Busch enters final stretch
NOTES
Stan Musial struck his classic batting stance before peeling No. 6 off the right field wall. Joe Torre got a memorable escort around the warning track to adoring cheers.
Only three regular-season games remain at St. Louis’ Busch Stadium, a three-game weekend series against the Cincinnati Reds that will serve as a playoff tuneup for the National League Central champions.
“Am I going to miss it?” Cardinals center fielder Jim Edmonds said while getting a head start on packing this week. “I won’t miss the stadium when I play in the new one next year.”
The stadium, one of the last circular cookie-cutter ballparks, underwent a makeover in 1997 that included a retro-look, hand-operated scoreboard and dark green trim paint job.
Water leaks after it rains. Groaning plumbing noises regularly invade manager Tony La Russa’s office.
“It’s limping in,” said the manager, who can’t wait to get into the new Busch Stadium going up next door.
Reds reward Narron
Keeping the Reds from giving up after a horrible start has earned manager Jerry Narron another year in Cincinnati.
The Reds extended his contract through the 2006 season with a mutual option for 2007. Narron began the season as the Reds bench coach and was appointed interim manager when Dave Miley was fired June 21 after the team’s 27-43 start.
Cincinnati is 46-43 under Narron.
“Really, the only reason I’m coming back is because the players played well,” Narron said. “With where we were in the standings, what our record was, it would have been very easy to just pretty much give up on the team part of it and just play individually.”
The Reds are finishing their fifth consecutive losing season, their longest such streak since 1945-55.
Clearing the bases
Boston acquired reliever Mike Stanton from Washington, adding another left-hander to the bullpen in its final push for the playoffs. … Third baseman Alex Gordon, a two-time Big 12 player of the year at Nebraska and the No. 2 overall pick in June’s amateur draft, agreed to a minor league contract with Kansas City that includes a $4 million signing bonus. … Milwaukee general manager Doug Melvin is negotiating a long-term contract extension. Melvin took over as GM on Sept. 26, 2002.