TOWER GROVE — As far back as Aug. 24, 1963, Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon, who leads his Rays into their first World Series tonight at Tropicana Field, was a Cardinals’ fan. You can pinpoint the date because he remembers the place, the score, the winning pitcher and, most of all, the baseball cap.

About a month ago, when baseball and baseball-writing was at their full poetic peak of nostalgia, waving so-long to Yankee Stadium (guilty), Maddon told reporters his Yankee Stadium story. CBS Sports’ Scott Miller was among the reporters, as Maddon recalled his visit to the ballpark in the Bronx back in 1963. The Yankees were titans back then, and Whitey Ford pitched them to a 3-0 victory that August day against the Chicago White Sox. Maddon, taken their by his father and joined by his Uncle Pete, left the ballpark after first walking by the monuments.

When they left the ballpark, his story stopped being a Yankee Stadium story and became a St. Louis Cardinals story.

“When we walked outside my dad asked if I wanted a hat,” Maddon said, as recounted by Miller in his blog. “I said yes. And I chose the St. Louis baseball Cardinals hat. That’s the year I became a Cardinals fan. St. Louis Blues, Hawks, football Cardinals, even the St. Louis Billikens for awhile.”

Maddon’s fondness for the Cardinals has come up several times this season. First as the Rays made their first ever visit to St. Louis and Busch Stadium. He waxed nostalgic and even got to chat again with a certain hero (more on that below). Second, as the Rays neared and then advanced through the postseason. Hall of Famer Rick Hummel mentioned in his notebook this morning that Maddon is jazzed by the American League pennant cinching his invite to the 80th All-Star Game, which will be at Busch Stadium in July.

The Rays’ Buddy Holly-bespectacled manager grew up in Hazleton, Pa., not too far from Philadelphia, and where his mother still works at a diner called Third Base (try the hoagies). A question about the geography of his fanhood brought the following exchange early in the American League Championship Series:

Q: Growing up in Hazleton, I don’t know if I’ve ever read who you rooted for, whether it was the Pirates, Phillies or maybe somebody else.

JOE MADDON: Somebody else.

Q: Was it a New York team?

JOE MADDON: Nope. The St. Louis Cardinals.

The questioner shifted gears and rephrased the question then to get to the point — What Maddon remembered of a team that Rays often have been compared to: The ‘69 Mets. Of course he followed that team, Maddon said. Of course, he watched the Mets with interest. Of course.

They beat the Cardinals 4-3 on Sept. 15.

That was the day lefty Steve Carlton struck out 19.

“I believe that was the year (Ron Swoboda) hit the two two-run home runs against the Cardinals in the 4-2 game in St. Louis when Carlton struck out 19 hitters,” Maddon answered during the ALCS. “I believe, because I was a Cardinal fan. I have always been a Cardinal fan, up until more recently. I remember it very well and I watched it very closely.”

It’s his fondness for the Cardinals that he leaned on later in the ALCS when he compared reliever Grant Balfour to a Cardinal hero he finally got to meet this season.

Better to let him explain.

“Well, when Al Hrabosky was pitching for the Cardinals, I was a big Cardinal fan. I know all about Al, and I got to meet him this last year,” Maddon told reporters during the ALCS. “We’re talking about the intensity with which they pitch. It’s authentic. It’s authentic. Grant is just that wound up when he pitches. He truly is. He’s been like that. I think what I’ve seen as he’s been with us this year he’s been able to let go a little bit more. … I don’t know what happened when he was growing up as a kid in Australia, but there was some kind of influence that’s created this Hrabosky kind of tendencies.”

But now we know where Maddon got his Cardinals tendencies.

***

2008 WORLD SERIES GAME 1 — Pitching Report

Philadelphia LHP Cole Hamels: 14-10, 3.09 ERA in 2008; 3-0, 1.23 in Postseason … LEFT vs. Hamels .262/.303/.471. RIGHT vs. Hamels .215/.261/.356. … HITTERS vs. Hamels — OF Carl Crawford 2-for-3, 1 2B, 1 K (.667/.667/1.000); INF Willy Aybar 1-for-3, 1 K (.333/.333/.333); OF Rocco Baldelli 0-for-2, 0 K (.000/.000/.000). … During the playoffs, when ahead in the count, Hamels turns to his fastball 50 percent of the time, according to ESPN’s Inside Edge. When behind in the count he uses that devastating changeup — with Johan Santana’s, the best from a lefty in the National League since Tom Glavine – 46 percent of the time.

Tampa Bay LHP Scott Kazmir: 12-8, 3.49 ERA in 2008; 1-0, 4.02 in Postseason … LEFT vs. Kazmir .198/.236/.275. RIGHT vs. Kazmir .227/.327/.461. … HITTERS vs. Kazmir — OF So Taguchi 1-for-3, 1 K (.333/.333/.333); 1B Ryan Howard 0-for-3, 1 K (.000/.000/.000); SS Jimmy Rollins 1-for-2, 0 K (.500/.667/.500); OF Pat Burrell 0-for-1, 2 BB (.000/.667/.000); PH Matt Stairs 0-for-0, 2 BB (.000/1.000/.000). … According to Bill James Online, 75 percent of the pitches Kazmir threw this season were fastballs. To righthanders, 17 percent of his pitches were changeups, and 22 percent of his pitches to lefties were his slider.

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