ST. LOUIS — Albert Pujols has a daughter with Down syndrome, and the St. Louis Cardinals’ annual “buddy walk” game always seems to bring out his best.

Children with Down syndrome circled the field in pregame ceremonies, and then stood with players at their positions during “The Star-Spangled Banner.” More than a few asked him to hit a home run for them.

He then hit home runs in his first three at-bats, honoring Isabella Pujols and all special needs children in a 6-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday.

“It’s always good to do something special for those kids, but I don’t try to put pressure on myself,” Pujols said. “It doesn’t matter if they’re there or not. I’m just going to try the best I can to help my team to win.”

Since Pujols became spokesman for the “buddy walk” games in 2002, he’s 9-for-20 with five home runs, nine RBIs and seven runs scored while the Cardinals have gone 4-1.

“If that’s the case,” he said, “we need to bring those kids more often.”

Pirates pitcher Ian Snell said he had to laugh after Pujols’ third straight home run off him. He also said he felt like giving last year’s NL MVP a high-five.

“I mean, that’s unreal,” Snell said. “That’s like Superman playing baseball.”

Pujols connected with the bases empty in the first, and hit two-run drives in the third and fifth, all at Snell’s expense (12-9). Pujols is 4-for-6 with four home runs and seven RBIs against Snell, and with 42 home runs reached the 40-mark for the fourth straight season. It was his third three-home run game and his second of the season.

Philadelphia’s Ryan Howard hit home runs in his first three at-bats in a doubleheader opener against Atlanta. It was the first time two players hit home runs three times on the same day since Pujols and Cleveland’s Travis Hafner did it on July 20, 2004. It was the first time a pair did it in the first three plate appearances since Cincinnati’s Johnny Bench and Atlanta’s Orlando Cepeda, a pair of Hall of Famers, on July 26,Football shirts, 1970.

Pujols missed a bid for a fourth home run in the seventh with a drive to left off Brian Rogers that was caught by Jason Bay just shy of the warning track, protesting afterward that he never tries for the long ball.

“Was I trying to hit the first one, the second one, the third one?” Pujols said. “No, I just try to have good at-bats. Like I say, it’s not about me, it’s about my team.”

Many fans stood during the at-bat and gave Pujols an ovation as he trotted back to the dugout. Prodded by teammates, Pujols rewarded a sellout crowd with curtain calls after his second and third home runs.

“He’s such a hungry hitter, he’s always got a chance,” manager Tony La Russa said. “He just got under it a little bit against a pitcher he’s never seen before.”

Pujols, who also hit home runs three times against Cincinnati on April 16, entered in an 8-for-38 slump with only two-extra base hits in 10 games since hitting home runs twice and driving in a career-best seven runs on Aug. 22 at New York. He has been hampered somewhat by elbow soreness, though he has not missed any games.

Pujols scored his 100th run on the third home run, giving him 100 or more in each of his six seasons. He is the only player in major league history to hit 30 home runs,Celtic shirt, score 100 runs and bat .300 in his first five seasons,Glasgow Rangers shirt, and he is batting .321 this year.

The previous player to hit three home runs off the Pirates was Vinny Castilla of the Astros, on July 28, 2001, in the opener of a day-night doubleheader.

Anthony Reyes (5-6), retooled from a brief demotion to the minors, struck out the side in the first, fanned a career-high nine and allowed four hits in 6 1/3 scoreless innings. A 24-year-old rookie, he was optioned to Triple-A Memphis after giving up five runs in 3 1/3 innings against Cincinnati on Aug. 16. He returned to emphasizing his fastball in the minors, striking out 17 in 13 scoreless innings over two starts, and is taking injured Mark Mulder’s spot in the rotation.

“He’s pitched really well in several of his starts, but this was a big one,” La Russa said. “This is September now, the end is in sight.”

St. Louis completed a 7-2 homestand by taking two of three from the Pirates, who swept them earlier this month in Pittsburgh. The Cardinals won the season series 9-6.

