“Every ship that comes to America got its chart from Columbus."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson
(25 May1803 - 27 Apr 1882 )

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http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/10-11-04-NNHS-Columbus-Day.html

A team built around large, expensive and at times ill-fitting pieces came together to form a functional mosaic Sunday night at Busch Stadium. Its Game 4 glue came from parts unknown, or at least places no one could have guessed six months or even six weeks ago.

Confronted with the unpleasant possibility of a flight this morning to play a decisive game, the Cardinals overcame a first-inning pratfall by their signature starting pitcher to secure a 6-2 win over the San Diego Padres, and with it their third first-round series in as many years.

The Cardinals celebrate after winning Game 4 of the NLDS at Busch Stadium on Sunday night. The Cards won the series 3-1 over the San Diego Padres.
(J. B. Forbes/P-D)

The Cardinals outhit and outpitched the Padres, something they did not do during last October’s three-game sweep. The reconfigured bullpen, deprived of closer Jason Isringhausen since Sept. 6, did not allow a run in 132⁄3 innings, most of them thrown by rookies Tyler Johnson, Josh Kinney and closer Adam Wainwright.

The Cardinals won Sunday without a hit from first baseman Albert Pujols, an RBI from center fielder Jim Edmonds or a plate appearance from dry-docked third baseman Scott Rolen. What they received was two hits from catcher Yadier Molina, two RBIs from unofficial series MVP Ronnie Belliard and two shutout innings of relief from a rookie triumvirate who entered the season with seven games total of major-league experience.

“Every team that wins needs guys who aren’t expected to come up big in the clutch,” said third baseman Scott Spiezio, who gave the Cardinals a 4-2 lead with a sixth-inning RBI single. “You look at what’s happened here, that’s what it is.”

Spiezio received Sunday’s start because Rolen’s shoulder had become inflamed. A World Series hero for the 2002 Anaheim Angels, he produced without pause.

“I don’t think a lot of us could have seen ourselves in this position six months ago,” said Wainwright, who followed Johnson and Frontier League alum Kinney to close the ninth inning. “I went from being a starter, to a long man, to the eighth inning to this. I couldn’t have seen this two weeks ago.”

Two weeks ago the Cardinals were caught in the swirl of an epic collapse. They emerged a looser, more focused team that allowed just six runs largely because of the Padres’ two-for-32 futility with runners in scoring position. The Cardinals answered with a .375 average in the same situation.

“We’ve come through rough times and now we’re enjoying ourselves,” Belliard said. “We’re confident. We’re going to see what happens when we go over there.”

Pujols’ response to Saturday’s Game 3 loss was to tell his teammates to leave their luggage at home Sunday, that the series would end properly at Busch. Sunday he celebrated with much greater gusto than after the team won the division with the ease of passing a kidney stone.

“The offense, the defense, the pitching all came together,” said Pujols. “We showed what we’re capable of doing in this series. Now we have to keep going.”

“Right now it feels like it’s never going to end,” said Molina, who hit .308 for the series. “We’ve got the best team this year but we’ve had ups and downs. Now it means nothing. What’s in front of us is more important now.”

The Cardinals fell behind 2-0 before taking a swing when Carpenter, who walked one hitter in August, labored through a three-walk first inning. It was all he would allow as the Cardinals tied the score on Belliard’s two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the inning, then broke out for four more runs against Padres starter Woody Williams and reliever Cla Meredith in the sixth.

Belliard came to the Cardinals from the Cleveland Indians on July 30 without a game of postseason experience; he left the series with six hits, two RBIs and at least two game-changing defensive plays.

“This is an opportunity you don’t want to miss,” Belliard said from beneath sprays of champagne. “We came into this series and really focused on what we had to do.”

Carpenter pushed through the seventh inning before Johnson and Kinney handled the eighth and Wainwright finished his third game of the series.

Received roughly by his new fan base during a sluggish April, Juan Encarnacion followed Pujols’ walk to lead off the sixth with a one-out drive into the right-field corner. By the time Brian Giles dug it out, Pujols had motored home and Encarnacion taken third base. A reserved crowd of 46,476 stayed on its feet as Padres manager Bruce Bochy came for Williams. Perhaps sensing something lasting for the first time, it stayed with Belliard as he worked a 2-2 count before taking Meredith’s fastball off the left hip.

