MILWAUKEE -- In a lineup loaded with All-Stars, it was David Freese who all but iced the pennant for his hometown team. Jerseys Wholesale . Freese, who grew up in a St. Louis suburb, hit a three-run homer Sunday night and was selected MVP of the NL championship series after the Cardinals finished off the Milwaukee Brewers 12-6 in Game 6. "I think not too many people get a chance to do this in their hometown. And its an unbelievable feeling," Freese said. "To be a part of this team, this group of guys, this organization, means a lot. " Part of a high-scoring offence that includes Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman, Freese went 3 for 4 with a homer in a four-run first inning that got the Cardinals rolling. It was his third home run of the series and fourth in the NL playoffs. "Thats the crazy thing about baseball. You have your ups and downs and you just keep working hard. You get hot every now and then," Freese said. "The timing was unbelievable. Honestly, I wish we could make eight or nine or however many of these and give them to our bullpen. What they did, they really deserve this award. Theyre why we won this series." The 28-year-old third baseman has a 10-game post-season hitting streak as the wild-card Cardinals head home to open the World Series on Wednesday night against the AL champion Texas Rangers. Freese also scored three times Sunday night and batted .545 (12 for 22) in the NLCS with three homers, three doubles, nine RBIs and seven runs. His huge post-season is a local story that St. Louis fans can love: Freese lettered in baseball all four years at Lafayette High School in Wildwood, Mo., and still lives there. After graduating from high school, he attended St. Louis Community College-Meremec before transferring to South Alabama. The Padres selected him in the ninth round of the 2006 first-year player draft. Freese had hits in each game of the NLCS, propelling the Cardinals to their first World Series appearance since beating Detroit in 2006. He had a single, double and homer in the Game 6 clincher. St. Louis was 10 1/2 games out in the wild card race on Aug. 25 but went on a head-turning run in the final month to overtake Atlanta as the Braves collapsed. The Cardinals then beat the Phillies in the divisional series before eliminating the talented Brewers. Now they get to play the World Series and for the first time in these playoffs will have home field advantage. "I think we believe. I think thats what youve got to do in this game. We got a group of guys with some talent, desire, and just a ton of heart," Freese said. "Coming back from 10 and a half or whatever it was, obviously its a tough battle. But we kept plugging; we kept pushing. The fans deserve that; the organization definitely deserves that, its kind of surreal that were here, but this team deserves what weve been rewarded. ... "This means the world to me, not only to get to the World Series, but to be a part of this group of guys," Freese said. "I havent been around a better group of guys." Freese is batting .425 with four homers and 14 RBIs during the post-season. He led the charge as St. Louis battered the Brewers. -- In Game 1, he hit a three-run homer in the fourth inning to erase a 2-1 deficit and give the Cardinals a 4-2 lead they couldnt hold. -- In Game 2, he had two hits and homered in the ninth inning of a 12-3 victory. It was the teams 17th hit, setting a club record for most in a league championship series game. -- In Game 3, he went 3 for 4 with two doubles and a single in a 4-3 victory. -- Moved up to cleanup in Game 4 to give Pujols more protection, Freese responded with two more singles in Milwaukees 4-2 win. -- Back in the sixth spot in the batting order in Game 5, he singled, walked and scored two runs in the Cardinals 7-1 victory. And then there was the final game Sunday night. Milwaukee started shaky Shaun Marcum, and Freese made sure the right-hander wasnt around for long. He pulled a three-run shot to left field in the first, giving the Cardinals a four-run lead they never relinquished. In the third, he doubled with one out and scored on a single by pinch-hitter Allen Craig as the Cardinals extended their lead to 9-4 in the inning. He singled and scored in the fifth when St. Louis made it 11-5. Freese is in his third major league season after coming to the Cardinals in a December 2007 trade that sent Jim Edmonds to the San Diego Padres. All three of those years with the Cardinals have been marred by injuries. Freese began 2009 with the big league club but sprained his left ankle and played only 17 games in the majors. In 2010, he won the starting third base job, only to endure injuries to both ankles that required surgery. This season, he was batting .356 before he missed 51 games after breaking his left hand on May 1 when he was hit by a pitch from Scott Linebrink in Atlanta. Freese finished with a .297 average, 10 homers and 55 RBIs in 97 games. Not bad at all, but nothing like October. Wholesale Jerseys . Manager John Gibbons wasnt taking the bait on Friday afternoon following his clubs 3-1 defeat at the hands of the Red Sox. "When we put the team together, well announce it at the end," said Gibbons. "Nice try, though." Pressed further, Gibbons was only slightly more willing to share what everyone believes hes thinking