"It feels good," Jackson said, as he showed off the ring to reporters in the Nats' clubhouse. "This is what we work for. This is a piece of history that we got a chance to earn. That's what we play for in this game. "You put your blood, sweat and tears into something that's definitely not given to anyone, you have to go out there and earn it," Jackson said. "We definitely earned this. It's a good feeling to be able to hold a World Series ring." Jackson actually let me hold the ring, and I channeled my inner George Costanza to serve as hand model for a couple pictures. The ring has Jackson's name and number inscribed on one side, and lists all the years the Cardinals have won World Series titles. On the flat inner portion, it lists all the postseason series that the Cardinals won on their way to the championship, and has the words "Happy Flight" carved in, as well. That phrase is what the Cards would chant after their series-clinching playoff victories as they prepared for a joyous plane ride home. It also apparently has the infamous "rally squirrel" in there somewhere, although neither Jackson nor the small group of reporters huddled around could find the little guy. The 28-year-old Jackson said he doesn't plan to wear the ring that often - he's not much of a ring guy - and instead will just get some good insurance on it and put it in a safe deposit box somewhere. Before putting it away, though, Jackson showed it off around the clubhouse, with players coming up and gazing at the diamond-encrusted ring with astonishment. Manager Davey Johnson, who has three rings himself (two as a player, one as a manager), likes the fact that the players, many of whom have never been to the postseason, got to see a ring up close. "It was shockingly beautiful, and big," Johnson said. "That's what we're here for. That's what we're all dreaming about."