MILWAUKEE – An afterthought in early September, the St. Louis Cardinals are taking their wild ride all the way to the World Series. National League Championship Series MVP David Freese hit a three-run homer in the first and manager Tony La Russa turned again to his brilliant bullpen for seven sturdy innings as St. Louis captured its 18th pennant with a 12-6 victory over the bumbling Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday night.

ST. LOUIS – Chris Carpenter needed a pick-me-up in the worst way. A bullpen that just sat back and watched the last time the St. Louis Cardinals ace pitched was ready for extended duty. Albert Pujols hit an RBI double off Yovani Gallardo during a four-run first inning and four St. Louis relievers combined for four perfect innings Wednesday night for a 4-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers and a 2-1 edge in the N.L. championship series.

MILWAUKEE — Two pitches. Two swings. That’s how quickly Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder can change momentum.

Ryan Braun stepped into the box when a familiar feeling overcame him. Just like in 2008, the Brewers’ homegrown slugger propelled Milwaukee back into the postseason. “It’s not new,” Prince Fielder said. “That’s what he does.”

NHL: Kevin Durant scored 29 points on 12-for-21 shooting, Russell Westbrook added 18 and Oklahoma City frustrated Miami’s offense all night on the way to a 96-85 victory over the Heat in Miami. Oklahoma City shot just 40 percent, but it didn’t matter as the Heat were held to 38.5 percent shooting.

Sometimes the difference in an Arena Football League game is minuscule. Good thing the Spokane Shock had a safety net to work with from midway through the first quarter. The Shock benefited from an early safety, built a 19-point lead and held on for a 60-57 victory over the Milwaukee Iron to claim the National Conference championship in front of 8,151 Thursday at the Arena. The victory puts the top-ranked Shock (15-3) into the ArenaBowl next Friday at 5 in Spokane. The Shock will host the winner of Saturday’s Tampa Bay-Orlando game.

How many fans showed up? “Just enough,” said Huey Whittaker. How many points did the Spokane Shock score? “Just enough,” he repeated. And what is it, in a quarterback’s game and a quarterback’s league, that the Shock get out of their guy, Kyle Rowley.

The Spokane Shock advance to the Arena Bowl with a 60-57 win over Milwaukee at the Arena.

So the Arena Football League reinvented itself this year, with a new fiscal model that is (A) sane and prudent, if you’re an owner/investor, or (B) a full-time gig at hobby wages, if you’re a player. That new teams – or old, mothballed ones from the previous incarnation – already are signing on for next season suggests that somebody thinks the salary structure is the league’s salvation. But the question remains – can the AFL, with such limited payrolls, still attract the kind of talent that would unearth the next Kurt Warner?