d.Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle is ready to move on from the disappointing campaign.Forty-one years in the game and I honor th

ST. LOUIS -- Dexter Fowler is headed from the World Series champions to their biggest rival.After helping the Chicago Cubs end their long championship drought, he finalized an $82.5 million, five-year contract with the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday. Fowler fills the last big hole left in the Cardinals lineup after moves made earlier in the offseason to shore up the bullpen.It was an honor just to be considered to be in the Cardinals organization, said Fowler, who will wear No. 25 in honor of his mentor, Barry Bonds, because his usual 24 is retired by the Cardinals.You play against the Cardinals, Ive been playing against them for eight years now, Fowler said, and they always come out fighting. Always fighting. And then being with a rival, being the Cubs however many times we play them a year, you see them and -- its always good a winning team wants you.Fowler was also a free agent a year ago, when he spurned a $33 million, three-year offer from Baltimore, which refused to offer an opt out after one year. He signed a $13 million, one-year deal with the Chicago Cub and hit .276 with 13 homers and a career-best .393 on-base percentage that landed him in his first All-Star Game. He had a pair of home runs in helping the Cubs win their first World Series title in 108 years.Playing over there, and playing against the Cardinals, you see them and you saw that they werent far away, Fowler said. Obviously they beat up on us, we beat up on them. It was almost even. It was one day or another. I cant put my finger on one thing or another, but were definitely close.His new deal calls for a $10 million signing bonus, payable in $1 million installments each July 1 and Oct. 1 for the next five years, and annual salaries of $14.5 million.He gets a full no-trade provision, $50,000 bonuses for making the All-Star Game and winning a Gold Glove, a $25,000 bonus for a Silver Slugger, $100,000 for League Championship Series MVP and $150,000 for World Series MVP. He would get $250,000 for NL MVP, $150,000 for finishing second in voting and $100,000 for third through fifth. He would get $50,000 for Division Series MVP if the award is created.One of the goals this offseason for St. Louis was to get more athletic, both defensively and on the base paths. Fowler was identified early in the process as someone who filled that role.He was always someone we were hoping to sign, Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said, but after this past week at winter meetings ... we certainly wanted to get this done. And were excited we got this done.The lanky 30-year-old from Atlanta is a .268 career hitter over nine seasons with Colorado, Houston and the Cubs. Hes expected to slot into the Cardinals leadoff spot, giving St. Louis a switch-hitter in front of lefty-hitting Matt Carpenter and righties Aledmys Diaz, Stephen Piscotty and Yadier Molina.You obviously have great presence at the top of the lineup, manager Mike Matheny said. The athleticism, the excitement of bringing in a player that has all those physical attributes, I think its been well-said, this is the guy we were hoping to be sitting up here with.Fowler said negotiations with the Cardinals were easy with one notable exception.We were on a 2-hour time difference, and I guess he wanted to get in touch with me, Fowler said, but I was in the dentist chair, so he couldnt get in touch.So, Fowler sent his agent Casey Close a photo of him to pass along to Mozeliak -- That was a first for me, that kind of photo, the GM said -- and everything proceeded smoothly after that.The news of his signing started breaking while Fowler was on a plane to St. Louis, and that also created some problems: namely, with his sleep. People started coming up to him while he was trying to take a nap and asking him whether the news was true.I was like, `Uh, you know, I dont know, Fowler said with a grin. It was definitely funny.Fowler is eager to help the Cardinals add their 12th World Series championship.This is a baseball city, said Fowler. The fans, every time you come here, you see red everywhere. Thats awesome to see. Even going through our parade (in Chicago), you saw Cardinals fans out there. Theyve won World Series (and) theyre poised to be back in the World Series and win again. That was a big part of my decision.The Cardinals were investigating the trade market for an outfielder during the winter meetings, but decided Fowler was their best option. Because Fowler did not accept Chicagos $17.2 million qualifying offer, St. Louis forfeits its top draft pick next June, No. 18 overall, and the Cubs get an extra selection after the first round as compensationIt was a sacrifice the Cardinals were willing to make to not only improve their lineup, but snag a piece away from their biggest rival in the NL Central.Theres always the baseball angle in all decisions, but theres also the human element, Mozeliak said. We think about him as a leader. He wants to have a voice in that clubhouse. When you think back to wanting to change the culture of what we have going on -- we like what we have, but now its even better.---AP Sports Writer Dave Skretta and AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report. Authentic Nike React Online . Peter Gammons, an analyst for Major League Baseballs network and website, drew the ire of hockey fans on Sunday when he criticized the two NHL teams on Twitter for their physical game the night before. 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LOUIS -- All season long, Cardinals manager Mike Matheny set 10-games over .500 as a target for his team.St. Louis, on its tenth try, finally reached that mark with a 10-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday, but the Cardinals still missed the playoffs for the first time since 2010.Matt Carpenter homered and Randal Grichuk keyed a six-run seventh-inning with a two-run double to lead St. Louis to its fourth win in a row.But the Cardinals (86-76) were eliminated while still on the field when San Francisco (87-75) beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-1 and earned the second NL wild card.Thats the danger when its not in your hands anymore, Matheny said. Our focus was to take care of our own business, and we did that.St. Louis starter Adam Wainwright allowed two runs and six hits over six innings. He did not get a decision.To miss the playoffs by one game -- thats tough to swallow, Wainwright said. You think about how many times you couldve won games, or just one or two games, and you didnt. It gets you to thinking back a little bit.St. Louis outfielder Matt Holliday was brought into the game briefly to play left field in the ninth inning. He was given a standing ovation and taken out before the first pitch. The Cardinals announced Friday they plan to decline his 2017 option and allow him to become free agent.How special was that? Matheny said. What instigated it was the response of the fans, so badly they wanted to see him one more time.St. Louis was a big league-best 100-62 last year but lost to the Chicago Cubs in the Division Series. The Cardinals never led the NL Central at any point this season and finished with a losing record at home (38-43) for the first time sincee 1999.dddddddddddd.Anytime you dont win the World Series, its disappointing, said infielder Aledmys Diaz. But we kept coming and never let down.To get close, it definitely makes it a little more disappointing, Carpenter said. But thats the nature of the business. Theres only team that doesnt have this day.After making the playoffs for three straight years, Pittsburgh dropped from 98-64 to 78-83.Yadier Molina had three hits for the Cardinals. Stephen Piscotty singled in Molina to break a 4-4 tie in the seventh.Carpenter hit his 21st homer of the season off Antonio Bastardo for a 4-2 lead.Jonathan Broxton (4-2) won despite allowing two runs in one inning of relief.Juan Nicasio (10-7) gave up three runs without recording an out in the seventh.Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run single in the fifth to give his team a 2-1 lead.Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle is ready to move on from the disappointing campaign.Forty-one years in the game and I honor the game, I respect the game, Hurdle said. And Ive also gotten very good on closing the book when its time to close the book.Pittsburgh catcher Eric Fryer had two hits in a losing cause.I think down the stretch we definitely competed, Fryer said. Theres a lot of optimism here with a lot of young arms.PACK THE PLACEA crowd of 44,615, the 19th sellout of the season, watched the final game.St. Louis drew 3,444,490, second to the Los Angeles Dodgers in major league home attendance. It was the fifth highest attendance total in franchise history and the 13th successive year the team has drawn at least three million. ' ' '