Whoever wins NLCS, players may be ready to shake on it

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers drew a lot of praise for their show of sportsmanship, shaking hands on the field after their first-round playoff series ended.

So will the Cardinals and Houston Astros do the same thing after the NL championship series?

Astros star Craig Biggio has said he was in favor of it, and St. Louis manager Tony La Russa supported the idea as long as it wasn't forced.

Houston leads 3-2 in the best-of-seven series going into Wednesday's game.

Bob DuPuy, baseball's chief operating officer, pointed out that the sport has a rule against fraternization on the field. But he added, "We'd look like ogres if we came in and told people not to do it."

"I don't have a preference," he said.

Chances are, postseries handshakes will become a subject for executives to talk about. Look for it to be a topic at the general managers' meeting in November.

Carpenter improves

Throughout the postseason, the Cardinals have played down any progress made by 15-game winner Chris Carpenter, sidelined since Sept. 18 with nerve damage to his right biceps.

But if they make it to the World Series, there's a chance he could be available to pitch.

Carpenter threw 26 pitches off the bullpen mound on Tuesday, a day after his latest favorable exam and a week after he was cleared to resume playing catch. If the Cardinals avert elimination in Game 6 today, he's scheduled to throw again on Thursday.

"We wanted to see how the throwing he's done affected the nerve and it hasn't at all," trainer Barry Weinberg said. "He's been recovering really well."

If healthy, Carpenter would have been the Cardinals' No. 1 starter in the playoffs. He had a remarkable comeback season after missing 20 months due to a pair of shoulder operations, working seven or more innings in 16 of his 28 starts.

-- From wire reports