World Series Time!! Let's take a look at the Key Players....

Well it's that time of year again, the Baseball World Series!  It has been a wild ride so far with the top contenders already knocked out(See Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees-no amount of money could save them).   Surprisingly, the teams left are the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers.   Now let's take a look at the key players in this World Series:

 

Tony La Russa: Tony La Russa is the Cardinals Manager.  He had a 7 year stint in the Minor Leagues and briefly played in the majors as a middle infielder.  Before baseball, La Russa graduated with a law degree and passed the bar exam.  He has managed in the majors consecutively since 1979 until today with 6 pennants(league championships) and 2 world series championships to show for it as well as various playoff appearances.   On a side note La Russa maintains a fraternity with other top coaches in sports such as Bob Knight and Bill Parcells.  Comically, all are strong TJ personality types.  Unexpectedly, La Russa is an advocate for animal rights and is a vegetarian.  I chalk that up to his relationship with his wife, hehe.  All that being said, let's take a look at Tony, his coaching style and his personality.  La Russa is known for being very stoic and serious on the sidelines.  During the game, seeing him smile is rare.  When appropriate he can be a fiery competitior who will argue vehemently against bad calls and has the eye for an eye policy with opposing teams who throw at his hitters.  He operates by his own strict value system in regards to team hierarchy.  For example, if a young player comes in and strays the lines of acceptability La Russa will punhish them and push for their trade.  Example being Colby Rasmus.  La Russa is known to tamper with his lineups and try a variety of combinations to alter the batting order often using unconventional arrangements, for example putting the pitcher as the 8th hitter rather than the 9th.  He is also known to be an advocate of "Moneyball"(Recent Brad Pitt movie) techniques which emphasize statistics in making baseball decisions.  For example, in the most recent game, the Cardinals pitched Jaime Garcia as the 2nd pitcher of the series because of the statistics which showed his dominance pitching at home.  Finally, it is common knowledge that La Russa is big on control, every detail in the clubhouse is controlled and every decision in the game as well.  I firmly see Tony as an INTJ.  He is a strong silent type who doesn't speak much and rarely shows emotions.  He is definitely organized and planned out about how he does everything and he is open minded and abstract to new ways of doing things making him more of an N.   INTJ seemingly is a great type for a coach in the sense that it requires a lot of strategic thinking and planning.  We'll see how it affects this series.

Albert Pujols (Cardinals First Baseman):  Albert, Albert, Albert!  Where do we begin?  Last night alone was breathtaking; he hit 3 homeruns to help beat the Texas Rangers in game 3 of the World Series.  He is the only player alongside Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson (Mr. October) to hit 3 homers in a World Series game.  Pujols is probably the most productive baseball player in the past 10 years, much more so than Manny Ramirez, Big Pappi David Ortiz and I would argue more productive than Alex Rodriguez.  However, Pujols isn’t quite the eccentric character(Manny) nor is he into the celebrity lifestyle like an A-Rod.  As a result he is often ignored by the common fan.  However, ESPN did give him his props and listed him as the top baseball player between 2000 and 2009.  Additionally, Sports Illustrated bestowed him the same honor, top player of the 2000s.  Let’s look at his productivity, after all where do these merits come from?   In 2001, his rookie season Mark Mcgwire saw Pujols play in spring training and told La Russa, "If you don't put this guy on the roster for the 2001 season, it might be one of the worst moves you make in your career."   Pujols went on to bat .329, with 27 homeruns and 130 rbi his rookie season and earn a spot on the all star team as well as rookie of the year honors.  Since then, Pujols has bat .300 with 30 homeruns and 100 rbi in every consecutive season until 2011(which he bat .299 with 37 homeruns and 99 rbi, it is worth mentioning he missed various games with a broken arm).  He won the National League MVP award in 2005, 2008 and 2009.   Defensively, he’s not shabby either as he won the Gold Glove in 2006 and 2010.  He is a compact strong player whose swing is unmatched and produces a lot of power, he plays at first base where he excels.  Probably the weak link to his game is speed.  But at first base it doesn’t impact the team much.   Now let’s look at his background and personality.  Pujols is a product of the Dominican Republic, at age 16(in 1996) he left the Dominican with family to come to the US.  By 2000 he was married to his wife Deidre, they now have 4 children(one from a previous relationship of Deidre).  Pujols is a devout Christian and is actively involved with charity for children with Down Syndrome (his first child has it) as well as helping alleviate poverty in the Dominican Republic.    In respect to Albert's personality, I would classify him as a J, which may come as a surprise to some brain typology followers.  I say that based on body language and his interviews.  In interviews he tends to take strong stands on issues and things are very decided.   His body language is more controlled as opposed to loose as a P’s body language may be.  I would definitely give Pujols an S.  In my opinion Pujols is an E and an F as well as he tends to show his emotions on the field openly and is more expressive.  The T/F are pretty close on this one but I lean towards F.  So in Pujols we have an ESFJ.  Watch the below interview and tell me what you think.  I dare you to disagree!  Start at the 1:40 mark.

