Inside the NFL Picks Week 8

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Game 6 postponed; Berkman wonders why

Grounds crew at Busch Stadium pull the tarp onto the infield shortly after MLB announced that Game 6 of the World Series was postponed.

Major League Baseball announced that Game 6 of the World Series scheduled for tonight at Busch Stadium has been postponed and rescheduled for Thursday at 8:05 p.m. ET.

The threat of rain in the area and an improved forecast for the next two days were major factors in the decision, MLB announced in an e-mail.

Given the desire to play a game of this magnitude without interruption, and an outlook with better conditions over the next two nights, Major League Baseball, along with the Cardinals and the Rangers, determined that making the decision early would be the most prudent course of action to allow fans enough time to plan accordingly.

"We just didn't want to take a chance," said Joe Torre, MLB's Executive Vice President for Baseball Operations. "If the forecast wasn't good for tomorrow and Friday, then the chances are we'd probably wait a little longer."

Torre said he's a big believer in finishing a postseason game to its conclusion if it's started.

"As a manager, the last thing you want to do is get on the field and then all of a sudden if you have to pull the tarp and now your starter sits down and gets up -- we had a couple of experiences earlier this fall with some of those things. That's never fun."

But Cardinals right fielder Lance Berkman says the game should have been played Wednesday.

"I'm not even sure why they cancelled it. This is better weather than we had for Game 1, so I'm actually a little bit upset about it," he said, referring to the series opener in St. Louis when it was 49 degrees and windy at first pitch. "Heck, it's their call. We play when they tell us to play.

"I guess I'm going to go lay up on the couch like a big, fat pig and watch a movie or something."

While the postponement doesn't figure to affect the starting pitchers in Game 6 -- Colby Lewis for the Rangers and Jaime Garcia for the Cardinals -- the extra day of rest could have an impact on who starts (or is available in relief) for a potential Game 7 on Friday at 8:05 p.m. ET.

Cardinals skipper Tony La Russa said Tuesday that he and pitching coach Dave Duncan have "a really positive feel" about how they would use their pitching staff in a potential Game 7, but that "we need to get there first and then we can talk about it."

Reading between the lines, it could mean that Game 5 starter Chris Carpenter would be available on three days' rest.

Patrick Henry Hughes

This is truly a beautiful story.

Every once in a while, we need someone like this to remind us that life may not be perfect, but God gives us so much more than we use for his Glory. Enjoy and I dare you not to be touched.

This guy is so incredible....also his dad, too. It reminds us to be grateful for all God has given us.

La Russa calls bullpen blunder 'embarrassing'

St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa leaned back against the wall outside his office Tuesday, closed his eyes and still couldn't let it go, replaying the scene over and over.

"That will go down in my house of horrors," La Russa said.

It had been nearly 24 hours since the Cardinals' blown communication on the bullpen phone in Game 5 of the World Series, resulting in the wrong relievers warming up and entering the game. The blunder played a role in the Texas Rangers turning a 2-2 tie into a 4-2 win, leaving the Cardinals trailing 3-2 as the Series returns to Busch Stadium today for Game 6.

"That's something that's never happened to me before. Never," said LaRussa, who has managed in the majors 33 years, ranking third on the all-time victory list and second with 68 postseason victories. "I guarantee you it will never happen again."

Right-hander Octavio Dotel opened the eighth inning but gave up a leadoff double to Michael Young. La Russa said he immediately called his bullpen and said: "Get (left-hander Marc) Rzepczynski going. … Have (right-hander Jason) Motte play catch."

Bullpen coach Derek Lilliquist, struggling to hear over the crowd noise, heard the Rzepczynski part. He never heard anything about Motte.

"I shouldn't have paused (between the requests)," La Russa said. "There was too long of a pause there."

Dotel struck out Adrian Beltre for the first out, and Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan ordered Dotel to intentionally walk Nelson Cruz. LaRussa went to the mound, and brought in Rzepczynski to face left-handed outfielder David Murphy. But La Russa never looked out to the bullpen to check if Motte was warming up. He retreated to the dugout, and said, "Get Motte going."

Lilliquist didn't hear him correctly. He thought he heard, "Lynn," as in rookie right-hander Lance Lynn.

"All I had to do was look out to the bullpen to make sure," La Russa said, talking to a handful of news reporters outside his office after the Cardinals departed a voluntary workout.

Murphy hit a comebacker to the mound, but Rzepczynski couldn't handle it. It caromed off his glove.

Right-handed hitting catcher Mike Napoli stepped to the plate with the bases loaded, and La Russa realized that no one was warming up. He had no choice but to let Rzepczynski face Napoli, who's hitting .308 with nine RBI in the World Series. On a 1-1 count, he drilled a slider into right-center field for a two-run double. Rzepczynski stayed in the game and struck out left-handed hitting first baseman Mitch Moreland for the second out of the inning.

La Russa went to the mound to signal for Motte to face Ian Kinsler. Instead, he got Lynn.

"I said, 'What are you doing here?'" La Russa said.

La Russa, who planned to use Lynn only in an emergency because he pitched Sunday, told Lynn to intentionally walk Kinsler. Motte then entered the game, striking out Elvis Andrus for the third out.

"That's got to be one of the weirdest things in major league history, doesn't it?" said La Russa, who took full blame for the communication blunder. "That was embarrassing."

La Russa also defended Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols, who called a hit-and-run on his own in the seventh inning with Allen Craig on first base. Craig took off running, but Pujols didn't swing on the outside pitch, and Craig was easily thrown out at second.

"If a player has a good feel and can handle the bat, and if he wanted to put a play on, he's been given that right," La Russa said. "It has everything to do with what Albert has earned as far as his understanding of the game."