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NLCS notebook Counsell edges Big Unit for Series MVP honors
Updated: Monday October 22, 2001 3:44 AM
ATLANTA (AP) -- Curt Schilling calls him Rudy. The rest of baseball is calling Craig Counsell the NL Championship Series MVP. Counsell edged out Randy Johnson, who won two games as the Arizona Diamondbacks eliminated the Atlanta Braves in the best-of-seven series 4-1. "You feel lucky," Counsell said. The 6-foot, 175-pound Counsell hit .381 (8-for-21), scored five runs, drove in four, had two sacrifices and a stolen base. That's why Schilling was shouting, "Rudy, Rudy," in the clubhouse after the Diamondbacks second baseman was named the MVP. Counsell, a former Notre Dame star, earned the nickname in honor of the former undersized Irish football player who had a movie, "Rudy," based on his life. The real-life Rudy played in only one game for Notre Dame in the late 1970s. "I mean, I felt like I was battling for a job in spring training, just to make the team and be the utility guy," said the four-year veteran, who also excelled in the 1997 World Series when he was with the Florida Marlins. He drove in the tying run in the ninth inning of Game 7 against Cleveland, then scored the winner in 11th inning that year. Counsell started the season as a fill-in, but played third base when Matt Williams got hurt. He replaced Tony Womack at shortstop when he was injured, then beat out Jay Bell for the second base job in August. "You feel blessed to be in this position again. The MVP, that's just something extra," said Counsell, who hit a career-high .275 with four home runs and 38 RBIs in 141 games during the regular season. "I'm thrilled to be going to the World Series. That's No. 1, no doubt about it. So many guys in there have played 10, 12 years, accomplished so much in their career, and not had a chance to do this," he said. Johnson beat the Braves in Game 1, allowing three hits in a 2-0 win, and again in Sunday's night's clincher, pitching seven clutch innings in a 3-2 victory. He finished with a 1.13 ERA, allowing only 10 hits in 16 innings, striking out 19. Cox on SeriesEven though the Arizona Diamondbacks are making their first World Series appearance, Atlanta manager Bobby Cox likes their chances because of their top two pitchers -- Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson.The pair won three games against the Braves, allowing only three runs in 25 innings. The Diamondbacks will play either the New York Yankees or Seattle Mariners in the World Series that opens Saturday at Arizona. "I think they've got a great chance," Cox said. "They've got two of the most outstanding back-to-back starters you could ever want." Johnson gave up seven hits and two runs in seven innings Sunday night, escaping a bases-loaded jam in his final inning by striking out Brian Jordan. Johnson also beat the Braves 2-0 in Game 1, throwing a three-hitter and striking out 11. Schilling won Game 3, beating Atlanta 5-1. Schilling won 22 games and Johnson 21 in the regular season.
Time running outChipper Jones knows he's been very fortunate to be part of Atlanta's record 10 consecutive postseason appearances. He also knows it can't last forever."Obviously, this roll, at some point, is going to end," said Jones before Game 5 of the NL Championship Series in which the Braves lost 3-2 to the Diamondbacks and were eliminated from the best-of-7 series. "The window may be starting to close," he said. "We've ridden Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz for much of this run and these guys are getting up there." Jones has been a part of the streak since 1995 and is taking part in his seventh postseason. Maddux had been in the playoffs with the Braves since 1993 -- eight times. Both Glavine and Smoltz have been in all 10. In winning the NL East by two games over Philadelphia, the Braves were 88-74 -- their lowest win total since the streak began in 1991. Sixteen of the players on the 25-man NLCS roster are 30 or older, 13 are at least 33. Jones is coming off a season in which he hit .330 with 38 homers and 102 RBIs. He set a major league record for third basemen by knocking in 100 or more runs in six straight seasons. Jones wouldn't say next year might be the year the streak is broken. "But at some point you've got to give credit to the teams on the other side who could come out ahead of us," he said. Friendly FurcalSS Rafael Furcal, the Atlanta Braves rookie of the year in 2000, who dislocated his shoulder and missed much of the 2001 season, got to meet Arizona Diamondbacks veteran infielder Jay Bell before Sunday night's game."He just came up to me and introduced himself," said Bell, who shook hands with Furcal and placed his hand on the youngster's left shoulder, giving it a friendly pat as they spoke. "I asked him how he was doing and told him I hoped he would be healthy for next season," he said during the brief meeting in which both smiled throughout. "We didn't talk much about anything special, but it was very nice to meet him. He's a great kid," Bell said.
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