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I was watching the Cards finish off the Dodgers last night, and following the game, both teams shook hands and congratulated one another in the vein of what happens at the end of each Stanley Cup series. I always thought the Stanley Cup tradition was very cool -- go beat the bloody hell out of each other for 7 games, then gather at center ice and put it all behind you in a display of sportsmanship and goodwill.
At the risk of sounding a bit corny, it was really nice to see.
Also, GO CARDS!
At the risk of sounding a bit corny, it was really nice to see.
Cards, Dodgers break tradition - or start one
By Rick Hummel
Of the Post-Dispatch
10/11/2004
LOS ANGELES - A hockey game broke out after the Cardinals defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first round of the National League playoffs Sunday night. At least, it was like the aftermath of a Stanley Cup playoff series.
"It was a little sloppy, but we'll work on it," said Cardinals outfielder Larry Walker, who had proposed that the Cardinals and whoever they played in the first round shake hands and embrace when it was over. There was no organized line, but the emotions between the teams seemed genuine.
Late in the season, apparently in September when the two teams played at Dodger Stadium, Walker, a Canadian and a big hockey fan, approached Cardinals manager Tony La Russa about the teams shaking hands when the Cardinals had finished with an opponent in the playoffs, no matter the outcome.
"I think it sends a great message," La Russa said at the time. "But it depended on who we go up against. I know some managers better than others. But I know Jim Tracy really well."
The two managers talked about it before Game 1 of this series and then not again. But as La Russa went onto the field to wave to Tracy after the final out Sunday, he made a handshake motion to Tracy, and Tracy led his team onto the field.
Pitching coach Dave Duncan, who said he never had seen this before in his more than 40 years in the game, said: "It was a class act. Tracy led the way."
La Russa said: "I'm not sure how it's perceived, but I think it's a good thing."
Dodgers outfielder Shawn Green called it "a classy thing to do. It's a foreign deal. I had never seen it done before. It was nice. Hopefully, it will catch on."
Walker said: "You see it in hockey, and in football and basketball they come out and shake hands and say their prayers. This is something I've thought about for long time. You can laugh at it, but I think it's something that can be done. It can't hurt.
"It has nothing to do with me. It has to do with the game."
Baseball will know this really has caught on if the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox do it a week from now.
"I don't think so," Duncan said of that potential happenstance.
By Rick Hummel
Of the Post-Dispatch
10/11/2004
LOS ANGELES - A hockey game broke out after the Cardinals defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first round of the National League playoffs Sunday night. At least, it was like the aftermath of a Stanley Cup playoff series.
"It was a little sloppy, but we'll work on it," said Cardinals outfielder Larry Walker, who had proposed that the Cardinals and whoever they played in the first round shake hands and embrace when it was over. There was no organized line, but the emotions between the teams seemed genuine.
Late in the season, apparently in September when the two teams played at Dodger Stadium, Walker, a Canadian and a big hockey fan, approached Cardinals manager Tony La Russa about the teams shaking hands when the Cardinals had finished with an opponent in the playoffs, no matter the outcome.
"I think it sends a great message," La Russa said at the time. "But it depended on who we go up against. I know some managers better than others. But I know Jim Tracy really well."
The two managers talked about it before Game 1 of this series and then not again. But as La Russa went onto the field to wave to Tracy after the final out Sunday, he made a handshake motion to Tracy, and Tracy led his team onto the field.
Pitching coach Dave Duncan, who said he never had seen this before in his more than 40 years in the game, said: "It was a class act. Tracy led the way."
La Russa said: "I'm not sure how it's perceived, but I think it's a good thing."
Dodgers outfielder Shawn Green called it "a classy thing to do. It's a foreign deal. I had never seen it done before. It was nice. Hopefully, it will catch on."
Walker said: "You see it in hockey, and in football and basketball they come out and shake hands and say their prayers. This is something I've thought about for long time. You can laugh at it, but I think it's something that can be done. It can't hurt.
"It has nothing to do with me. It has to do with the game."
Baseball will know this really has caught on if the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox do it a week from now.
"I don't think so," Duncan said of that potential happenstance.
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