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Vina, Cardinals Hold Heads High
By Bob Nightengale
October 2000
NEW YORK — Fernando Vina sat slumped in the quiet of the St. Louis Cardinals' clubhouse Sunday night, and for the first time this season, feared the end was near.
You go hard for eight months and have a fine season in your first year in town. Your team wins the NL Central title and becomes the first team in 10 years to keep the Atlanta Braves from reaching the NLCS, only to be on the verge of going home for the winter.
The Cardinals found themselves trailing the New York Mets three games to one in this best-of-seven NLCS, a series the Mets would claim the following night, and Vina couldn't help but wonder how far they could have gone if things had been different.
First baseman Mark McGwire developed tendinitis in his knee, preventing him from playing the field since July 8. Starter Garrett Stephenson's elbow flared up in the playoffs just as Rick Ankiel developed control problems. Catcher Mike Matheny's birthday present, a hunting knife, ended up cutting short his year. It was that kind of postseason.
"It's tough being down to your last game," said Vina, the Cardinals second baseman and leadoff hitter. "We battled and battled and battled, but things didn't work out.
"We have nothing to be ashamed of. We played great all year, but it still bothers you when you lose. All you can do is play as hard as you can and tip your cap.
"They seemed to do everything right, and that outfielder, Timo Perez, he sure made a name for himself. But it all boils down to pitching, and as we found out, the Mets have got some great pitching."
The difference in the series, Vina said, simply was Mike Hampton and Al Leiter, who were dominant. The Mets' rotation was so deep that they could afford to bring back Hampton on his regular four days' rest in Game 5 and still have Leiter available, if necessary, for Game 6. The Cardinals felt they didn't have that luxury, bringing back ace Darryl Kile on three days' rest in the critical Game 4. It backfired.
Kile, 20-9 with a 3.91 ERA during the regular season, became the latest guinea pig to fail in the postseason on short rest. He was hammered for five doubles — including four in a row at the game's outset -- and four runs in the first inning, burying the Cardinals in such a hole that they could never recover, losing 10-6.
"I made a lot of bad pitches," Kile said, "and they hit every one."
Kile became the eighth pitcher in the last two postseasons to start on three days' rest, and all were pounded. The eight pitchers went 0- 4 with a 19.11 ERA, and no one lasted past five innings.
"If I'm ever given a choice between pitching one day earlier or one day later, I'd much rather pitch on the sixth day than the fourth," Leiter said. "We're so conditioned now, over the course of our career, since the five-man rotation came into the game, that our routine is so regimented. And when you alter that routine a little, it can play on your mind."
One hardly could fault Cardinals manager Tony La Russa for the failed strategy; he simply ran out of choices.
"I know his history (3-8, 6.98) is not great with three days' rest," he said, "but we're not in an ideal situation with our rotation."
Kile, who never once complained about pitching in the mile-high altitude of Coors Field, wasn't about to start moaning now about losing a day's rest.
"That's what guys love about D.K.," Vina said. "He's a straight shooter. There are never any excuses. He just goes about his business. But really, we've got nothing to be ashamed of. It's been a great year."
Certainly, it was a coming-out party for Vina this season. He proved throughout the year that he is one of the finest second basemen in the game and a valuable leadoff hitter. He hit .300 during the season and sparked the Cardinals throughout the playoffs, producing at least one hit in every game. He led off six of the eight games with a hit. No one in St. Louis this winter will forget the two brilliant double plays he turned in Game 3, assuring starter Andy Benes of his first career postseason victory and shattering the myth he crumbles under pressure.
"That's why we tried to trade for Vina last winter," one Mets executive said. "We wanted to have Vina at second, (Edgardo) Alfonzo at third, and (Robin) Ventura at first. We never should have let him go in the first place. You see what he did for them."
The Cardinals grabbed Vina from the Milwaukee Brewers last November, giving up only pitcher Juan Acevedo and two minor leaguers. It also enabled the Cardinals to steal center fielder Jim Edmonds from the Anaheim Angels by trading second-base prospect Adam Kennedy in a package deal.
"This is a year I'll always remember. It will always be special to me," said Vina, who also had the finest fielding percentage of any second baseman in the NL. "We had a great year as a team, and I think I showed every one what I could do once I got out of Milwaukee. Maybe now people will remember me for something more than being the guy that Albert Belle ran over.
"This was just our first year together -- we'll be back. I think we'll have a good club for a long time, and if we add some pieces of the puzzle, we'll be just fine."
The Cardinals should retain everyone with the exception of first baseman Will Clark and, probably, starter Pat Hentgen and outfielder Eric Davis. The biggest question might be the health of first baseman Mark McGwire, who still is unsure whether he'll need surgery on his right knee.
"The dilemma is whether rest or surgery is the best method of getting healthy," said McGwire, who had only two at-bats in the series. "I wish I could have played all year, but I knew it was more than normal wear and tear when I had pain just driving the car and sleeping at night. If I have surgery, it should be 80% by spring training.
