Ankiel invigorates Cards and has the fans buzzing
By Bernie Miklasz
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
09/03/2007
Sports Columnist Bernie Miklasz
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Walt Jocketty's best personnel move in several years was to flip the cover of his cell phone, dial the Memphis Redbirds at 901-721-6000 and ask for Rick Ankiel.
Oh, how Ankiel has answered the call.
I know this wasn't a trade, like those late-summer specials that Jocketty used to make in bringing in Will Clark and Larry Walker. Ankiel was already in the system, at Class AAA Memphis. But the impact has been as dramatic as any grandstand maneuver made for a stretch-run boost.
Makes you wonder why the Cardinals waited so long, since Ankiel was the same player in June that he was in August. I guess with so many distractions, the Cardinals lost Ricky's number.
Had the Cardinals called for Ankiel sooner, they'd probably be in first place.
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Since Ankiel's overdue arrival on Aug. 9, he leads the Cardinals in RBIs, slugging percentage, total bases, extra-base hits and sacrifice flys. He's second in batting average and is tied for first in homers, go-ahead RBIs, and game-winning RBIs. And that's with fewer at-bats than many of the regulars.
The numbers transcend St. Louis. From Aug. 9 through Sept. 2, Ankiel is fourth in the National League in slugging percentage (.676), third in home-run ratio (one every 11.3 at-bats) and second in RBI rate (one for every 3.58 at-bats).
Yeah, the Cardinals' pitching has been terrific, with an NL-best ERA of 2.89 since the 17-8 turnaround began on Aug. 6. But Ankiel has clearly amped a tired, aching lineup. He's also inspired so many comparisons to Roy Hobbs in "The Natural," the late Bernard Malamud is probably spinning the ribbon of his Underwood typewriter.
Variations of Ankiel prose have been cranked out by everyone from your friendly neighborhood sportswriters to Pulitzer Prize-winning neoconservative political columnist Charles Krauthammer. ESPN's esteemed Peter Gammons even went so far as to say that Ankiel made him want to be a better man.
Maybe all of this explains why Ankiel already is going bashful, backing away from the media hype.
After all, who needs Max Mercy when the story can write itself?
Ammerin' Ank homered in his first game here, and he continues to produce more power than Ameren UE.
Sunday against the Reds, Ankiel shattered a scoreless game with a sixth-inning solo homer, and later tacked on an important RBI sacrifice fly, as the resurgent Cardinals completed a three-game sweep with a 3-2 victory.
The Cardinals are 17-8 since falling to eight games under .500 on Aug. 5, and a river of red Kool Aid is flowing through the streets of St. Louis and surrounding communities.
Good vibes all around. And did we mention that Cardinals Chairman Bill DeWitt would be happy to sell you a No. 24 Ankiel shirt?
Fans have gone so crazy for Ankiel that they react to his throws from the outfield with the same schlock and awe that used to accompany Mark McGwire's batting-practice missiles.
Those who saw Ankiel blast off in Memphis are hardly surprised by his adjustment to big-league pitching. Fellow Memphis Mafia member Brendan Ryan predicted it.
"I thought maybe he'd get challenged more up here," Ryan said. "Having some bigger bats around him would help, the pitchers are going to be around the zone a little more, the adrenaline is going to be pumping, the strike zone's a little tighter. I just knew he was going to do better up here."
Indeed. Only 10 NL hitters have a higher batting average than Ankiel (.353) since his call-up.
And this team has been transformed since manager Tony La Russa turned to the Memphis Redbirds for Brendan Ryan, Ankiel and Ryan Ludwick.
The Cardinals' record is 13-6 when Ankiel plays, 51-41 when Ludwick plays, and 30-14 when Ryan plays.
Good for Tony.
This is the best conversion since Ankiel gave up pitching and picked up a bat.