DENVER — First he had to have the right tool. A big tub of ice-cold water, sprinkled liberally with ice cubes, ones still left floating from the stuff they packed the champagne. Second, he had to have a hiding place. If Albert Pujols was going to pull this off again — another celebration, another stalking — then he had to find a place that manager Tony La Russa wouldn’t see him.

Third, he needed an accomplice.

Third-base coach Jose Oquendo handled that well.

Urging La Russa from the coaches’ office in the visitors’ clubhouse here at Coors Field, Oquendo led the skipper into a semi-annual trap. Out from behind a tandem of large shipping containers, Pujols popped with a tub full of the ice water. With Oquendo no longer urging, but pushing La Russa toward Pujols — the tub dumped right on top of the managers’ head. Pujols called it one of his most successful Tony dips ever.

“I get him every year,” Pujols said. “He doesn’t make it easy. Every year he tries to stay away, and it gets tougher. But this year, I got him. I think I got him good.”

Some other scenes from the champagne-soaked clubhouse:

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An impromptu dance circle developed toward the end of the celebration. The best response came when Todd Wellemeyer cued up a song that has made several memorable cameo appearances in the clubhouse this season: Ray Parker Jr.’s “Ghostbusters/Who Ya Gonna Call.”

It’s not quite “We Are Family”, but it’s better than “Don’t Stop Believin’”.

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Before the celebration really kicked into gear, third baseman Mark DeRosa found two of the architects of his arrival in St. Louis and delivered a message: “I went up to Tony and Mo and told them, Thank you. Thank you for making me a part of this. I’ve been fortunate enough to be an NL Central champ three years in a row. I know not too many guys can say that.”

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Whenever La Russa has held a champagne-clincher celebration, he usually has a ceremonially moment for the first bottle uncorked. This year: He gathered the 12 “playoff rookies” and had them open the first bottles. La Russa said the 12 included Skip Schumaker (who was around the 2006 team) and Ryan Franklin (who hasn’t been in the postseason since 2001). Also in the 12 were Brendan Ryan, Ryan Ludwick, Joe Thurston and, of course, Jason LaRue.

There was a baker’s dozen of first-poppers, La Russa quickly added: Adam Wainwright also got one of the first bottles for how he pitched tonight.

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Before being drenched by Pujols, La Russa showed off a coin he received before the game. Apparently, some Cardinals fans from Canada had given a lucky coin to Colby Rasmus to deliver to the manager. The coin, a piece that looked slightly larger than a twoonie, had been painted to bring out the cardinal stamped on it. The Cardinal was painted red, and it was perched as if on a bat. La Russa kept it in his pocket during the game, and he tucked it away again before daring to walk near the celebration Saturday night.

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Infielder Julio Lugo missed by one day an unusual feat. He almost played two consecutive games at Coors Field that ended with a champagne shower. As Lugo said Friday when the Cardinals first arrived: The last time he was in that clubhouse he was pouring champagne on its carpet — as a member of the 2007 World Series champion Boston Red Sox.

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Said LaRue, amidst the spritz: “Every single game we played, we had a good chance because we did exactly that - we treated it like a playoff game. All of the anticipation we had, everything that we have done this season to get to this point, I think all of that really came out in this game. We weren’t going to let it get away. Waino wasn’t going to let it get away.”

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GM John Mozeliak on a fitting win clinching a division title: “It summed our whole season. We had contributions from some unexpected places.”

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Much more in Sunday’s Post-Dispatch and online here at StlToday.com

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