about his 23-year-old right-hander. Wholesale Jerseys From China . Wright sat out games on Tuesday and Wednesday after learning he broke his finger diving back to a base Monday night. He was examined by a hand specialist for the second straight day Thursday.NEW YORK, N.Y. - Todd Bowles is coming home and taking over as the New York Jets head coach.The Jets hired the Arizona Cardinals defensive co-ordinator Wednesday to replace Rex Ryan, who was fired, along with general manager John Idzik, on Dec. 29 after six seasons.Bowles, 51, was highly sought after leading Arizonas aggressive-style defence the last two seasons. This will be his first full-time head coaching job at any level after serving as Miamis interim coach for the final three games in 2011.Its an honour and privilege to coach the Jets, Bowles said in a statement. I cant help but be humbled by the chance to coach this team. I am going to do everything I can to build a consistent winner.It is a homecoming of sorts for Bowles, who is a native of Elizabeth, New Jersey. He also served as the Jets defensive backs coach under Al Groh during the 2000 season.Bowles beat out five other candidates, including Seattle defensive co-ordinator Dan Quinn and former Buffalo coach Doug Marrone, who interviewed with owner Woody Johnson and consultants Charley Casserly and Ron Wolf, both of whom Bowles has ties to.Bowles had a second interview Tuesday with Johnson, Casserly and Wolf — along with newly hired general manager Mike Maccagnan — and impressed the Jets enough to move forward. New York cancelled a scheduled interview with Carolina defensive co-ordinator Sean McDermott that was set for Wednesday. Bowles also called off a second meeting that was scheduled for Wednesday with the Atlanta Falcons for their head coaching vacancy.He is a hard-working and dedicated leader who has garnered the respect of players and coaches, Johnson said. I am confident that Todd and Mike Maccagnan are the right combination to lead this team.Bowles becomes the fifth black head coach currently in the NFL, joining Pittsburghs Mike Tomlin, Cincinnatis Marvin Lewis, Tampa Bays Lovie Smith and Detroits Jim Caldwell. He also is the Jets sixth straight defensive-focused head coach and fifth since Johnson took over the Jets in 2000, joining Ryan, Eric Mangini, Herm Edwards, Groh and Bill Parcells.With the Jets, Bowles will inherit a solid defensive front seven with rising star defensive linemen in Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson. The secondary, however, needs a major overhaul.Along with Maccagnan, who was hired Tuesday night, Bowles will try to help the Jets bounce back from four straight seasons out of the playoffs. The franchise is also starving for a Super Bowl appearance, something it hasnnt had since 1969. Wholesale Jerseys China. When we first met, it was immediately clear how sincere and very real he is, Maccagnan said. While he appreciates the need for discipline, players love playing for him and I believe he has outstanding qualities to help make the Jets a competitive, winning team.Several key decisions will need to be made in the next several weeks, including assembling a staff and figuring out the quarterback position.A person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press that former Dallas and Buffalo head coach Chan Gailey will be Bowles offensive co-ordinator. Gailey was out of football the last two seasons after being fired as the Bills coach after the 2012 season.The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Jets have not announced Gaileys hiring.Bowles brings a wealth of playing and coaching experience with him to New York. He played college football and was a team captain for current Cardinals coach Bruce Arians at Temple.He was signed by Washington as an undrafted free agent in 1986, but worked his way to a major role with Joe Gibbs Redskins — including starting at free safety against Denver in the 1988 Super Bowl. Bowles played eight NFL seasons, including two stints with Washington while Casserly was in the Redskins front office, sandwiched around one season (1991) with San Francisco.Bowles was hired by Green Bay after his playing career, working in the Packers player personnel department from 1995-96 — when Wolf was the GM. He then made several stops as a coach at the college and pro levels, first as the defensive co-ordinator at Morehouse College and then Grambling State — both under former Washington teammate Doug Williams — and as an assistant with the Jets, Cleveland and Dallas, under then-coach Parcells, whom he considers a mentor.He was hired as the Dolphins assistant head coach and secondary coach from 2008-11. He went 2-1 as the teams interim head coach at the end of the 2011 season after Tony Sparano was fired.Bowles went to Philadelphia in 2012 as the Eagles secondary coach, but was elevated to defensive co-ordinator when the team dismissed Juan Castillo. After that season, Bowles was hired as Arizonas defensive co-ordinator and firmly established himself as one of the leagues up-and-coming assistants.Were sorry as hell to lose him, Arians said, but we all knew this day was coming, especially with the job he did here the last two years.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL wholesale nfl jerseyscheap jerseys from china ' ' '
