[B]ST. LOUIS[\/B] (AP)\u2014David Freese swooped in, expecting Elvis Andrus(notes) to bunt. He did, but the ball trickled wide of the line.<\/p>\n
The St. Louis third baseman scooped up the foul, scanned the crowd and spotted his target sitting near the Texas dugout: a man in the front row wearing a Rangers jacket, with a glove.<\/p>\n
Freese flipped him the souvenir, drawing a big smile and making yet another friend in his hometown.<\/p>\n
Then again, why not? There was plenty to share in this World Series.<\/p>\n
Fan central<\/p>\n
A Game 6 that ranked among baseball\u2019s greatest thrillers. A three-homer performance by Albert Pujols that\u2019s probably the best hitting show in postseason history. Ron Washington running in place, Tony La Russa reacting in dismay at a ball that got away. Everyone learning how to chant Nap-Oh-Lee!<\/p>\n
Oh, and a Rally Squirrel on the scoreboard and a telephone mix-up in the bullpen.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told you it was going to be a great series\u2014and it was,\u201d Texas slugger Josh Hamilton said.<\/p>\n
Hamilton put Texas ahead with an RBI double in the first inning Friday night in Game 7. Freese and the Cardinals, however, would not be denied. A night after twice rallying when it was one strike from elimination, St. Louis came back to win the championship with a 6-2 victory.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow that we\u2019ve won it, it makes yesterday greater,\u201d La Russa said.<\/p>\n
Said Hamilton: \u201cIt was actually fun to watch and fun to see. You hate it, but it happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
An October for fans to cherish, for sure. A lot of them tuned in: The clincher drew the most viewers for a baseball game since Boston won in 2004, and boosted overall television ratings 19 percent higher than last year\u2019s World Series between Texas and San Francisco.<\/p>\n
Even before the opener, many observers predicted this Series would be a dud because it lacked big-market teams. Minus the likes of the Yankees, Red Sox and Phillies, some said, it would attract little attention.<\/p>\n
Inning by inning, it got more intriguing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know there\u2019s been a lot of conversation about ratings,\u201d Commissioner Bud Selig said before Game 7. \u201cSome of it, in my opinion \u2026 was misinformed.\u201d<\/p>\n
No mistaking that it was quite a run for baseball.<\/p>\n
Exactly a month before the Cardinals won their 11th championship, they captured a playoff spot on the final day of the regular season. The night of Sept. 28 was riveting\u2014St. Louis capped a comeback from 10 1\/2 games down to overtake Atlanta for the NL wild card, Tampa Bay completed its late surge to beat out Boston for the AL wild card.<\/p>\n
The playoffs produced their moments, too. The one that brought winning and losing into a tight focus: Chris Carpenter and the Cardinals celebrating their 1-0 win over Roy Halladay(notes) in Philadelphia while star slugger Ryan Howard(notes) writhed on the ground, having torn his Achilles tendon during a game-ending groundout.<\/p>\n
Soon after, the first Game 7 in the World Series since 2002.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomebody said on television, baseball has had a coming-out party since Labor Day. I don\u2019t think so. I think it\u2019s always there,\u201d Selig said. \u201cIt\u2019s produced for this country really a remarkable chain of events.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a year punctuated by historic comebacks and epic collapses, it\u2019d be easy to say the biggest rally of all belonged to baseball. That\u2019s what many like to say whenever the game shows up well.<\/p>\n
Is it true, will that be so?<\/p>\n
Selig insists the sport already is more popular than ever. Major league attendance slightly increased this season, ending three seasons of drops. The Chicago Cubs have renewed hope for next year after hiring Theo Epstein to oversee the club, a new ballpark is waiting in Florida for the team that will soon officially become the Miami Marlins.<\/p>\n
Certainly a back-and-forth World Series boosted interest, helped by the two most magical words in sports: Game 7.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere isn\u2019t anybody on this team, the other team, too, that when you\u2019re a young kid you don\u2019t think about winning the World Series, and it\u2019s always in Game 7,\u201d La Russa said.<\/p>\n
Freese delivered the key hit, a two-run double that tied it in the first inning. The MVP of the NL championship series wound up adding the World Series MVP trophy.<\/p>\n
He saved the Cardinals\u2019 season in Game 6, lining a two-strike, two-out, two-run triple in the ninth and then hitting a winning home run in the 11th.<\/p>\n
An inning before Freese connected, Hamilton homered to put Texas ahead. Had the Rangers held on, mostly likely Mike Napoli would\u2019ve been picked the Series MVP. So, so close.<\/p>\n
Freese estimated he got about 45 minutes of sleep as Thursday night turned into Friday. A lot to think about for a player who quit baseball out of high school because it wasn\u2019t fun anymore. From done to donating his bat and jersey to the Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m trying to soak this all in,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve tried to soak in this whole postseason as much as I can because you never know if it\u2019s your last attempt at a title.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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