http://tinyurl.com/ybl42sr After 12 seasons, often tumultuous, the Rick Ankiel era has ended with the Cardinals. Seeing limited playing time available to him here in 2010, Ankiel, a free agent for the first time in his career, has elected to take his new outfielding career across the state, where he says he has been told he'll be the center fielder for the Kansas City Royals this season. Ankiel, signed as a pitcher in 1997, agreed to a contract that will pay him a guaranteed $3.25 million this year, with a $6 million mutual option for 2011, pending his passing a physical in Kansas City next week. Now 30 years old, Ankiel hit just .231 with 11 homers and 38 runs batted in last year, never really recovering from banging into the Busch Stadium wall after making a catch against Pittsburgh on May 4. He leaves behind a trail of "what ifs?" What if veteran Mike Matheny, who had accidentally sliced his right ring finger with a hunting knife just before the playoffs, had been able to catch Ankiel in the latter's famous 2000 meltdown? Ankiel, a surprise Game 1 starter against Atlanta after manager Tony La Russa had sent veteran Darryl Kile to the series-opening news conference the day before, worked two scoreless innings before unraveling and throwing five wild pitches in the third, an inning from which he never would recover. With backup Carlos Hernandez, who had arrived not long before from San Diego, catching him, Ankiel had more trouble against New York in the league championship series. And in three postseason appearances covering a total of four innings, Ankiel gave up seven runs, walked 11 and threw nine wild pitches, many of them landing high on the backstop screen. With Gold Glover Matheny as his catcher for much of the regular season, Ankiel had a strong rookie campaign at 11-7 with a 3.50 earned-run average. Opponents hit only .219 against him. The next spring, the Cardinals, in paranoia mode as Ankiel's control didn't return, used to work him out at 7 a.m. on the back fields at their complex in Jupiter, Fla., before any reporters or fans were around. In his first start of the regular season that year — the only game he won — Ankiel warmed up under the stands in the batting cage area, instead of the bullpen, at the Arizona Diamondbacks' stadium in Phoenix. What if he hadn't hurt his elbow in his various comeback attempts and missed much of the next three seasons, not playing at all in 2002? Ankiel says he now considers those ailments a "blessing." What if, after Ankiel had established himself as a big-league outfielder with the Cardinals, he hadn't stumbled and run into the wall with his face and right shoulder after catching Philadelphia third baseman Pedro Feliz's drive to left-center in the eighth inning on May 4 last year? He never seemed to get his groove back after that injury. The biggest "what if," of course, occurred in the spring of 2005 when Ankiel, tired of pitching and tired of worrying if his arm would hold up, retired from baseball. For a few hours, at least. Ankiel is not sure if his long-time agent, Scott Boras, or Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty was the first to formulate the idea, but he was asked if he wanted to stay in the game as an outfielder. Even after he converted, Ankiel would miss another whole season, 2006, suffering a left knee injury in spring training, but Ankiel remarkably made it back to the majors as an outfielder in 2007, hitting a three-run homer against San Diego here in his first game as a big-league position player on Aug. 9. Speaking by telephone Friday from Jupiter, where he lives and where he has been working out at the Cardinals' complex, Ankiel chose not to put much stock in the "what-ifs," other than the last one — the position switch — which enabled him to start having fun in the game again. To the question of whether Matheny would have helped in time of crisis, Ankiel said, "We'll never know. Speculation. So, what's the point?" To the probability that running into the wall had affected his play last year, Ankiel said, "I don't want to go there. "It was tough coming back. It was disappointing, running into the wall, and then you're a person who wanted to play every day and you weren't. But being a good teammate, I did what I was asked to do." The drive from St. Louis to Kansas City stretches some 250 miles, but it was a high road that Ankiel mostly took Friday. Though he didn't say much about it during the season, he resented being relegated to part-time duty behind rookie Colby Rasmus. He said he could see more of the same this year. To the thought that he would have any chance to be a regular here, Ankiel said, "I don't think so. It didn't seem that way." With Kansas City, Ankiel said, "I'm really excited to get a chance to play every day. From what they told me, they want me to play center field, which I think is perfect. I think that's what everybody wants, I assume, to be a regular player." But Ankiel said, "I appreciated all my years in St. Louis, especially the fans. They treated me as well as they possibly could have. "The first time I got to the big leagues (in 1999), I'm never going to forget. But then coming back as a position player was more satisfying after what I had been through at that point. (This doesn't even take into account that his father was in prison for much of his career). "That whole first month in '07 was just unbelievable," said Ankiel. "Standing ovation after standing ovation. It was something I'll never forget." The only manager he ever has had in the majors, Tony La Russa, said he wouldn't soon forget Ankiel, either. "He's one of those guys who you admire professionally, respect professionally and feel a strong attachment to personally," La Russa said from California. "He's just an outstanding character-type guy. (The Royals) have gotten themselves a fine player, now that he's had a couple of years (as a position player) and a lot of at-bats. And when he's healthy, which I think he is, he's still going to be more productive." Regarding the injury Ankiel suffered when he ran into the wall, La Russa said, "Well, I think it had an effect on him. It knocked him out of his groove and he lost some of the strength on his front side." But La Russa could see that it was over for Ankiel here. "I think he wanted to be sure he had playing time," La Russa said. "I don't know what (the Royals) have told him but in our situation he would have been looking for at-bats with the other guys we have and we weren't as attractive to him. I can't guarantee him that he'd be a starter on opening day. We feel very good about Colby and Ryan (Ludwick). "We would love to have had him. We could use some lefthanded hitting but he wanted more at-bats. "But I think he's all on the upside as he gets more and more experience. I'm always going to be watching him closely. He knows I'm always going to care about him." La Russa said that, in a perfect world, Ankiel "would have been great" as a pitcher. "His potential was unlimited." The same holds true, La Russa said, for Ankiel as an outfielder. "He runs well, he's got a cannon for an arm, he has a real good stroke. The ball just jumps off his bat. What is it that he can't do — if he can stay healthy and keeps improving?" Ankiel never really was healthy for a full season as a Cardinals position player. He had potentially a breakout season going in 2008 when he suffered an abdominal injury with two months to go in the season. Ankiel had hit 22 homers through July, but trying to play through the discomfort the last two months, he had just three homers and batted .180 in August and .133 for 15 at-bats in September before having surgery. And yes, almost unbelievably, Ankiel is 30 years old. "Does it seem like it to you?" Ankiel asked. "Like it does for all of us, time flies. "I look at some pictures (of himself) now and I say, 'Who was that guy?'" Rick Ankiel will be remembered here as a guy the game rarely has seen. A successful big-league pitcher, albeit briefly. And a promising big-league outfielder, time frame unknown. -------------------------------------------------- Thk Ankiel~ Bye Ankeil~ 可以值得高興一點，就是明年還可以看到你回St. Louis~^^ 我想St. Louis球迷在你第一個打席時，應該會不吝嗇他們的掌聲的～ --

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