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 Garret
