Cardinals Paint Crown Red  —  The fans here are patient.  They are adoring and savvy and upbeat, too, but mostly patient.  They waited nearly a quarter-century for Friday night, through steamy summers and frustrating autumns.  They waited until a wind-whipped, frigid night in the heartland …

Agent says Bonds will file for free agency quickly  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Barry Bonds plans to file for free agency the first day he can, and no negotiations have taken place with the Giants about keeping the slugger in San Francisco.  —  With the St. Louis Cardinals winning the World Series on Friday …

With this title, La Russa changes his legacy  —  ST. LOUIS - It's about the players.  It's always about the players, except when it's about the manager, too.  —  The Cardinals' Tony La Russa, who is as controversial as he is successful, rarely avoids scrutiny.  But this time, he is the focus for all the right reasons.

Eck yeah!  Sparkplug wins MVP  —  Scrappy Eckstein caps brilliant Fall Classic with two more RBIs  —  ST. LOUIS — The trophy was almost as big he was.  And the yellow Corvette he also won was probably just a tad too flashy for David Eckstein, the Most Valuable Player of the 102nd World Series.

World Series Prospectus  —  Game Five  —  Statistical analysts like my colleagues at Baseball Prospectus tend to downplay the nature of streakiness in baseball.  A 95-win team on Tuesday is a 95-win team on Wednesday, and a .300 hitter today is a .300 hitter tomorrow.  Sure, any result is possible in a short series.

Mookie's at home in sea of red  —  ST. LOUIS — That was a very familiar figure in the Cardinals' dugout before Game 4 in some very unfamiliar gear.  Mookie Wilson was wearing a Cardinals sweatshirt and ski cap, nearly 20 years to the day since he established himself as a Met forever.

Pitchers rule day in Rising Stars Showcase  —  Heavy-hitting AFL quieted by some of game's top pitching prospects  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. — All it takes is a short memory to recall the days when the Arizona Fall League was considered a hitters' haven.  —  Last season comes to mind.

Cano wants to play  —  Robinson Cano caught Game 4 of the World Series on television the other night, but he wasn't exactly fascinated.  —  "I'm not interested," he said Friday.  "I'd rather spend time with my family than watch the games.  We should be playing in the World Series right now."

Cook on a tear after skid in AFL  —  Scorpions outfielder ignites his bat with homer  —  It may have taken longer than expected, but David Cook is starting to heat up.  He started off the AFL season hitless in his first 13 at-bats before ending his slide with a homer.

Sox wait for Crede's surgery decision  —  Front office hopes for decision on his back surgery soon  —  Ken Williams spent most of October finalizing budgets for 2007.  Now the White Sox general manager and his staff are awaiting word on whether standout third baseman Joe Crede will undergo back surgery.

Joe Niekro passes away at 61  —  Brother of Hall of Famer Phil won 221 games in 22 seasons  —  Joe Niekro recognized the pitch as soon as it left his brother's hand.  After all, it was the pitch that their dad taught them when they were just kids growing up together in Ohio.

Give Eckstein credit where credit's due  —  St. Louis - David Eckstein is great for the Cardinals, but bad for baseball.  —  Because of Eckstein, too many teams believe every player like him - read "undersized" - will be the exception to the rule.  —  The Rockies felt that way about Aaron Miles …