Woody Williams off to a fantabulous start...

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nice job scubs. shoulda been a big 1st inning and now just tied 1-1. fuck jobs. you can't be getting beat by a shitty astro's team and expect to contend for your division. douchebags.
 

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jason kendall and his .231 batting avg. should just give it up. guy has no balls.
 

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Where are they now: Woody Williams

By B.J. Rains
FOXSportsMidwest.com
Sept. 24, 2010

In the latest installment of Where are they Now, FOXSportsMidwest.com writer B.J. Rains caught up with former Cardinals pitcher Woody Williams. The right-hander enjoyed the best years of his career in St. Louis, going 45-22 from 2001-2004. Williams made the 2003 All-Star team and started Game 1 of the 2004 World Series vs. the Boston Red Sox. He currently is a high school baseball coach in his hometown of Houston.

Your son is on your team at Fort Bend Baptist Academy. Is that one of the main things you miss out on while playing, spending time with your family?

Woody Williams: “Absolutely. I always went into it thinking I could make up for lost time but you can never have that time back. It’s important that you make the time you do have as good as it can possibly be. I’m enjoying that part of it for sure. This is my third year as coach, second at the high school level. I enjoy it. It’s nice to be able to get to coach my son and his friends.”

What do you miss most about your time in St. Louis?

Woody Williams: “I miss the fans and the interaction with the fans. The other would be just sitting around talking with teammates and coaches about baseball and about the game. The camaraderie part was a lot of fun to me. I loved the desire to win and just the feeling of I was at home there and I belong. I was treated great there.”

You were 8-8 with a 4.97 ERA with the Padres to start the 2001 season, but you got traded to St. Louis in the middle of the season and went 7-1 with a 2.28 ERA for your new club. What was the difference that year?

Woody Williams: “I think so much of it was just learning how to prepare for the first time in my career. Dave Duncan, Marty Mason and Chad Blair do a wonderful job of putting everything together and the coaches all work together. It’s a testament to what Tony La Russa does and how he gets the most out of his players. The guys who were playing behind me weren’t too shabby either. We played very, very good defense and as a pitcher, you just had to keep the ball in the ballpark and you gave your team a chance to win.”

What one moment sticks out to you when you look back at your time in St. Louis?

Woody Williams: “It was pitching my first playoff game in 2001 in Arizona, if I had to look back at one moment. It was my first time in the playoffs on the active roster. It was just a different feeling. All the stats were erased from the regular season. Everyone was pulling for each other on every single pitch. The smell in the air, there were just things that will stick with me the rest of my life. It just had a different feel to it, playing in October baseball.”

You were a part of the 2002 team that had such a tough season with the losses of broadcaster Jack Buck and pitcher Darryl Kile. What sticks out about that season?

Woody Williams: “The team rallied around the families and it really seemed like that made the guys that were there before me and the new guys closer and it kind of put us all on the same page. It really brings reality into play because so many times, wearing a uniform, you’re thinking you safe and protected and the reality of it is, at any time, something like this could happen. The city rallied around the team and it was just a good run. We felt a little short that year on the field playing wise, but I think we gained a lot off the field.

You played for the Blue Jays, Padres, Cardinals and Astros. Do you associate yourself with any one team more than the others?

Woody Williams: “There were things I liked about all of them, but down inside, I think the Cardinals and St. Louis is who I really am and was. I think that was the time in my career I enjoyed the most.”

Why were the best years of career in St. Louis?

Woody Williams: “One, I fell in love with the Midwest and I just really enjoyed being there. But just coming to the ballpark, knowing the fans were as passionate as they were, the preparation and also learning a slider. The guys around me had a lot to do with it, too.”

When you left the Cardinals after the 2004 season and went back to San Diego, was there any interest in re-signing and staying in St. Louis?

Woody Williams: “I always wanted to come back but at the time, it just wasn’t in their plans for me to be apart of the future or the next few years. The Cardinals do a very good job of getting the most out of players and then making hard decisions. You can’t keep Albert and everyone else, so you have the best player in baseball on the team and they did the best job they could to put the best team around him.”

Finally Woody, is there anything you want to say to the fans of St. Louis?

Woody Williams: “I would like to say thank you for the support and welcoming me into the city, into the team, into the organization and making me proud to put on a Cardinals uniform.”
 

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