It's going to be a cold winter in St. Louis.

The Cardinals had all the pieces in place to get to the World Series, but couldn't recover after San Francisco knocked Matt Morris around in the NLCS opener.

	Matt Morris Starting Pitcher St. Louis Cardinals Profile
	2002 SEASON STATISTICS GM IP W-L BB SO ERA 32 210.1 17-9 64 171 3.42

"This was our best, most talented club we had to get to the World Series," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "We had the most plusses and the fewest minuses. Even without (Scott) Rolen. There's the regular season and we were terrific. But we failed in the postseason." This marked the third year in a row the Cards reached the playoffs and the second time in three years they got to the NLCS. So what?

"That wasn't our goal," catcher Mike Matheny said. "When you fall short of your goals, there isn't any contentment."

You don't have to tell the other five teams in the NL Central. This is the land of disenchantment, a division where managers come and go like boy bands. It's the only one of the six divisions that has never sent a team to the World Series.

Here's a quick tour to assess the damage:

St. Louis Cardinals
1. Has La Russa lost his touch?
No way. While La Russa had a bad series against Dusty Baker, he's still as good as it gets. Critical injuries, not poor decision-making, are largely responsible for the Cardinals' lukewarm record in the playoffs under La Russa (3-4 in playoff series).

La Russa was widely second-guessed for just about every decision he made in Games 4 and 5 at Pac Bell Park.

"They say that if a decision works, it's a good decision,'' La Russa said. "If it doesn't work, it's a bad decision. I don't judge decisions on whether they work or not."

That doesn't mean La Russa will let him off the hook -- not when another of his teams was stopped short of the World Series. He hasn't taken a team there since the 1990 A's.

"Where I would look at myself when you're talking about a club failing in the championship series is what could have I done to get them more prepared to have done it better?'' La Russa said. "How could we have made our hitters more productive? How could we have made our pitchers more productive?"

2. Would Scott Rolen have been a difference-maker against San Francisco?
Well, you won't hear La Russa making this excuse. Injuries are part of the game, after all. But it says here that Rolen would have at least extended the NLCS to six games, who knows what would have happened back at Busch?

With Rolen sidelined by a sprained shoulder after that collision with Arizona rookie Alex Cintron in the first round, St. Louis' No. 5 hitters went 5-for-22 -- all singles -- against San Francisco. That was a big part of the reason that a normally potent lineup produced only 16 runs in five games, including 4-3 and 2-1 losses.

GM Walt Jocketty says Rolen was badly missed. "It was almost a sense of, 'what else can happen?' '' Jocketty said.

3. Who's gonna do the pitching?
There was a whole lot of packing going on at Busch Stadium when the Redbirds got home from San Francisco. Morris and Jason Simontacchi, the playoff invisible man, are the only givens in the 2003 rotation. Chuck Finley, Jamey Wright and Woody Williams are eligible for free agency. Andy Benes and Garrett Stephenson have club options which might not be renewed.

Re-signing Wright is priority No. 1, with Finley a close second. While Wright should be a fairly simple matter for the Cardinals, who seem to keep whoever they want, it's unclear if Finley wants to pitch again. He lives in Southern California and would be an easy target for the Angels, Dodgers or Padres.

4. Is the romance over?
Those were actually boos cascading down on Tino Martinez during the late innings of Game 1 and 2 losses to San Francisco at Busch. No group of fans is more patient with the home team than those in St. Louis, but there's a limit to everything. Martinez's unproductive October (.080-0-1 in 25 at-bats) leaves him with some fences to mend next April. It was a disappointing year for the guy who replaced Mark McGwire.

5. Is Jason Isringhausen a concern?
Isringhausen, whose use had to be limited down the stretch and in the playoffs, had arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder shortly after the Cardinals were eliminated. He's expected to be ready for spring training, but it's never comforting to have your closer recovering from surgery. If Isringhausen doesn't prove to be a quick healer, the Cards could be in trouble.

