They don't name an official most valuable player in the division series, but [Jim Edmonds] was the de facto winner, which Mark McGwire underscored in the champagne-drenched Cardinal clubhouse when he whispered to Edmonds, "Hey, MVP is better than hitting 70, dude."

Already considered their own MVP by the Central Division champions, Edmonds hit .571 in the division series with two home runs and four doubles among his eight hits. He set a series record for doubles and extra-base hits, and in the stunned and somber Atlanta clubhouse, the NL's reigning MVP said Edmonds is obviously motivated, playing with an intensity questioned at times in Anaheim.

[Mike James], another former Angel, and Edmonds are best friends, and they repeatedly slapped and hugged each amid the champagne. No one was saying the Edmonds acquisition for Kent Bottenfield and Adam Kennedy was a steal, but the evidence is overwhelming. Edmonds is already being categorized as the latest in a line of great St. Louis center fielders that includes Terry Moore, Curt Flood and Willie McGee, but he shrugged and said he is just doing the job he was acquired to do.