Cardinals, Astros consider sportsmanlike handshakes for NLCS

The St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers drew a lot of praise for their show of sportsmanship, shaking hands on the field after their first-round playoff series ended.

So will the Cardinals and Houston Astros do the same thing after the N.L. Championship Series?

Astros star Craig Biggio has said he was in favor of it, and St. Louis manager Tony La Russa supported the idea as long as it wasn’t forced.

Houston leads 3-2 in the best-of-7 series going into today’s game.

While NHL players traditionally line up for handshakes after each playoff round, and NFL and NBA players mill around after games, it’s a new idea in the majors – and one that’s taking some getting used to.

“I don’t like that,” said Bob Watson, baseball’s vice president of on-field operations. “We play 162 games. We play a different game. A lot of times, you see guys do it underneath the stands, out of sight.”

Watson played 19 seasons in the majors, most of them in Houston. Another former Astros star, Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan, agreed.

“I think it’s just not my nature to do it,” he said. “The style of pitcher I was, I don’t think I’d feel comfortable doing that.”

Bob DuPuy, baseball’s chief operating officer, pointed out that the sport has a rule against fraternization on the field. But he added, “We’d look like ogres if we came in and told people not to do it.”

“I don’t have a preference,” he said.

Chances are, post-series handshakes will become a subject for executives to talk about. Look for it to be a topic at the general managers’ meeting in November.

Red Sox, Yankees a hit with viewers

Boston’s 5-4, 14-inning win in Game 5 Monday night was the highest-rated weekday day game in the LCS in 18 years.

The 5-hour, 49-minute game had an 11.3 rating and 19 share on Fox, Nielsen Media Research said Tuesday, up 59 percent for the 7.1 for Game 5 of last year’s A.L. series between the Yankees and Red Sox. The last weekday LCS day game with a rating that high was the New York Mets’ 16-inning Game 6 clincher over the Houston Astros in the 1986 NLCS (17.0).

The nationally televised portion of Houston’s 3-0 win over St. Louis in Game 5 of the N.L. series got a 9.8. So far, the five games in each series have averaged an 8.7, down 5 percent from last year’s average of 9.2, but 36 percent higher that 2002’s 6.4.

Carpenter possible for World Series

Throughout the postseason, the Cardinals have played down any progress made by 15-game winner Chris Carpenter, sidelined since Sept. 18 with nerve damage to his right biceps.

But if they make it to the World Series, there’s a chance he could be available to pitch.

Carpenter threw 26 pitches off the bullpen mound, a day after his latest favorable exam and a week after he was cleared to resume playing catch. If the Cardinals avert elimination in Game 6 today, he’s scheduled to throw again on Thursday.

“We wanted to see how the throwing he’s done affected the nerve and it hasn’t at all,” trainer Barry Weinberg said.

Olerud out for series

Yankees first baseman John Olerud is out for the rest of the series because of a bruised left instep.

Olerud was injured in Game 3 on Saturday when the knob of his bat apparently hit him on the foot as he stumbled out of the batter’s box. X-rays were negative, but he was scheduled to have more tests Tuesday.

Tony Clark made his third consecutive start at first base for New York in Game 6 against Boston.

Randolph to talk with Mets

Willie Randolph, the Yankees’ bench coach, is tentatively set to talk with Mets GM Omar Minaya on Thursday about the team’s managing job. They had been set to meet Monday before rain Friday wiped out the travel day.