"I just wish somehow that Will could be back, too. I love that guy. He's the funniest player I've ever been around in my life.
"He's just a funny guy, but I tell him all the time: 'Here's a deer that's trying to find Mrs. Right, and thanks to you, boom, they're dead. All because you want the horns.' Those poor little deer.
"I don't know how much we have in common. I mean, he enjoys bundling up, freezing his (tail) off, drinking beer and shooting deer. I love going to the beach, watching the sun set and having a glass of wine. But I'd still love to see him back."
Clark, who'll file for free agency in two weeks, certainly proved that he's capable of being an everyday first baseman with his play during the regular season and playoffs. He hit .345 with 12 homers and 42 RBI in 51 games with the Cardinals, batted .250 with one homer and four RBI in the Division Series, then was the Cardinals' leading hitter in the NLCS with a .412 batting average.
"I've had great fun here," Clark said. "I couldn't imagine anything better."
This is the hardest part, just saying goodbye, said Vina, eating a $25 room-service club sandwich while packing his suitcase Monday afternoon. He has become best of friends with shortstop Edgar Renteria, who lives just four floors above him in their apartment complex in Clayton, Mo. There will be others with whom he'll keep in touch. He won't see most of them again until spring.
In the meantime, there is his family. He'll get to see his 9-year-old son, Fernando Jr., who lives in Sacramento. Vina promised him a trip to the World Series if the Cardinals made it. Now, the promise is for another year while his son tries to fight off the tears.
"I try to teach him that if you play sports, sometimes you're going to lose," Vina said. "That's just the nature of the game. If you don't want to lose, you might as well not play any sport. I think he understands, but it's tough.
"It's tough on everyone."
Vina lowered his eyes, knowing that his parents also are dejected. They were going to come from Sacramento and see him play in his first World Series. Yet, Andres and Olga Vina said they can wait. They have suffered through worse heartbreak in their lifetime than a simple postseason defeat.
This is a proud couple that emigrated from Cuba on Liberation Day, Aug. 13, 1968. Olga was six weeks pregnant with Fernando. Andres and Olga arrived in the USA with no job, no understanding of the English language and one suitcase. Yet, their hearts were filled with hope, leaving behind the poverty of Cuba. Andres found work in Sacramento, ultimately spending 27 years as the maintenance man for the College Town Apartments. Olga worked 18 years at a factory. They still didn't have much, but at least they had one another.
"It was very, very hard," Olga said. "We were poor. We didn't have much to give to the children. But look, it was all worth it. We just kept praying and praying. And all of our dreams were answered. We'll keep taping all of Fernando's games like we always do. We'll keep cheering on the Cardinals.
"But really, all of our prayers were answered. We couldn't ask for more."
Fernando, who will forever cherish and appreciate what his parents did for him and his brother and sister, bought them a new house two years ago. It has four bedrooms and a swimming pool.
"They were the ones who made the ultimate sacrifice for me and my brother and sister," said Vina, who signed a three-year, $15 million contract this year. "If they never left Cuba, I wouldn't be playing baseball today. Who knows what I'd be doing? But I sure wouldn't be living a life like this.
"I don't even think I'd be this kind of player, because I learned growing up that nothing is ever given to you."
Vina, 31, actually was able to witness his folks' former living conditions firsthand when he went to Cuba in 1989 for the Pan American Games. He thought his eyes were deceiving him. His parents actually had lived in a garage attached to a house. There was no air conditioner, no heat and only a dripping faucet for a shower.
"That was an experience I'll never forget. To go back there and see it, well, it made me cry to realize what they went through.
"I got to meet a lot of relatives and smuggled in some suitcases filled with clothes and medical supplies. It's sad to think I might never see my relatives again. I think my Mom wants to go over there again, but my Dad won't have any part of it. He thinks it'll be putting money into (Fidel) Castro's pocket."
Perhaps in a way, the Cardinals let everyone in Cuba know just how good life is for the Vina family. Certainly, he let the Mets know how much of a mistake they made six years ago when they traded him away, believing that he never would be an everyday second baseman and lacked the defense at second to be a utility player.
Mets co-owner Fred Wilpon walked up to Vina before Game 3, shook his hand, and said: "Congratulations, Fernando. We're proud of you. You've done a fabulous job."
Wilpon walked away, and Vina said, almost in a whisper, "It seems like I've been proving people wrong my whole life."
The Cardinals, who proved many wrong themselves this year, can say the same. Benes, who had his right knee drained 16 times during the season, including Oct. 13, will return to St. Louis next year a hero for his superb performance in Game 3. Matt Morris should be ready for the starting rotation. Pitcher Alan Benes should be healthy from the start. Minor league sensation Robert "Bud" Smith could be ready by midseason.
"You know they'll be back," Mets reliever John Franco said. "They're a good team. And they got the entire support of that whole region, not just a city.
"That's the trouble with a Subway Series — the Yankees could take away our spotlight."
Said Vina: "Believe me, we'd gladly trade places. I hope it's our turn next year."
Baseball Weekly
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