(Sports Network) - The St. Wholesale Jerseys . Louis Cardinals werent even sure there was a spot for them in these playoffs heading into the final day of the regular season. But, here they are back in the World Series for the third time in the last eight seasons, as they kick off the 107th Fall Classic against the Texas Rangers at Busch Stadium on Wednesday. Much like their improbable run to the 2006 title, nobody gave the Cardinals a chance this postseason, considering they had been 10 1/2 games out of a playoff spot as late as August 25 and were already without their top pitcher in right-hander Adam Wainwright, who was lost for the season back in spring training thanks to Tommy John surgery. The Cardinals, though, went 23-8 to close the season and secured the wild card when the Philadelphia Phillies completed a three-game sweep of the Braves with a dramatic extra inning win on the final day of the season. "I just know that we hung tough when a lot of things were going against us, and then we put together this run," said manager Tony La Russa. "And even in this run, we had some losses that will break your heart. And the next day they came out [saying], Hey, lets go get em again. ... We had some help here and there, but we made a lot of it ourselves." St. Louis then shocked the baseball world by taking out the 102-win Phillies with a heart-pounding 1-0 win in a decisive Game 5 at Citizens Bank Park, as Chris Carpenter tossed a three-hit shutout to outduel Roy Halladay. "The feeling in this clubhouse is winning," said Carpenter, who will take the hill in Game 1 on Wednesday. "Weve been playing hard all year long. There were some ups and downs here and there, but the last two or so months, we started to put it together and played hard." A familiar foe in the Milwaukee Brewers awaited them in the National League Championship Series, but the result was the same, as the Cardinals again defied the odds and took the NL Central champions out in six games, becoming the 10th wild card winner to reach the World Series. "When this club gets together years from now," La Russa said, "they will go, Hey, remember what we did?" Led by a terrific bullpen and the surprising heroics of the unheralded David Freese, the Cardinals are back in the World Series for the 18th time in team history. "We believe. Thats what you have to do in this game. We have a group of guys with talent, desire and a ton of heart," Freese said. "Its an unbelievable feeling to be part of this organization with this group of guys. It means a lot." Freese totaled 12 hits in the NLCS and garnered MVP honors, but that award could have easily gone to the entire bullpen corps of the Cardinals. Carrying eight relievers, La Russa made use of each and every one of his arms, as the Cardinals became the first team to win a postseason series when their starters failed to go more than five innings in any of the six games. St. Louis bullpen, which ranked 21st in the majors in the regular season with a 3.95 ERA, pitched in just over 54 percent of the teams innings -- the fifth-highest percentage ever for an LCS -- and contributed a 1.58 ERA. La Russa also broke his own NLCS record by making 28 pitching changes. "You dont want to end the game thinking that you had weapons that you didnt use," La Russa said, explaining his quick hooks in the series. "You just dont have that kind of patience that you can have [in the regular season]." The bullpen was spearheaded by a pair of mid-season acquisitions in lefty Mark Rzepczynski and Octavio Dotel, who along with righty Edwin Jackson came over from Toronto as part of the Colby Rasmus deal. Closer Jason Motte, the fifth such pitcher to be used in that role, has also found his rhythm, as he converted eight of nine saves in September and has saved four games in the playoffs without allowing a run in eight innings. As good as the bullpen was and as many contributions as La Russa got from his entire lineup, St. Louis still enters this series with three-time NL MVP Albert Pujols, who after a sub-par season by his own standards, reminded everyone in the NLCS that he is still the best player in the game. Pujols, a free agent at seasons end, hit .478 against the Brewers with a pair of home runs and eight RBI. Helping him, though, is the fact that Matt Holliday appears to be healthy after missing most of the NLDS with a finger injury. "Everybodys got to contribute," Pujols said. "This is not one guy carrying the whole ballclub. Twenty-five guys need to step up, big-time." Texas, meanwhile, is back in the World Series for a second straight season, but this appearance may be extra special, as it returns following an offseason that saw ace left-hander Cliff Lee bolt as a free agent to Philadelphia. And while the