WORLD SERIES NOTEBOOK
UT bowtie to be featured again on broadcast after vote
10/26/2013A University of Toledo bow tie will be making its second consecutive World Series appearance today during Game 3 in St. Louis at 8 p.m. on Fox.
Fox Sports baseball analyst Ken Rosenthal holds a Bow Tie Cause competition on Facebook where dozens of organizations submit their bow tie to support a cause or an organization. Supporters vote by "liking" a picture of the bow tie design and Rosenthal commits to wearing the most popular ones on the air.
For the second year in a row, Rosenthal will be wearing a UT bow tie.
The UT bow tie is from the University's annual Tie One On event to support prostate cancer care, awareness and outreach.
To register for Tie One On, which will take place at the UT vs. BGSU men's basketball game on Wednesday, Feb. 5, visit utoledo.edu/tieoneon.
NO MORE DH: It's not just the stadium and uniforms that will change when the World Series shifts to Busch Stadium. With the switch to the National League city, there won't be a designated hitter.
Adopted by the American League for the 1973 season, the DH first appeared in the Series in 1976, and it was used in even-numbered years through 1984. Since 1986, the DH has been in the lineup for games in AL cities.
The move to St. Louis means Boston slugger Mike Napoli is on the bench for Game 3 on Saturday night and David Ortiz takes over at first base.
"If I were commissioner I'd certainly change it, where we could get Nap in there," said Jake Peavy, Boston's Game 3 starter.
"I think that we certainly have a little bit of a disadvantage, just simply because of the way our roster is constructed as opposed to theirs. They're a National League ballclub, and they're going to play with their normal lineup tomorrow night, with the way they were built. Being an American League team we're going to miss a huge middle-of-the-lineup."
AL DHs have a .241 Series average with 15 homers and 56 RBIs, according to STATS LLC. NL DHs hit for a higher average (.248) but with less run production (12 homers, 46 RBIs).
"I do enjoy the National League game, only because it's what we're most accustomed to, but also just the thought process that goes into it," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said.
"But I do understand, too, the American League side and I think it's a good mix."
RATINGS GAME: The Cardinals' 4-2 win in Game 2 received an 8.3 rating and 14 share on Fox and was seen by an average of 13.4 million viewers, Nielsen Media Research said Friday. The rating was up 6 percent from a 7.8/12 for San Francisco's 2-0 victory over Detroit in the second game last year, and viewers were up 9 percent from 12.3 million.
The two-game average of 8.5/14 is up 10 percent from last year's 7.7/12 and the 13.9 million viewers are up 13 percent from last season's 12.3 million.
GOLD WATCH: Cardinals Game 1 starter Adam Wainwright found out he was a finalist for a Gold Glove and couldn't resist poking fun at himself over the timing of the announcement.
Wainwright, who won a Gold Glove in 2009, noted a pitcher who is strong defensively can really help — "If you can catch little popups right to you."
After going error-free during the regular season, the 19-game winner hasn't forgotten what happened in this year's World Series opener.
He called for an easy pop fly and then assumed five-time Gold Glove catcher Yadier Molina would take over, and the ball fell between them for a hit by Stephen Drew that helped Boston to a two-run second inning and a 5-0 lead.
"The mistake I made was I called it early because it was right to me," Wainwright said. "It was high enough that I just thought someone was going to call me off, and you just can't play baseball that way."