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NLCS Notebook Is St. Louis the best baseball town? Gwynn says yesPosted: Wednesday October 09, 2002 9:10 PMST. LOUIS (AP) -- The city of St. Louis has earned a reputation as a good place for frozen custard, toasted ravioli, and baseball. The Cardinals drew 3 million fans for the fifth straight year. Even visiting players and managers say they look forward to playing here because of the fans' knowledge and appreciation of the game. Former San Diego Padres star Tony Gwynn, in an article on ESPN's Web site Wednesday, rated St. Louis the No. 1 baseball city in the country. "Whether you play for the Cardinals or a visiting team, the fans respond when the game is played the right way," Gwynn wrote. "If you make a great play, get a big hit, or accomplish a milestone, they still show you the respect that normally a visiting player wouldn't get at most ballparks." Cardinals backup first baseman Eduardo Perez, son of Cincinnati Reds Hall of Famer Tony Perez, agreed. "My dad always told me, 'You're going to go to a place where there's no place like it,'" Perez said. "It's unbelievable. You walk on the street and see all the people in red. There is no place like it."
Father figureFormer Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Jack Snow, the father of San Francisco Giants first baseman J.T. Snow, is a popular figure in St. Louis -- but that doesn't mean his loyalties are split for the NL championship series. Snow is a broadcaster on St. Louis Rams football games and hosts a call-in radio talk show. He arrived when the Rams moved from the West Coast in 1995. J.T. Snow noted that some callers to his dad's talk show wanted to know who the old man was rooting for. "He just kind of chuckles and laughs, and he said, 'Of course I'm going to root for the team my son plays for,'" J.T. said. "I think it kind of shows you what kind of people call in sometimes to talk shows and radio shows. They might not be the brightest people, but he's kind of stunned that they would even ask that question," he said. J.T. Snow said his father has helped him deal with the mental side of sports. "From the time I was a kid, the only thing he really told me was when you step on the field, give it 100 percent, play as hard as you can, and that's all you can control," J.T. said. "We just talk about the mental side of the game and staying sharp and giving 100 percent and playing hard."
Pitching to BarryDon't expect the Cardinals to pitch around Barry Bonds -- at least not completely. Manager Tony La Russa said he wants his pitchers to work smartly to Bonds -- that is, don't throw him anything too hittable -- but not necessarily walk him. Bonds walked 198 times -- 68 of them intentional -- this season. The last three seasons, Bonds is 8-for-42 against the Cardinals with 21 walks and four homers. Game 2 starter Woody Williams said he plans to pitch to Bonds. "With no disrespect to him, their lineup is pretty solid," Williams said. "As far as I'm concerned with pitching to him, you just try to keep the ball out of the middle of the plate."
Drew's kneeCardinals outfielder J.D. Drew, a part-time player much of the second half of the season due to tendinitis in his right knee, plans to have surgery as soon as the season ends. He was out of the lineup in Game 1 with the Cardinals facing left-hander Kirk Rueter.
"Some days it's good, some days it's bad," Drew said. "Hopefully, we'll run it out there the next 20 days or so and then get it fixed after that."
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