 |
The St. Louis Cardinals slipped into the playoffs thanks to the
Philadelphia Phillies sweep of the Atlanta Braves. Cardinals
manager Tony La Russa said afterward that he is a big fan of the
Phillies for playing hard until the end. - Photo courtesy of Getty
|
Part of the Braves collapse included a season-ending series sweep at the hands of the Philadelphia Phillies, who had very little to play for considering they qualified for the playoffs long ago.
But the Phillies played the season out, using their regulars while defeating the Braves three games in a row to give the Cardinals the opening to make the playoffs.
Because the Phillies did the right thing and played it the right way, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa was very appreciative of the Phillies team, players, and most importantly manager Charlie Manuel.
"They did what they said. They played hard. They played to win the entire time. And I have tremendous respect for how they handled it."La Russa did not stop there. He proclaimed himself a fan of the Philadelphia Phillies.
"I've been a big fan. Whenever I think about the National League I'm going to think about the Phillies. What they put into that series -- the integrity, the competition, the manager, the coaches and the players -- that is Major League Baseball at its best. I will never forget that. I hope nobody else does."So while La Russa says he is a fan now and knowing the future Hall of Famer's compeitive nature, those things will likely change quickly as the Phillies and Cardinals square off in Game 1 of the NLCS on Saturday afternoon.
But it is great to see La Russa salute the Phillies for playing baseball the right way and it will be interesting to see if feelings change once the series begins.
There is no doubt though that the Cardinals have a huge amount of respect for the Phillies.
Sources:
too bad the angles didnt do the some
ReplyDelete