Rangers are in the Fall Classic for the second time in franchise history, Lee could be the biggest goat of the postseason after blowing a four- run lead to the Cardinals in Game 2 of the NLDS. But, thats not to say they couldnt use Lee right now because like the Cardinals, the Rangers received next to nothing from their starting rotation in their six-game win over the Detroit Tigers in the ALCS. As they have been doing all season, the Rangers rode their incredible lineup to get by and got a record-setting performance from right fielder Nelson Cruz who set the all-time mark for most home runs (six) and RBI (13) in a postseason series on his way to MVP honors. "When the team needed me I delivered. It was an amazing run. ... Its special, its everything I can ask for," said Cruz, who was limited to just 124 games this regular season because of hamstring injuries. Texas is just the fifth franchise to win consecutive AL pennants since the LCS round was introduced in 1969. "Its amazing. I couldnt be prouder of this group of men," Rangers president Nolan Ryan said. As the Cardinals did, the Rangers strengthened their bullpen at the trade deadline, acquiring right-handers Mike Adams and Koji Uehara. However, it has been a starter from this season who has dominated in the bullpen for the Rangers here in October. Right-hander Alexi Ogando, who won 13 games and earned a trip to the All-Star Game in his first year as a full-time starter this season, has been exceptional out of the bullpen in the postseason, allowing just a run and four hits, while striking out 12 in 10 1/3 innings of work. Ogando picked up two wins in the series against the Tigers, as Rangers starters C.J. Wilson, Colby Lewis, Derek Holland and Matt Harrison combined for a 6.59 ERA in the ALCS. The rotation also has just one quality start in 10 postseason games. "If you would have said at the beginning of [the ALCS] that our starting pitching wasnt going to do well," said Rangers outfielder David Murphy, "Im sure it wouldve made some guys nervous around here. But our bullpen came up so big, that all we needed to do was get our starter through four or five innings." With Uehara (33.75 ERA) struggling, Ogando was called upon time and time again to help set the bridge to Adams and closer Neftali Feliz, who has surrendered just one run in the postseason. The Rangers lineup, though, is loaded from 1-through-9 with former MVP Josh Hamilton leading the way, along with the likes of Ian Kinsler, Adrian Beltre, Cruz and the incredibly underrated Michael Young, who was the teams best player this season, hitting .338 with 106 RBI. Catcher Mike Napoli has also delivered here in October, as he has hit safely in eight of 10 games and is hitting .316. Texas easily claimed its second straight American League West title this season with 96 wins and entered the playoffs as the second seed in the AL. The Rangers then made quick work of the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS, beating them in four games before taking care of the Tigers. "Behold, here we are with another opportunity," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "They deserve a ton of credit. They got so much character in that clubhouse, so much drive. And as I said, we are a team, and thats the way they handle their business -- as a team." The 96 wins were a franchise high and a feat shared by St. Louis first two victims, as Philadelphias 102 wins and Milwaukees 96 victories were also the most in their teams history. There is obviously zero postseason history between these teams and really no head-to-head information, as the clubs have only met once in interleague play with the Cardinals taking two of three back in 2004. Cheap NFL Jerseys . PAUL, Minn. Cheap Jerseys China . -- The pending arrival of eight heralded newcomers has allowed Kentucky coach John Calipari to quickly move on after losing out on top recruit Andrew Wiggins.TORONTO - Its been a long time coming for Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri. On the eve of the 2013-14 NBA season, he can finally take a step back and allow his team to do the talking. "The NBA, it doesnt matter how good you are or how bad you are, that first day is exciting," he said Tuesday afternoon in anticipation of Wednesdays season opener at home to the Celtics. "You wait all summer. We talked the good talk and hyped the good hype and now its time to play. So well see how it goes." Not unlike the offseason, the preseason was long, bizarre at times but most importantly for those that aim to evaluate this team, its over. Now the real test begins. "Im not a big fan of trying to evaluate the preseason," Ujiri admitted, following a 6-1 exhibition season. "Its tough to evaluate there. You can win every single game and