Cardinals

One Riverboat: Your performance has Proud Mary wearing a paper bag
Two Riverboats: Not even hope could float your boat
Three Riverboats: You're up the river but without a paddle
Four Riverboats: You're rolling, rolling, rolling down the river
Five Riverboats: You're as mighty as the Mississippi River

Sweep! The Cardinals swept the D-Backs out of Busch Stadium in the final days of the regular season, then swept them out of the playoffs.

Miguel Cairo: Filling in for injured third baseman Scott Rolen, Cairo was the spark that put the Cardinals over the hump. He drove in the winning run in Game 2, knocked in the Cardinals' first and fifth runs Saturday and absorbed a Miguel Batista pitch to ignite the go-ahead two-run rally in the fourth.

Andy Benes: The Cardinals' best pitcher during the pennant drive didn't exactly dominate on Saturday (three runs on only two hits in 4 2/3 innings) but he won the game with a bat in his hand. Benes worked to a 3-and-1 count to force D-Backs starter Miguel Batista to pipe one down the middle. Benes was waiting and laid down the go-ahead suicide squeeze bunt.

Albert Pujols: This guy is the real deal. His RBI single in the third inning tied the game, and his throw to gun down Chris Donnels at home plate in the fifth preserved Benes' lead.

Tino Martinez: The Cardinals ponied up for the free agent Yankee because of his experience in the Big Game. Especially if Rolen needs more time to heal, the Cards may need more than Tino's .000 batting average this postseason.

	Diamondbacks

One Cactus: You sat on a cactus and it hurts
Two Cactus: Looking for shade but no luck
Three Cactus: Between a pool and a mirage
Four Cactus: Take a gulp of water, you deserve it
Five Cactus: Even in the desert, you're cool

Defending champs: They say the toughest thing to accomplish in sports is the repeat. With the defending AL champion Yankees already out of the playoff picture thanks to the Anaheim Angels' win Saturday afternoon, the defending NL champion D-Backs followed.

Miguel Batista: He retired the Cardinals 1-2-3 in the bottom of the first inning, but didn't get off as easy the rest of the way. His three walks and a hit batsman proved costly, and he couldn't get out of the fourth inning. Here's an equation for the Einstein scholar: E = Eliminated.

Craig Counsell and Luis Gonzalez: Would we be writing about a Cardinals sweep if last year's postseason heroes weren't sidelined with injuries? Counsell, the 2001 NLCS MVP, and Gonzo, the Game 7 hero, could have had an impact in avoiding two one-run losses.

Quinton McCracken: The D-Backs' unlikely offensive hero continued his solid play in another losing effort. He had one of Arizona's three hits, finished 1-for-3 with a walk Saturday and batted .364 in the division series.

Adam McCalvy is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to approval by Major League Baseball or its clubs.