Houston Astros
1. Is Roger Clemens coming back to his hometown to win No. 300?
This is an intriguing scenario for both the Rocket and his hometown team. The Yankees have to pay Clemens $10.3 million in 2003 whether he pitches for them or not, which means that Houston or Texas might be able to get him to leave New York with a less-than-monster offer.

With Shane Reynolds possibly out of the picture after 11 seasons, Clemens could fill the role of both drawling sage and veteran starter. It's easy to imagine Texans flocking to Minute Maid Park to watch the future Hall of Famer.

But, sorry, partner, it's not very likely to happen, not unless the National League adopts the designated hitter rule. Given the leg injuries that have haunted Clemens in recent years, the thought of him running the bases is frightening. There would also be those messy showdowns with the Mets.

	Craig Biggio Second baseman Houston Astros Profile
	2002 SEASON STATISTICS GM AB R RBI SB Avg. 145 577 96 58 16 .253

2. Won't owner Drayton McLane show Craig Biggio some love?
Doesn't look like it. Biggio will be in the final year of his contract in 2003 and McLane apparently feels no need to sign the 36-year-old second baseman to another big deal.

Unless Biggio wants to stay around badly enough to take a big pay cut when this contract is up, the Killer B's will be Jeff Bagwell and Lance Berkman from 2004 forward.

3. Is it the enchiladas?
Houston is becoming a place where players hate to leave. Catcher Brad Ausmus bypassed free agency -- and a place in another weak market for catchers -- to return to the Astros for $5.5 million.

"It was a very easy decision,'' said Ausmus, who lives in San Diego. "I couldn't have sweated less over it. I like the team; we have a home in the city; my family knows the area. We like it there, like the coaches, and the fans have always treated us well.''

Reynolds, who has gone 103-86 in 11 years with the Astros, is a free agent because the club didn't exercise its $8-million option on him. But he is dying to return with an incentive-laden deal.

Reynolds didn't pitch after June 8 because of back surgery but he expects to make a David Wells-like recovery. "If you're going to go out in the free-agent market these days to get a No. 3 guy, a veteran No. 3 guy, it's going to cost you,'' said Reynolds, appealing to the Astros to re-sign him. "Am I good in the clubhouse? Yes. Am I good around the young guys? Yes. Do they like me? Yes. It looks to me like I would be a good fit. It would just have to be a fair offer.''

4. Is Richard Hidalgo a jokester?
As far as we know, he does not play comedy clubs in the offseason. But his demand to be traded was funnier than many Adam Sandler movies.

5. Is Octavio Dotel a luxury the Astros can no longer afford?
That's possible. The overpowering set-up man would be either a closer or starter on most staffs, but is extremely valuable as a bridge to Billy Wagner. You wonder if he (and his salary) have overgrown the role, however. Dotel could be elsewhere next spring.

Cincinnati Reds
1. Can Danny Graves go from closer to ace?
He'll get the chance. The guy with 129 career saves went 1-0 with a 1.89 ERA in a four-start trial in September. Meanwhile, Scott Williamson earned saves in eight of the Reds' last nine wins.

Manager Bob Boone saw enough from both to say they'll definitely trade places in 2003.

"Danny showed me exactly what I thought he would show me, that he can be a very good starting pitcher," Boone said. "He isn't the classic closer power pitcher and relies on his sinker for ground balls. He is coming to camp as a member of the rotation."

The key to the move is that Williamson bounced back with no troubles after Tommy John surgery. At one point he had 18 consecutive appearances without allowing a run.

2. How's construction going?
Quite well, nicely. The Reds are looking forward to an on-time opening of The Great American Ballpark, with Pittsburgh scheduled for the first game in the baseball-only, downtown stadium.

The club is responsible for paying any cost overruns on the new ballpark. It's possible that the team will spend its $15-20 million in revenue sharing on the project, not the roster.

3. Was that really Jimmy Haynes?
"Brewers castoff'' is not something a player wants in his biography. But Haynes proved there can be life after Milwaukee. He had one of the best seasons by an unsung starter, going 15-9 with a 4.12 ERA. It was another feather in the cap of Reds pitching coach Don Gullett.