what does it mean? You can lose every game and what does it mean? [Wednesday] is when it starts to count." For Ujiri and the Raptors, the massage hasnt changed. As the franchise gets set to tip off its 19th campaign, those steering the ship continue to keep their intentions to themselves. As for the teams immediate goal, the expectations are still being tempered. "I think for us to play hard and play tough out there and compete is what we expect at a minimum from this team," Ujiri said. "In terms of expectations, were all evaluating and were going to see how it goes." Head coach Dwane Casey, asked again about his playoff aspirations, went a step further. "If we do what were supposed to do, play the game the right way, improve the way we should improve, we should be in the [playoff] conversation," Casey said. "Whether were going to make it or not, I cant sit here and say that." "Were going to be scrapping and fighting, thats our goal but to sit here and say that were a playoff team, I cant honestly say that. But right now, I like where we are." Whether its a spoken expectation or not, the postseason is a realistic goal for a team flirting with the luxury tax, even one that has failed to qualify in each of the last five seasons. Theres little room for error. In order to reach the playoffs theyll need good health, a big season out of the returning starting five, continued improvement from the young players and a little bit of luck for good measure. Listen here as Josh Lewenberg and Duane Watson preview the season in this weeks edition of TSN 1050s Raptors Report podcast. The following are burning questions that will be instrumental as the Raptors season gets underway this week. The answers to these questions should determine how successful they will be in 2013-14 and whether or not a return to the playoffs is in the cards. 1. Can Casey and co. recreate the defensive renaissance of 2011-12? It should come as no surprise that Coach Casey has committed to re-emphasizing defence in his third and most crucial season with the Raptors. Defence, as we know, has been Caseys bread and butter throughout his 18-year career as an NBA coach. After helping lead the Mavericks and their resurgent defensive unit to a championship in 2011, he was tasked with changing the culture in Toronto, with which he had immediate success. In his first year with the team, during the lockout-shortened 2011-12 campaign, the Casey-led Raptors began to shed the perception that had been haunting them. They were, up until that point, a perennial doormat, a soft team. In 66 mostly hard-fought games, Casey changed all that. He took a team that ranked at the bottom of the league in nearly every defensive category the year prior and made them competitive. The Raptors finished that season as the NBAs most improved team in opponent field goal percentage (from .482, 29th in the NBA to .435, 8th) and opponent scoring (from 105.3 point allowed per game, 26th to 94.0, 9th). Despite a 23-43 record and an 11th place finish, there was legitimate reason for optimism. Then, just as quickly as the defensive renaissance came to be the year prior, that progress was undone during a turbulent 2012-13 season. In the interest of correcting their offensive shortcomings, coupled with directives from the front office, Casey shifted his focus to playing up-tempo early in camp. With the addition of inexperienced players (Jonas Valanciunas, Terrence Ross) and some risk-taking defenders (Rudy Gay, Kyle Lowry), the teams once fundamentally sound defence took an immediate hit. Despite a strong finish, the Raptors were a below-average defensive team, something Casey simply wont tolerate. "Weve got to be a defensive team first," he reiterated on Tuesday. "Weve got to be a team that competes, that scraps, that fights. Were not going to out-talent anyone, were not going to just jack up threes over anyone, weve got to out-scrap and out-fight everyone we go against." With Caseys contract set to expire after this season, the Raptors head coach has wisely gone back to the basics on the defensive end. The preseason yielded mixed results. Apart from a 36-point drubbing of the Grizzlies, with the starters on both sides getting the bulk of the playing time in the first three quarters, Torontos defence was ordinary at best. Ironically the Raptors churned out the NBAs third most efficient offence in the exhibition season. The defensive results during the real games will likely determine Caseys future with the team. "Every year is big for every coach in the league," Casey said. "I take my job seriously, every possession seriously, every game seriously, every practice seriously. So I wouldnt say that this [year] is anymore important than it was last year, my first year