NOTEBOOK World Series

A hole in the middle: Jim Edmonds and St. Louis' sluggers carried the Cardinals to 105 wins during the regular season. They're coming up empty in the World Series. Albert Pujols, Scott Rolen, Edmonds and Reggie Sanders were a combined 1-for-13 on Tuesday night. The Cardinals are down three games to none, and the middle of their powerful lineup is a big reason. "I think we can do a better job of hitting, but I think you've got to give them credit," manager Tony La Russa said. "They've made good pitches in key situations over and over again." Rolen is 0-for-11 in his first World Series with one RBI. Edmonds is 1-for-11, and Sanders is hitless in nine at-bats. Pujols has four hits, but hasn't driven in a run. "As long as the game has been played, if the pitcher mixes things up and keeps the ball in the middle, I don't care how good the hitters are, they have a hard time adjusting," La Russa said.
Funny man: Kevin Millar was the odd man out of Boston's starting lineup in Game 3 against the Cardinals. With no designated hitter allowed in the National League ballpark, David Ortiz played first base so the Red Sox could keep his powerful bat in the lineup. That left Millar on the bench, where the colorful slugger was bound to keep his teammates laughing all night long. "He's such a smart aleck," manager Terry Francona said. "He'll have a bag of snacks, I mean the couple of games in interleague this summer when he didn't play -- Atlanta, he looked like, remember "Leave it to Beaver?" He looked like Larry Mondello. I thought about putting him in, but he had a stomach ache." The Red Sox hardly missed Millar's bat, but they love the entertainment he provides. "When he doesn't play, he said things that made me laugh when I didn't want to laugh," Francona said. "You'll hear that voice down at the end of the dugout and it's hard not to laugh. He's a character. He's good for our ballclub." Millar grounded out as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning.
Paint the town red: Here's one World Series stunt that didn't last long. A Boston fan who lives in St. Louis visited Busch Stadium on Monday and placed red socks on the statues of Cardinals greats outside the ballpark. Just minutes later, Robert Kennedy, a St. Louis fan from Cahokia, Ill., happened to be passing by. He immediately removed the socks, using them to polish up the statues before he tossed them in the trash can. "It's all in good fun," Kennedy said. Speaking of Cardinals greats, Stan Musial and Bob Gibson threw out the ceremonial first pitch before Game 3.
Associated Press