Spiezio, released by the Seattle Mariners last year, found out after leaving the ballpark Saturday night he was starting in place of Rolen. He fell behind Meredith 0-2 before lining a single over second base to score Encarnacion for a 4-2 lead. Molina continued a solid series by following his second-inning double with a lined single to right to load the bases.

La Russa had committed himself to batting Carpenter by failing to stir his bullpen. However, the Padres failed to take the easy exit when third baseman Russell Branyan pulled Bard off the plate on Carpenter’s roller.

Branyan’s throwing error left the inning at one out, allowing La Russa to dust off his favorite 2005 tactic as David Eckstein dumped a perfect squeeze bunt with the bases loaded to score Spiezio for a 6-2 lead.

Well, I am (as is everyone here today) swamped with emergency work orders to get things back up to snuff, so I'd better be back to work.....

  Say WHAT, Gorgeous?!?
 

   Y'all report in as soon as you're able, please.  You know how I do worry....

http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/Happy-Birthday.html

   I had the privilege of seeing Linda again after 45 years at    Evelyn Fryer Fish's Birthday Party for All of Us last weekend.  If you look closely, you can see shots of her there on the Beach:

http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/09-30-06-EVELYNS-PARTY.html

http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/page-hits.html

Carol, thanks again for all you do to help keep a close group closer.  We all are so blessed to have grown up in NN during the time we did.  It's like a "Great Huge Family". I just love them all.    Dee (Hodges Bartram - '66 - of VA) and the reunion committee did an awesome job preparing and planning for the reunion. I know I had a wonderful time. It was just fantastic. I hope they decided on FIVE years for the next one. 

   I wholeheartedly agree, Miss Judy! And throwing in a Birthday Party every five years would be great, too!

I still can't get over my buddy,     Ginny Masters, thinking I was dead. She couldn't believe that I was standing in front of her. She is still so cute!
 

   Why, yes, people do seem to mention that from time to time......

   Thanks, Lady!  Love you, too!

   That strikes me as most appropriate indeed, Tina!  We're just delighted to add you to the list - and thanks!

http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/Happy-Birthday.html

It was so good to see you at the reunion.. I just wish we had visited more. There was so much to catch up on!

   I KNOW!!!  Every year I come home wondering why I hadn't spent more time with at least  fifty people or so, and why I passed up taking a hundred images or so!  But I'm thankful for all that I did of both!

   Thanks again, Lady - for everything!

   I never got back to that political thingie, did I??  That's because I missed writing at least a couple a Newsletters, one on 09/19/06, and one or two a week or so later.  I'm still planning to get to those, too.  Y'all will be so surprised.......

   And I'm glad you asked about the PayPal, Chris.  It remains the same - NNHS65@nc.rr.com.  It works just fine for that, and it's way too much trouble to switch that right now.  I just don't want to use it for regular mail - particularly mail with attachments of images and/or documents.  It always makes me want to throw something then - and you know what a Sweetie-Pie I really am!

   Thanks, Christine!

   Thanks again, Sweetie!!!

   Thanks so much, Ronnie!  I really appreciate this succinct information!  You are my hero!

   Yes, Ma'am!  WILD GIGGLES!!! And congratulations!!!

   Congratulations, Lady!  I've changed your addie in my files!  Thanks for letting me know!

Just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate in all you did for our 40th reunion. Thanks for helping   Dee (Hodges Bartram - '66 - of VA) and the rest of the committee; Thanks for coming "home" to attend both of the functions and thanks for just being you!
 

   Well, that will all be great, Billy! Thanks so much for all your kind words!   I had a wonderful time!

The first picture has been around many times before, but ... enjoy the 23 other pictures. Some of the pictures may have been staged or touched up digitally, but they are still interesting to see.

Your Friend, Herbie
 

   Thanks, Herbie Darlin'!

   WILD GIGGLES!!!  I love it!  
Thanks, Gorgeous!