Fresh start: Rolen eager to put shoulder injury behind

ST. LOUIS -- At the St. Louis Cardinals' recent Winter Warmup, Scott Rolen responded to a question about his surgically repaired shoulder with a flippant, "Which one?"

The All-Star third baseman was joking, of course.

Last year was a nightmare season after the latest freak injury to derail his career, an early May baserunning collision with Dodgers first baseman Hee-Seop Choi. The injury required two operations, the last one season-ending surgery in August after Rolen failed to play his way back to health.

After that ordeal, Rolen is firm about a timetable. His due date is April 3, the day the Cardinals begin their quest for a third straight 100-win season in the season opener at Philadelphia.

"I'm not going to get down on myself if I have a bad day or two in early March or I can't get on the field for a couple of days in early March," Rolen said. "It's a trial process. My point is April 3 is my date."

On a team that is replacing both corner outfielders, the second baseman, a starting pitcher and virtually the entire bullpen, Rolen is by far the biggest question mark. A healthy Rolen gives the Cardinals, who often had to scrap for runs last season without him, the potential for a power-packed lineup again.

Rolen is eager to erase the memory of his aborted comeback last year and resume his role in an attack led by NL MVP Albert Pujols, leadoff man David Eckstein and power-hitting center fielder Jim Edmonds.

"Time heals all wounds," he said. "I couldn't play anymore, that was the bottom line, I had to have the surgery. Now, I'm ready to go."

Manager Tony La Russa said he'll be careful throughout spring training in his use of Rolen, letting him pace himself, although he added there would be no restrictions.

La Russa knows how much a healthy Rolen can mean to the team.

"There isn't anything more important," La Russa said. "You're talking about a guy who's a potential Hall of Famer, so if he plays healthy and plays like he's played his whole career it's a terrific boost for our club."

Rolen, who batted .235 with five home runs and 28 RBIs in 56 games, is essentially one of several new faces at offensive positions this season. Juan Encarnacion replaces the retired Larry Walker at right field after signing a three-year, $15 million free-agent deal. The Cardinals likely will go with a combination of Larry Bigbie, So Taguchi and John Rodriguez in left field after Reggie Sanders left as a free agent.

The Cardinals took a slight risk and signed troubled right-hander Sidney Ponson to a $1 million contract to replace Matt Morris, who left as a free agent after nine seasons with the team.

"I'll help anyway I can," Ponson said. "I just want to go to a World Series and win it all."

Junior Spivey is the favorite among three infield pickups to replace Mark Grudzielanek, who joins Sanders in Kansas City, at second base.

Closer Jason Isringhausen is the main holdover in the bullpen, which lost both setup men. Former Mets closer Braden Looper and left-hander Ricardo Rincon are the key pickups.

"They've filled in with some quality arms, don't get me wrong," Isringhausen said. "We have to gel as a group again as we have in the past, so there will be a few dinners in spring training and we'll probably have to wear our name tags and get to know everybody again."

So Rolen is far from La Russa's only concern. Then again, he notes the team did just fine after losing pitcher Woody Williams, catcher Mike Matheny, shortstop Edgar Renteria and second baseman Tony Womack the previous offseason.

La Russa notes improvements by the rest of the NL Central in the offseason and believes the division will have more balance than in the past. He likes the latest rebuilding job by general manager Walt Jocketty, who has rebuilt around Pujols and a deep pitching staff led by NL Cy Young winner Chris Carpenter.

The Cardinals have a payroll of about $90 million, the same as last season, as the team prepares to play its first season in a new Busch Stadium. But Jocketty has said there's flexibility to make moves if needed.

"I don't see anybody that's got a better chance than we do," La Russa said. "And that's enough for now."