ST. LOUIS — Will Clark always has commanded attention.

        He did it with his first major-league swing in 1986, hitting a home run off future Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan. He did it with his very presence, glaring at opponents with his fierce stare. He did it with San Francisco in the 1989 National League Championship Series, humbling Chicago Cubs pitchers from Greg Maddux to Mitch Williams in a record-setting NLCS. He hit .650 with eight RBI in five games.

        Clark has returned to the NLCS for the first time since that Giants triumph, joining the St. Louis Cardinals for their best-of-seven tug-of-war against the New York Mets beginning tonight at Busch Stadium.

Will Clark joins Cardinal teammates in kicks during a workout Tuesday. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        Eleven years have passed, yet little has changed. Clark again is in the spotlight, and he must produce if the Cardinals are to survive the Mets' formidable array of left-handed pitchers.

        Clark compensated for injured slugger Mark McGwire's absence by hitting .345 with 12 homers and 42 RBI in 51 games after coming from Baltimore in a July 31 trade. He helped assert the Cardinals' dominance over the defending NL champion Atlanta Braves in last week's Division Series by hitting a three-run homer off 21-game winner Tom Glavine in the first inning of Game 2.

        “Once we knew we'd lose Mac, Will was the best thing to happen for us,” said Cardinals right fielder Eric Davis. “Look at what he did down the stretch. It was absolutely outstanding.”

        Now come the Mets, after a four-game Division Series ousting of San Francisco. They'll start two of baseball's best left-handers to open the series, Mike Hampton tonight and Al Leiter in Game 2. Percentages dictate that, as a left-handed hitter, Clark faces a disadvantage against lefty pitchers. He never has faced Hampton and has a .176 career average (3-for-17) against Leiter.

        But Clark hasn't compiled a .303 lifetime average in 15 seasons by questioning himself. “That's not going to alter my preparation or what I'm going to do at the plate,” he said of New York's left-handed excess.

        If doubt ever crept into Clark's psyche, it occurred when he arrived in St. Louis. He was unsure how team mates and fans would receive him as he replaced McGwire, the All-Century Team legend whose knee problems have limited him to pinch hitting.

        McGwire's name has become synonymous with home runs. Clark, for all his excellence, has exceeded 30 homers only once.

        Said Clark, “My first game here (Aug. 1) was one of wondering what was going to happen.”

        Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa eased much of Clark's concern that night during a half-hour pregame chat.

        “I told him, hey, listen, y'all brought me over here to keep the seat warm,” Clark said. “I don't know what Mac's future is; I don't know when he's going to come back and play. But I'm going to run out there until you tell me not to. And after that I'll do whatever you tell me to do.”

        Three days later, in his first Busch Stadium at-bat as a Cardinal, Clark responded to a standing ovation — a mild surprise, given the caustic reception Cardinal fans gave him when he was a Giant — by hitting a home run.

        “He's been exactly what we expected and hoped for,” LaRussa said, smiling. “He's every bit the winner and clutch guy that we thought he was. There are some guys who are kind of public about being leaders and winners, but they really disappear on you and they're kind of phony about it. Will's dedicated to having his team end up with more runs than the other club.”

        Clark left the Giants as a free agent following the 1993 season. And now, his 6 1/2-year interlude with Texas and Baltimore suddenly seems imaginary. Though he hit .307 in the AL, some will always think of him as a National Leaguer.

        Clark said he is more accustomed to the NL's style: “A lot of moves. The double-switches and pitching changes. Anytime you start a ballgame, you're liable to have any of the 25 people on the bench in the game. I'm definitely a fan of this type of ballgame.”

        And Clark definitely has an appreciation for National League cities. Reading the fine print on a reporter's credential, he exclaimed, “Cincinnati Enquirer! God almighty. I haven't read that paper in a while.”

Clark thrilled to be back in NLCS Davis keeps baseball in perspective NLCS notebook Reds widen their search SULLIVAN: Reds manager

Bengals getting it (first) half right
Injuries cloud once-promising outlook for Xavier
Bearcats QB says he's ready to play
Dixie, Notre Dame play for 10th title
Felton leaves UK for job with Pacers
Garcia, M's blank Yanks
Mason pitcher will sign with Michigan
N. Kentucky high school results
Ohio high school results
UK's Camara guilty of DUI; won't play

• Return to Reds front page...