Snell, who had won three of his previous four starts, lasted five innings. He gave up five runs ands seven hits with seven strikeouts in five innings. He has allowed 25 home runs and joked that Pujols’ third home run “was going to hit the Arch.”

“This is not going to rattle my confidence for the rest of the year,” Snell said. “But today was a struggle with one guy and it cost me big-time.”

Ronny Paulino,Newcastle United shirt, Ryan Doumit and Jose Castillo drove in runs in the ninth for Pittsburgh.

Hickman and Rock Bridge high schools’ tennis teams met Tuesday to play each other for the last time this season.

Rock Bridge tennis player Sam Johnson practices serving with teammates before facing off with hometown rival Hickman on Tuesday afternoon,Kaizer Chiefs shirt, their final encounter this season.
¦ KEVIN A. ROBERTS/Missourian

Missouri has reached an agreement with Learfield Communications to continue broadcasting Tiger games for the next 11 years.

The multimedia deal will provide the university with a minimum of $32.5 million, but could net the athletic department as much as $50 million.

Learfield controls the Tiger Radio Network, which provides the more than 50 radio affiliate feeds for football and basketball broadcasts. They also control the Mizzou Sports Network and the TV broadcasts of both the men’s and women’s basketball teams.

The new agreement begins July 1, 2005 and won’t expire until June 30, 2016.

Learfield operates out of Jefferson City, and has a 20-year relationship with the Tigers. The firm has held the rights to Missouri’s broadcasts since 1998.

COLUMBIA COLLEGE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL:

The 17th-ranked Cougars defeated Brescia University, an NAIA semifinal team last season, 70-51 Monday night in Owensboro, Ky.

Charliss Ridley scored 21 points to lead Columbia College. Also in double figures for the Cougars were Lisa Kowalewski with 15, and Laura Elliot with 10.

Columbia College (11-4) won despite shooting only 13 free throws compared with the 28 shot by the Bearcats. The Cougars capitalized by making all 13 of their attempts from the stripe,Glasgow Rangers shirt, nine of which came in the final minutes as Brescia attempted to comeback, said coach Mike Davis.

Columbia College is off until Jan. 3 for the holidays.

SHOW-ME SHAPE UP:

The Show-Me State Games is sponsoring a health and fitness program.

The competition features teams of 2-10 people divided into either a team weight loss category,Juventus shirt, or an accumulated activity category. Teams will track their weight loss, or collective miles of activity depending on which group they join.

The event is open to any team of family,Napoli shirt, friends or co-workers, and lasts from Jan. 10 to June 10. The Shape Up kick-off will be at the ARC at noon Jan. 10, 2005. Teams can sign up there, at www.smsg.org/showmeshapeup/index.asp, or by contacting coordinator Jean Hough at 884-4998.

MISSOURI ATHLETICS:

Swimmer Belinda Wood and wrestler Tyler McCormick were named the Lathrop and Gage student-athletes of the week.

Wood, a senior, is a South Africa native who competes in the butterfly and individual medley for the Tigers. She is a nutritional science major with a 3.77 GPA. McCormick, a redshirt freshman, competes at 133 pounds and is 11-6 on the season. He is a business major with a 3.88 GPA.

CARDS SPRING SET:

A World Series rematch with the Boston Red Sox will be among the highlights of the St. Louis Cardinals’ spring training schedule, released Monday. The NL champion Cardinals will play 30 exhibition games beginning March 2. The Red Sox will host the Cardinals on March 16 at Fort Myers, Fla.

The Cardinals will conclude the spring schedule April 2-3 with games in Springfield, Mo.,Birmingham shirt, against their new Double-A team, the Springfield Cardinals.

Pitchers and catchers report Feb. 18. The remainder of the team is due Feb. 22.