Haynes, a free agent who signed for $500,000 after losing 17 games for Milwaukee in 2001, is once again eligible for free agency. General manager Jim Bowden says re-signing him is "our top priority.'' That boy has come a long way.

4. Is owner Carl Lindner going to increase the payroll?
With nine arbitration-eligible players, including guys like Aaron Boone and pitchers Ryan Dempster, Elmer Dessens, Scott Sullivan and Graves, Lindner is going to have to spend more than $43 million or trade some significant salaries. There are rumors that Bowden will try to move first baseman Sean Casey, but he's damaged goods after having shoulder surgery last September to repair tears in his rotator cuff.

5. How about trading Barry Larkin?
Doesn't Bowden wish? Bob Boone wasn't the only one impressed by Aaron Boone's play at shortstop last season, but there's almost no way for him to move there permanently next season. Larkin is in the last year of his contract and there's no way Lindner is going to swallow a $9-million contract. There's a better chance that Bowden will find a way to trade Ken Griffey Jr. than Larkin, but smart money says both Cincinnati icons will be at the new ballpark.

Keep an eye on Ranier Olmedo, who is considered the organization's shortstop of the future. He had elbow surgery in October, but is expected to be ready for spring training.

Pittsburgh Pirates
1. Who's the boss?
This is second-year GM Dave Littlefield's team. He impressed ownership with the results he produced the first time around, especially the trade that brought Kip Wells and Josh Fogg to the Pirates for Todd Ritchie.

Littlefield has put manager Lloyd McClendon on notice that he'll have to get an immediate turnaround in 2003 or he'll be gone. Pittsburgh broke from the gate 12-5, but after that was 24 games under .500. If that trend continues, Littlefield will have his own manager in place by the All-Star break next year.

2. What is McClendon's best hope?
Improving the run-production is a must, but the Pirates don't have the resources to import difference-makers. That puts a burden on third baseman Aramis Ramirez to get healthy and regain the swagger he once had. Ramirez, who played with a bad limp for much of 2002, showed some promise with 12 homers and 43 RBIs in the second half. Catcher Jason Kendall, an immovable object because of his contract, also must do better than he did in 2002.

3. Who do they have eligible for free agency?
Littlefield has all but four players under control. The guys who can file for free agency after right-hander Brian Boehringer, lefty Ron Villone, catcher Keith Osik and infielder Mike Benjamin.

Re-signing Boehringer is important. He developed into the primary set-up man for closer Mike Williams, who quietly nailed down 46 saves. The Pirates don't have the pitching depth to lose Boehringer, but will have a hard time keeping him if he stirs significant interest elsewhere.

	Kris Benson Starting pitcher Pittsburgh Pirates Profile
	2002 SEASON STATISTICS GM IP W-L BB SO ERA 25 130.1 9-6 50 79 4.70

4. Is Kris Benson back?
You bet he is. McClendon did a good job bringing Benson along slowly after Tommy John surgery and the guy who was expected to be the backbone of Pittsburgh's staff responded by going 5-0 with a 2.25 ERA in his last seven starts. That may have been the best sign of all. The Pirates are in reasonably good shape with Benson, Wells, Fogg, but must solidify the back of the rotation. Retread Solomon Torres did enough in September to get another look next spring.

5. Was Pat Meares kidding?
Unfortunately, no. After being a payroll drain by playing 219 games during a three-year contract, he wanted to be activated from the disabled list in September so he could market himself for a 2003 contract somewhere. Littlefield wasn't about to give him at-bats so Meares filed a grievance, saying he was healthy enough to play. Give me a break.

Chicago Cubs
1. Is Dusty Baker a madman?
That's the question of the day in both San Francisco and Chicago. The Cubs have vowed to do whatever it takes to get the prospective free agent manager to leave the Giants.

They seem willing to give him Joe Torre money and will definitely outbid San Francisco. But will that be enough to convince Baker to leave his native California for Chicago's North Side, where the Tribune Co. hasn't once produced back-to-back winning seasons in the 21 years it has owned the Cubs?

