Cardinals shortstop Rafael Furcal, who injected life into the team as they charged into the playoff picture in the second half of the season, says the decision to leave the Dodgers was a tough one. Furcal had to approve the trade from Los Angeles to St. Louis. "It was a tough decision," he said. "I've got a house over there. I liked the team. I loved the fans. But I'm going to be 34 years old and they already got a guy [who's] going to be great player, Dee Gordon. "They gave me 24 hours to make a decision. And it was the best one I made in my career." The trade reinvigorated both Furcal and his new team. After batting just .197 in 37 games with the Dodgers, the switch-hitter had at least one hit in 20 of his first 25 starts with St. Louis, helping push the team back into the playoff hunt.