Finally in playoffs, Delgado breaking out

If we can get this story back to baseball for a minute, let it be noted that Cardinals manager Tony La Russa could have used some of Delgado's smarts in Game 4. La Russa had already dipped into his bullpen, yet he chose to combat the left-handed Delgado with right-handers Brad Thompson in the fifth and Josh Hancock in the sixth. Two at-bats and five RBI later, we can safely call that strategy a mistake.

One day after pushing every managerial button the right way in Game 3, La Russa found nothing but Whoopee cushions and hand-buzzers in Game 4. Anthony Reyes, the rookie starter La Russa had activated for the NLCS over 14-game winner Jason Marquis, labored through four middling innings. The relievers who followed were worse. The defense was sloppy. The offense was limp, especially Albert Pujols, who went 0-for-4 and drew jeers from the crowd for listlessly running out two groundouts.

The crowd was weak, too. Not small, and not quiet. But weak. Whoever called St. Louis fans the best in baseball wasn't here on a day like Sunday, when they were repeatedly booing the home team, applauding sarcastically on occasion and fleeing in the seventh inning.

Bad day for St. Louis. Good day for the Mets. And worth the wait for Delgado.

"I played 12½ years and never sniffed the playoffs," he said. "This is what every athlete wants to be in. It couldn't happen to a better group of guys."

Guy, Carlos. Guy. Singular.