a chance . . . a chance. With two out in the ninth inning of a certain loss, the tying run was suddenly on second base and blue blood was again coursing wildly through Chavez Ravine, fans screaming, Dodgers alive. A chance . . . a chance . . . a chance. It pumped through Casey Blake's arms as he fought through the best clutch plate appearance of the season: nine pitches, three foul balls, one walk.

Some of the highs and lows of watching Dodgers-Cardinals Game 2: Say hey Welcome to Dodger Stadium. There's not a better high-definition shot than the one taken from the blimp on a sunny October afternoon over the happy ballpark. Say what? Just after TBS' Bob Brenly spoke about how Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw needed to throw hard stuff to Mark DeRosa, play-by-play man Dick Stockton said DeRosa struck out on a high fastball. Analyst Brenly gently stepped in and said it was a slider.