Cardinals credit more than emotion for drive to NLCS

ST. LOUIS -- No Cardinals victory celebration is complete without the appearance of Darryl Kile's jersey, yet it would be inaccurate to say this is a team simply riding on emotion.

The reminders of Kile are everywhere at Busch Stadium. A black flag with the initials DK and his uniform number, 57, flies high above the top of the stadium.

"I look up at that flag every day," center fielder Jim Edmonds said.

Take a hard left a few steps inside the clubhouse door and there's a huge portrait of the former 20-game winner and inspirational team leader, who died at age 33 on June 22. His locker stall still awaits his return, filled with baseball apparel.

When the Cardinals clinched the NL Central, Edmonds punctuated the postgame celebration by spraying Kile's jersey with champagne. When they wrapped up their first-round sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks, pitcher Matt Morris made sure the jersey was there for the raucous team hug near second base. A photo of MVP candidate Albert Pujols holding the jersey on a hanger appears on the cover of the Cardinals' postseason guide.

Everyone's cap has been adorned with Kile's initials and number for months and there's a huge white 57 on the glove of Dave Veres, a close friend who had played with Kile on three teams. Kile's death came only four days after longtime broadcaster Jack Buck died, leaving the team with heavy hearts for weeks.

"There's enough symbols around, so it's obvious what he means to us and what Jack means to us," manager Tony La Russa said.

But make no mistake, the Cardinals didn't win 97 games on emotion alone. They had a $75 million payroll well-stocked with stars long before the arrival of third baseman Scott Rolen, who signed an eight-year, $90 million contract last month, and the probable loss of Rolen for the NLCS due to a sprained shoulder isn't the devastating hit it might be on another team.

"I don't think we really care about what the perception is," first baseman Tino Martinez said. "We know we've got a good team and a bunch of good players and we know how to win."

Fernando Vina, who was 9-for-15 in the division series to spark the Cardinals, led NL leadoff men with 54 RBIs and could be in line for a second straight Gold Glove at second base. Edgar Renteria broke an 81-year-old franchise record with 82 RBIs at shortstop. Pujols is the first player in major league history to begin his career by batting at least .300 with more than 100 RBIs and 100 runs his first two seasons.

Matt Morris, who'll oppose the Giants' Kirk Rueter in Game 1 of the NLCS on Wednesday night, has won 39 games the last two seasons. And on and on.

The Cardinals lost five of their first seven after Kile's death, then dropped a season-worst seven in a row from July 31-Aug. 7. Then, the talent took over. St. Louis won 21 of its last 25 in the regular season to pull away from the Houston Astros, and going into the NLCS the count is at 24 of 28.

La Russa said it's wrong to think the Cardinals are on such a roll because they've dedicated themselves to winning it all for Kile. What's most important for the manager is the team, win or lose, give a consistent effort. For the past few weeks, he's often used the word relentless.

"For a while there I thought we wouldn't win enough games and people would have thought it would be disrespectful because we didn't honor them," La Russa said. "The only way you can honor him is just trying your best.

"It's been tough to get that level of professionalism with these guys because they were really sad, but they've gotten there."

Now, as important as Kile's memory has been to the Cardinals, players say they're just doing their jobs.

"You don't think about it when you're playing, at least you try not to," Edmonds said. "We're not trying to do something because of him, we're doing what we're paid to do and what we're supposed to do."