Yale University baseball coach and Butler graduate John Stuper has been fielding a common question lately:

Who do you want to see win the World Series?

"I just tell people I don't care," said Stuper, 47. "But I don't know if that's true."

Stuper, who pitched for St. Louis in the 1982 World Series, admits to having mixed emotions about the Red Sox-Cardinals matchup.

Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein is a Yale graduate and was sports editor of the school paper when Stuper began coaching there. Stuper and Boston manager Terry Francona were released together as players.

"Terry and I have remained good friends," Stuper said. "And part of our Cardinals team from 1982 wants the team to lose so we can still be the last St. Louis team to win the World Series.

"Deep down, though, I guess I want St. Louis to win because of the fans there. … They are the best baseball fans in the world, no doubt," he added.

Stuper returns to St. Louis each January for the Cardinals Care program, a charitable event that benefits Little League baseball in the area. Hundreds of former Cardinal players return for autograph sessions and to talk baseball.

"I'm such a small part of Cardinals history," Stuper said. "But when I go back for that, the fans treat me like I'm Bob Gibson.

"My autograph line is as long as anybody's. I walk into the hotel and people run up to me seeking autographs. Guys pull out books with 10 of my baseball cards inside," he added.

Stuper had a modest big league career, posting a 32-28 record with a 3.96 earned run average in four seasons. But his 13-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 6 of the 1982 Series, which kept the Cardinals alive to play and win Game 7, cemented his spot in St. Louis baseball history.

A rookie in 1982, Stuper's mound opponent was eventual Hall of Famer Don Sutton, who won 328 games in the big leagues.

"I was more nervous before that start than any athletic competition I had ever been involved in, and rightfully so," Stuper said. "That was the biggest game of my life.

"I remember trying to keep everything as normal as possible. I ate breakfast at McDonalds. I kept telling myself there's still three outs an inning, nine innings in the game, just like any other game I ever pitched. But I couldn't shake the nerves."

And Sutton couldn't shake the Cardinal bats. He was in the clubhouse icing his arm by the fourth inning, when St. Louis had a 5-0 lead.

Stuper remained on cruise control, returning to the mound after rain delays of 30 minutes and two hours, 13 minutes.

"My fastball was sinking and they weren't hitting it," Stuper recalled. "Milwaukee had one of the best single-season hitting lineups in baseball history that year. Their No. 9 hitter, Jim Gantner, had a .289 average.

"After the second rain delay (sixth inning), I wanted to go back out there, partly for selfish reasons. I had a two-hit shutout going. But I also wanted to save the bullpen so everyone could be available for Game 7."

He wound up pitching a complete-game four-hitter.

"If the same situation occurred today, I doubt they'd bring me back out after the first rain delay, let alone the second," Stuper said.

Sutton came into the Cardinals' clubhouse during their Game 7 victory celebration, sought out Stuper and shook his hand.

"He told me this party wouldn't be going on if it wasn't for me," Stuper said. "That meant the world to me. Don Sutton is a class, class act. I sent him a congratulatory letter when he gained induction into the Hall of Fame.

"(Former big league pitcher) Jim Kaat was a teammate and my mentor. He does color commentary for Yankee games now and every time a drop of rain falls during a game, he mentions my name and talks about that game."

Stuper's World Series share in 1982 was $43,000. His rookie salary was $33,500 because he didn't get called up to the big leagues until May of that year.

"Believe me, I was happy to get that World Series money," Stuper said. "Players played for the World Series share then. Even though guys get $300,000 or more as the winner's share now, they play more for the ring than the money."

Stuper has been coaching baseball at Yale for 12 years and has 104 wins. His team won the annual City Series over New Haven, Quinnipiac and Southern Connecticut this fall.

He hasn't coached an Ivy League championship team since 1994.

"This spring may be our year," he said. "We were 11-9 in league play last year and everybody's coming back.

"I'm proud of that World Series game in 1982. It's defined who I am. I enjoyed my pro career, was sitting in the dugout when Pete Rose broke Ty Cobb's hit record, I did and saw a lot of things.

"I didn't beat Don Sutton. The Cardinals did. I was just glad to be part of it," Stuper added.