Lance Berkman (Cardinals Right Field): Lance Berkman is a Houston transplant to St. Louis.  Ironic as Houston is a big St. Louis rival.  Berkman’s career was on the downslide in 2010 and the Cardinals picked him up and since then he has been rejuvenated.  He had a big 2011 year with a .301 average, 31 hr and 94 rbi.    As far as Lance’s personality, I would type him an ESFP.  He is known to be the joker of the clubhouse and everytime you see his face he seems to be in a good mood and smiling.  He has the classic SP looseness and sense of humor and is a definite E.   The F comes off of intuition in his good natured kindness that comes across.

Matt Holliday(Cardinals Left Field): Along with Pujols and Berkman, Holliday makes up the third part of the core of St. Louis lineup, which as you can tell is full of power!  In 2011 Holliday batted .296 with 22 hr and 75 rbi.  I would type Holliday as an ISTP.  His demeanor in interviews and body language on the field is in general very laid back, slow moving, unemotional and very in touch with what is going on around him.  

Chris Carpenter(Starting Pitcher): Chris Carpenter is the Cardinals big ace, which in baseball terminology is equivalent to their top pitcher.  Carpenter is a long, rangy guy at 6’6 and 230 lbs.  Carp as he is affectionately known has a reputation for Multiple Personality disorder(think the movie Sybil ;)).  On the mound he is a fierce competitor growling and yelling at opponents and off the mound he is the picture of a nice, calm guy.  I would give Carp ISFP.

Now let’s take a look at Texas Rangers team and a couple of key figures on it!

Ron Washington(Manager): Much the opposite of La Russa, Washington is a picture of Kinetic energy, always moving in the dugout  and yelling/whooping up a storm to encourage the team.  Washington originally came from a poor section of New Orleans and had a 10 year plus baseball career with various teams, in and out of the minor leagues.  He was placed as the Texas manager in 2006, however there have been some bumps along the way as in 2010 he admitted to taking Cocaine during the all star break.  He did not lose his job and had to come to terms with everyone for the mistakes he made.  I would say Washington as an ENFJ.  Very warm and affectionate, he is constantly interested in really teaching and developing his players to the next level.

Josh Hamilton(Center Fielder): Hamilton is the Rangers most recognizable name and like Washington has a dramatic life story.   Hamilton was drafted as a top pick in 1999, however after falling into drug and alcohol addiction, his career went on a tailspin.  In 2007 after rededicating his life to Christ and getting in rehab he made it to the majors and became a star player, making the all star game by 2008.   In 2010 he was named the AL MVP as he hit 32 hr with 100 rbi and a .359 batting average.   I would say Hamilton is an ESTP, but not a very pronounced E.  He comes across laid back and friendly. 

Ok, in signing off I mention that as of right now the Cardinals are up 2 games to 1.  Let’s see what happens in this World Series from now on!