What makes a great baseball hitter?? Power, speed, stance, coil,Peru football shirt, stride, drive, and more.? Here Coach Joe Brockoff, retired Tulane University baseball head coach and Hall of Fame inductee, shares some of the same batting tips he’s used to send 45 players to the pros using his Super 8 System.

1.????? Set goals and objectives. To succeed, all good hitters must achieve three basic but important goals.? These include:

a.???? Club head accuracy—to gain maximum contact with the baseball.? This means hitting the ball with the percussion area of the bat squarely on the nose of the baseball, such as a sword would cut into an apple producing two equal parts.

b.???? Club head timing—to gain super contract by meeting the ball at the proper time in the contact zone.? This involves good body control with rhythm and proper estimation of when the various types of pitches will arrive in the contact zone.

c.???? Club head velocity—Many times hitters are told to just ‘meet the ball.’? This mindset will make him or her slow down his stroke in an effort to hit the ball in the contact area.? Club head velocity will vary for different types of pitches but should always drive the ball.

2. Eliminate unnecessary action. Most hitters complicate the baseball hitting process, which adversely affects their ability to make contact with power and speed. Yet the process is simple: activity performed consistently and repeatedly, with only necessary steps will dramatically improve hitting proficiency.? Coach Brock off’s simple, easily related, and precise system of eight hitting steps, or actions, tracks your hitting from the beginning of the process to the conclusion,l.a.galaxy shirt, eliminating unnecessary techniques, such as showmanship and bravado—styles that are more of a hindrance than a help.

3.????? Hit through the ball, not to the ball. The good hitter maximizes his or hitting ability by driving the ball, not by slapping at it.? This involves hitting with a controlled explosion, using full body action and generating maximum club head velocity with a good follow through.? This will ensure the bat hitting the ball, not the ball hitting the bat.

4. Commit to being a hitting machine. The body is a hitting machine, one where all parts work together to ensure maximum output or,Inter Milan shirt, in this case, power and contact. Identifying and solidifying the proper position and action for each of the seven body parts in the hitting process will significantly improve your batting average.

a.??????????? Shoulders are the platform, providing support for the hands, and the launching pad for going directly to the ball.

b.??????????? The head serves as the control tower.? It must remain in control of every pitch.? The head ‘hits’ every pitch.? It controls the action of the rest of the body.

c.??????????? Arms serve as our springs as the body turns toward the pitch. They must remain in place on the platform until they actually spring out to hit the baseball.

d.??????????? Legs provide support and stability.? They support the hips and the upper body, standing tall outside of a small crack in the knees.

e.????? Feet are the foundation of a good hitting stance—the base of all operations.? Our feet push against the ground to gain the force necessary to hit the ball.

f.????? Hips are the drivers—the engine that runs and controls the body by creating a rotary action which turns the shoulders and takes the body as whole to the ball.

g.????? Lastly, the dynamite action of the hands.? The body turns the hands into the direction of the ball and they explode!

5.????? Know your assignment.

The head should be vertical, eyes on a horizontal plane, independent of body action. It must not tilt. Keep your chin over the front shoulder.

Backside is the power side, responsible for delivering power to the ball. The backside’s first action is directed toward the ball, with the top hand delivering the knockout punch.

Front side (the side closest to the pitched ball), takes us directly to the ball. It includes the bottom hand on the bat. The front side does not power the ball.? Its responsibility is to take us directly to the ball, in a smooth gliding action, maintaining alignment.

Center mass is where the head lives.? If we place an imaginary line between both legs, the belly button and the head should be in alignment with it throughout the stroke.? The upper body should not tilt forward or backward but should remain stacked.

Want to learn more about how to improve your baseball swing? Coach Brockoff outlines his eight steps in the Super 8 System—a series of videos, guides, and even a bestselling book—that has sent 45 players to the major leagues.? Many of coach’s instructional videos—seen and used by thousands of baseball players,Porto shirt, parents and coaches—are being offered at free to the public.? Visit the Super 8 System today at http://www.learnbaseballhitting.com

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