2. If not Dusty, then who?
By waiting for Baker, the Cubs have already lost the chance to hire Buck Showalter and Ken Macha, and soon may lose Bob Melvin. Those were three of the first four men that GM Jim Hendry interviewed for the job, with Atlanta's Triple-A manager, Fredi Gonzalez, the other one. The bet here is that Hendry will turn to an experienced manager as Plan B if he can't land Baker.

Former Texas Rangers' GM Tom Grieve says hiring Bobby Valentine should be "a no-brainer'' for the Cubs. "He's the best guy to provide what they need,'' Grieve said. "He's done it for two teams ... He can help immediately and he's a good guy for after that. He's not going to jeopardize the long-range goals of the franchise. He would be great for the long term.''

Hendry has been downplaying his interest in Valentine and has done a good job in keeping reporters guessing about what he will do if he can't get Baker. Melvin, currently the Diamondbacks' bench coach, is a possibility, but it seems more likely Hendry will hire someone with a track record.

3. Whatever happened to Andy MacPhail?
The long-time Cubs' president and sometimes GM has been operating in the background since turning over the reins to Hendry in July. He spent most of 2002 serving as a member of Major League Baseball's labor team and trying to jump-start stalled negotiations to gain city approval for an expansion of Wrigley Field. MacPhail is very much under the gun. If 2003 doesn't bring instant promise, the Tribune Co. could turn to somebody else as its baseball point man.

4. Since nobody's talking about it, the Cubs' roster must be pretty well set, huh?
Uh, hardly. While all the focus has been on finding a manager, Hendry knows there are major personnel issues that must be dealt with. Rebuilding the bullpen is the first priority, but the Cubs must also fill holes at catcher and third base.

Look for them to be very active in free agency as they are committed to homegrown players at first base (Hee Seop Choi), second base (Bobby Hill) and in center field (Corey Patterson), which frees up salary to be expended elsewhere. Mark Bellhorn, who hit 27 homers, is an option at third, but Hendry would like to use him as something of a super-sub.

They've got the resources to pursue Pudge Rodriguez, but seem more likely to sign someone like Dan Wilson.

5. What qualifies as Mission Impossible?
Two years into a four-year, $23.5-million deal, the Cubs are determined to find a new home for the erratic Todd Hundley. Hendry appears willing to take someone else's bad contract back if someone else will take on Hundley, who hit .211-16-35. If he finds a taker, he'll become an Executive of the Year frontrunner.

Milwaukee Brewers
1. Is there anything worse than getting turned down for a job by Ken Macha?
New Brewers GM Doug Melvin was set to hire the Oakland bench coach, but had the rug pulled out from under him after Art Howe jumped to the Mets. Macha has taken over for Howe as the A's manager after interviewing with the Cubs, Mets and Devil Rays. This wasn't exactly how Melvin hoped to begin his tenure in Milwaukee.

2. Why did they pick Macha over Bob Melvin in the first place?
It was a courtesy to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Having two Melvins at the top of the masthead would be too confusing in new stories, and would require overuse of the phrase "not related.''

3. What happened to Ben Sheets?
Following a breakout 2001 season, the U.S. Olympian was disappointing as a sophomore but closed strong, going 3-1 with a 2.50 ERA in his last seven starts. He is the last of the Brewers' concerns.

4. Can anybody here play?
Milwaukee scored 627 runs, more than only the Detroit Tigers. The lineup needs an infusion of talent, and we aren't talking about a former GM Dean Taylor-style retooling. Matt Stairs and Eric Young aren't the answer. This should be a land of opportunity for young position players, with first baseman Richie Sexson and often-injured left fielder Geoff Jenkins the only guys who have earned fixture status.

5. What's the best reason to come to Miller Park?
Bratwursts with secret stadium sauce.

Phil Rogers is the national baseball writer for the Chicago Tribune, which has a web site at www.chicagosports.com.