stlcardinals.com
June 30, 2002

Morris Selected to All-Star Team

By Matthew Leach

ST. LOUIS -- Perhaps it's a tribute to the Cardinals that they only have one player on this year's National League All-Star team. It tells you something that anyone who has watched the team all year already knows: everyone has contributed.

Injuries, slumps, and the death of Darryl Kile have made this a season with few constants for the Redbirds, yet they approach the All-Star break in first place. Much of the credit for that goes to players like Jason Simontacchi and Eli Marrero, who have given the team needed, and sometimes unexpected, boosts.

But one Cardinal has been there from day one, playing at an All-Star level and giving the team exactly what it expected and needed: ace right-hander Matt Morris. Morris will be a National League All-Star for the second consecutive year, and there's no doubt he deserves it.

"He's done a good job," said fellow St. Louis starter Woody Williams. "You know what you're gonna get when he goes out there. It's always nice. No doubt about it. It's especially big now."

Williams was philosophical about the fact that Morris was the only player selected from a first-place team. Second baseman Fernando Vina, however, was not too thrilled. He didn't accept the 25-guys-but-no-superstars rationale.

"You look at some of our offensive players, we have decent offensive numbers to be there. Jim Edmonds has had a good year. You really can't look at it that way. It's a bad excuse."

The guy who did make it, Morris, had a difficult outing on Sunday. He gave up five runs in five innings against the Reds after being staked to a 6-0 lead, and St. Louis lost to Cincinnati 12-8. Morris declined to talk about his second straight All-Star selection, but his teammates were willing to talk about him.

"He's a stud," Vina said. "He comes out and gives us all he has and we appreciate him a lot."

Morris' frustration after the loss is actually just the kind of thing that endears him to his teammates. He's as ferocious a competitor as you'll find, and he doesn't hesitate to show his emotions on the field.

Like his ace, manager Tony La Russa was too disappointed in the outcome of the game to discuss an individual honor much.

"I think tomorrow we can talk about it," La Russa said. "I wouldn't do Matt justice (today). He definitely deserved the honor. But to really talk about him, I'd end up saying some stuff that's not good enough. So I'd rather talk about it tomorrow. Except (to say) that he definitely deserved it."

There's not much that "Matty Mo" doesn't do.

He's one of six NL pitchers who have topped 120 innings this season. He's fifth in the league in strikeouts, 14th in ERA even after his rough day on Sunday. No pitcher in the league has made more starts. He's one of only five pitchers in the league with double-digit wins.

Back in March, conventional wisdom said that pitching depth was the No. 1 strength of this year's Cardinals team. Morris was one of seven pitchers who needed to fit into five spots, and they all had been serious contributors in the past.

Then Rick Ankiel's left elbow flared up. Woody Williams injured his oblique muscle. Andy Benes' knee started bothering him again. Garrett Stephenson's back, and then his hamstring, prevented that right-hander from pitching. Bud Smith had shoulder pain. Through the first two months of the season, Morris and Kile were the only two pitchers to go every fifth (or sixth) day for St. Louis.

And then "DK" passed away. And now Morris is the man, the unquestioned go-to guy in the Cardinals rotation. St. Louis may bring in another pitcher via trade, but Morris is No. 1. Not 1A.

"I don't know what they're gonna do," Williams said of the Cardinals front office "or if they can do anything. But it's very important that (Morris pitches) every fifth day."