or my last year in Dallas. I want to win and whatever it takes to win Im going to do it. Nothing changes for me." 2. Will Rudy Gay finally take the next step and become an All-Star? Gay has led his team in scoring in four of the last six seasons. Last season he led two teams in scoring, the first player to do so in nine years. He is due to make just under $18 million this year and will collect over $19 million next season should he pick up his player option. He has never been an All-Star. Like most of this roster Gay is coming off an emotionally and physically exhausting campaign. He battled injuries and brushed off ongoing trade speculation as a Grizzly, eventually giving way to a midseason shakeup that took him from the only NBA home hes ever known - a winning team in Memphis - to a city over 900 miles away, one that hasnt seen playoff basketball in five years. Unlike most of the players on this roster, hes accustomed to winning. His busy offseason is indicative of the high standards hes set for himself. Gay worked tirelessly to expand his game, even training with NBA legend Hakeem Olajuwon, which could come in handy when Casey goes to a small lineup and the forward is asked to quarterback out of the post. Gay also added muscle and underwent a procedure to correct blurred vision in his left eye. Both his added strength and the improved vision will be imperative if Gay is going to become a more efficient scorer - he shot a career low 42 per cent from the field last year, coupled with declining success from three-point range. The initial results have been positive as Gay shot 48 per cent from the floor and 40 per cent from three in the exhibition season. "This puts him on a good platform to play this season here," Ujiri said of Gay. "I think with Rudy, hes worked hard in the summer, hes got great athletic ability and now he just has to show it on the court. I think hes very prepared to do that now." Is he ready to take the next step? Thatss what hes put in the work for. Wholesale Jerseys Cheap. 3. How much will Jonas Valanciunas evolve in his second season? Valanciunas is another Raptor coming off a busy summer. After taking home Summer League MVP in Las Vegas, where he averaged 18.8 points and 10.0 rebounds, he helped lead the Lithuanian National Team to a second-place finish in the FIBA Eurobasket tournament and a birth in next years World Cup of Basketball. The Raptors sophomore centre drew rave reviews in Vegas, not entirely for his dominance against less skilled players but for his improved arsenal in the post and the added strength hes put on since last season came to an end. Valanciunas came on towards the end of his rookie year, winning Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honours in March and scoring in double figures in 17 of his final 19 games. Still just 21 years old, Valanciunas rapid growth in stature and on the court is a reason for optimism and Ujiri believes the sky is the limit for the young centre. "Hes making progress," the Raptors GM said. "Hes a big kid and loves to play. Hes 21 years old so theres a lot of basketball in front of him." 4. Will Kyle Lowry hold up and can he bounce back in a contract year? To his own admission, Lowry failed to live up to exceptions in his first year as a member of the Raptors. Acquired from the Rockets for a first-round pick last summer, the 27-year-old point guard got off to a hot start before suffering the first in a series of injuries during the fourth game of the season. Lowry would go on to miss 14 contests, the bulk of them early in the season as he battled inconsistency on both ends of the floor the rest of the way. Plagued by foot, ankle and back ailments while also missing time with an injury to his triceps muscle, he was never fully healthy. No longer forced to look over his shoulder following the midseason trade of Jose Calderon, Lowry was given more freedom to run the offence and continued to flash glimpses of what could be. One of the premier rebounders at his position, Lowry possesses a rare combination of speed and strength for a guard but his health and attitude have held him back throughout his seven-year career. Heading into his eighth season, and second with the Raptors, Lowry does not lack motivation. Facing unrestricted free agency this coming summer, he has 82 games to prove himself to Ujiri and the rest of the league, prove that hes worth investing in as a starter, rather than the journeyman point guard he resembled last year. The motivation is there and so too is the opportunity. Without a clear back-up, Lowry will be asked to log big minutes as long as hes in uniform. Hell begin the season playing with a splint on his injured left ring finger but after coming to camp in pristine shape, shedding