truebluefan

If it was mojo, Justin Verlander might have to dress up in fab 1960s attire and defeat Dr. Evil to get it back. But it's not; it's his fastball, and Verlander is confident it will be back on its own when he takes the mound for Game 5 of the World Series.

"I actually feel great," Verlander said. "I went out and threw the day after my (Game 1) start and I felt fantastic. Actually, I felt better than I have a couple of times on seven or eight days rest. I'm ready to go."

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truebluefan

Having friends in high places has advantages, none more precious on a rainy, cold Wednesday night than being able to stand in a warm, dry bar. That can happen if you're pals with Pudge Rodriguez.

"He has a big group here," said Manuel Dubon, 65, of San Juan, Puerto Rico, who sported a Detroit jersey in the exclusive Redbird Club on the third floor of Busch Stadium. Inside, scads of well-heeled fans ate stir-fry and thick sandwiches while others in the stands outside braved a cold mist.

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truebluefan

The last time Ivan Rodriguez made it to the postseason, he gilded his Hall of Fame credentials by leading the Florida Marlins to the 2003 World Series title.

Entering his second World Series, "Pudge" had helped, and sometimes led, his teams to five consecutive postseason series victories.

Among Rodriguez's career accomplishments are the 1999 AL MVP Award, the 2003 NLCS MVP Award, 13 All-Star appearances, 11 Gold Gloves, seven Silver Sluggers and a career .304 batting average.

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truebluefan

Searching for hits

This threatens to become the Mario Mendoza World Series. Each team is hitting below .200. Hall of Famer George Brett designated .200 as the border for the "Mendoza Line" in recognition of the offensive shortcomings of the former shortstop. There has not been a World Series in which each club hit below .200 since 1906, when the Chicago White Sox defeated the Chicago Cubs in six games. The 1962 New York Yankees are the last team to win a World Series despite hitting less than .200.

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truebluefan

You open the World Series with a rookie, Anthony Reyes, whose five wins represents the lowest total ever for a Game 1 starter. You follow with a guy, Jeff Weaver, who's played for five different clubs in five seasons and went 8-14 this year.

In addition, your closer, Adam Wainwright, had only three saves in the regular season.

Chances are, your pitching staff isn't going to get a lot of respect, let alone intimidate anybody.

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truebluefan

Hours before rain postponed Game 4 of the World Series at Busch Stadium on Wednesday night, Placido Polanco strolled to his locker.

Polanco was approached for an interview. Polanco, who appeared to have no interest in talking about his current slump, said, in an irritated tone, "No, I have to hit."

Polanco meant in the batting cage because rain was falling outside and the field was covered. He grabbed his batting gloves, turned his back to the crowd of media that was starting to assemble and walked out of the clubhouse down to the cage.

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truebluefan

Plácido Polanco put some drops in his eyes, shook his head to help them settle, grabbed his bat and started walking away from his locker. Polanco’s path was blocked by a few reporters, but he declined to speak to them.

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truebluefan

This time, the Detroit Tigers had no complaints.

They were rained out of Game 4 of the World Series, just as they'd been rained out of Game 2 of the American League Division Series. But unlike in New York, when the Tigers left Yankee Stadium angry, Wednesday night they left Busch Stadium frustrated only by the weather.

"This was handled correctly,'' reliever Jamie Walker said. "The last thing you want to do is start a World Series game and have to stop it after three innings. This weather was bad. I call it pneumonia weather.''

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truebluefan

Forget pine tar as the dominant World Series concern.

Try rain tarp.

The rain showers that canceled the start of Game 4 on Wednesday in St. Louis are expected again today, when the game is to be rescheduled, continuing a string of lousy forecasts that has loomed over the Series.

The weather woes, a relative rarity in the Series, have sparked debate over whether the baseball season is too long, nearing early winter in big league cities with open-air stadiums such as Detroit.

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