La Russa Supports Cooling-Off Period

Albert Pujols’ decision to slight Tom Glavine’s pitching performance in Game 1 had legs for another day, with Cardinals Manager Tony La Russa advocating a 24-hour cooling-off period for athletes before they address the media and threatening to advise Pujols to avoid reporters altogether.

According to La Russa, reporters were at fault for Pujols’ assessment of Glavine: “He wasn’t good at all.” The Mets’ left-hander had just shut out the Cardinals over seven innings.

“You want quotes from players, right?” La Russa said, adding, “If a guy burns with the competition and you get him 10 or 15 minutes later, he’s liable to say something that’s not really how he reflects.

“I don’t want to see Albert misrepresented. If this happens a couple times, I’ll tell him, make yourself unavailable.”

His recommended period between the last pitch and the first interview?

“To me,” he said, “ ‘not immediate’ means the next day.”

Glavine is widely regarded as one of the best quotes in the game.

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Cardinals reliever Josh Kinney threw a scoreless eighth inning in Game 2, earning his first major-league victory.

Kinney, 27, made his debut on July 3, somewhat inauspiciously, in Atlanta.

After beginning his professional career in 2001 with the Independent League River City Rascals in O’Fallon, Mo., the right-hander was signed by the Cardinals and spent another five years in the minor leagues.

And on that Monday in early July, he was handed the baseball to start the seventh inning.

As Kinney described it, he was not going to show up in the big leagues and wilt. So, he got himself a good four-seamer grip and gave it an extra-hard heave.

Ryan Langerhans hit it over the fence in right field.

“I remember getting another ball,” Kinney said, “and thinking, ‘Man, these guys are good.’ ”

He made 20 more appearances, had a 3.24 earned-run average and gave up only two more home runs. Friday’s was his third appearance of the postseason, all of them scoreless.

“It’ll probably all hit me when this is over and done with,” Kinney said. “But, it really is a dream come true.”

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Benched in favor of Scott Spiezio in Game 2, Scott Rolen returned to third base for Game 3.

Spiezio, who tripled, doubled and drove in three runs Friday, played left field, Preston Wilson played right field and Juan Encarnacion sat out. Spiezio fueled the Cardinals’ quick start with a two-run triple in the first inning Saturday.

Rolen has been plagued by a sore left shoulder, which required a cortisone injection after the division series.

He also had one hit in the postseason until his fifth-inning single.

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Mets starter Orlando Hernandez, who tore his right calf on the eve of the division series, said he was feeling much better and could possibly pitch if the Mets reach the World Series.