some excess weight in the offseason, the hope is that Lowry can shoulder the load at the point. "Hes done an excellent job," Ujiri said of Lowrys approach in camp. "Hes come in focused [and] his bodys right. Hes the gear of team, he keeps everybody going [and] hes got an edge to him." 5. Can DeMar DeRozan carry over his preseason success? At 24 years young, DeRozan has become a veteran on this team. Now the longest tenured Raptor (he and Amir Johnson have both been with the team since 2009-10), he is also under contract longer than any other Toronto player after signing an extension prior to last seasons opener. Understandably, he wore down towards the end of the campaign - he was fourth in the league in minutes played - but the fourth-year guard made some noticeable improvements in the post and as a distributor. DeRozan collected five or more assists in 12 games last season after accomplishing that feat in just five total games during his first three years. He carried over a lot of those improvements into a standout preseason. "I think hes been phenomenal," Ujiri said of the Raptors guard. "He seems more focused. I know hes stronger, hes attacking the rim more and hes not only doing it [but] hes also saying hes going to make a commitment to do it." "You can see where hes growing slowly as a basketball player, a complete basketball player. What his weaknesses are, I think he works on [them] and works on [them] hard." Still, as the Raptors second-highest paid player there will be added pressure for DeRozan to continue and evolve this season. BEST OF THE REST How well will they navigate through a tricky start to the season? Again, the league has done the Raptors no favours with their early-season schedule. After playing 15 of the first 22 games on the road last year, theyll open this season with 19 of 34 contests coming away from the Air Canada Centre. That stretch will be daunting, facing elite competition right out of the gate, including a couple of home contests against the defending champion Miami Heat. "[Its] very challenging," Ujiri said of the schedule. "Since the first day we got it I dont think Ive looked at it again. Thats how tough it is. We have to play, it doesnt matter how tough it is." "The schedule is what it is," Casey continued. "Its brutal." With a new GM watching over their progress, Casey and his club cant afford another slow start. Theyll be immediate pressure on them to overcome the early-season degree of difficulty and at least tread water until the schedule eases up. Who will step up in Caseys second unit? The Raptors bench was a concern throughout the exhibition season, routinely looking disjointed on both sides of the floor and coughing up big leads that the more experienced first unit would accumulate. With the starters already expected to log big minutes, Casey will try to rotate in one or two members of the first group whenever he does go to the bench to avoid long stretches with five reserves on the floor. Still, the team will need to get consistent production of its primary subs. The progress of sophomore Terrence Ross could determine how successful this group is on a night-to-night basis. Casey will need Ross to provide consistent scoring off the bench while newcomer Tyler Hansbrough brings his typical brand of energy and Landry Fields bounces back, serving as a point forward with that group. The back-up point guard position has been a precarious one in camp. Veteran D.J. Augustin was brought in to serve as Lowrys primary understudy but has been failed to stand out above rookie Dwight Buycks and the recently signed Julyan Stone. Casey has indicated that Augustin will still be given the first crack at the gig given his experience but the leash will be a short one with the two younger point guards, both better defenders, breathing down his neck. When will Ujiri pull the trigger? Or better yet, will Ujiri pull the trigger? The Raptors opportunistic GM continues to bide his time, exercising patience and evaluating this group, most of which he inherited from his predecessor. "Theres a responsibility on me and my team," Ujiri acknowledged. "We have to put the right players on the floor. We have to coach and we have to play. Enough of all the talking, basketball starts on Wednesday." At that point the clock starts and no one knows when and how Ujiri may decide to strike. Again, the early portion of the season could go a long way in determining whether Ujiri feels obligated to put his fingerprints on the roster, and to what degree. "Were excited about the season and were going to go out there and do our best and do whats best for the organization. Yes, I study the past and I know the history of the team but I start now. Its now and the future for me." ' ' '
