West Virginia graduate Steve Kline is in his seventh major-league season and third as a setup man in the St. Louis Cardinals bullpen. Kline has appeared in over 65 games in his last five seasons -- including a career-high 89 in 2001 -- and has also pitched for Cleveland and Montreal in his career. Kline, 30, graduated from Lewisburg High School, around 160 miles northwest of Philadelphia, and was the Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year for the Mountaineers in 1993.
Q: Your name was mentioned in rumors before the trading deadline. How does that affect you as a player?
A: Actually, you're just happy someone wants you. It's something that comes around every year. Teams have to decide whether you're going for it or not. It's a business, I understand that. But I'd rather just concentrate on the game. When you hear your name all the time in rumors, you start looking over your shoulder. My first trade was from Cleveland to Montreal (in 1997). That was heart wrenching because Cleveland went to the World Series that year.
Q: It's been a tough year for Cardinals pitchers. The bullpen struggled until closer Jason Isringhausen returned in June. What has his return meant to the bullpen and your role?
A: No one in the bullpen knew when we were going to pitch. It's like when a starter knows he going to pitch every five days, you'll likely have a good performance. But when your turn is skipped and you're pitching 10 days later, things usually don't go as well. It's the same thing for the bullpen. When you get up to warm up thinking it's your situation, and then you're told to sit down, you start thinking, 'Am I grounded⢠Am I in trouble?' Then, you are coming into situations facing batters you never see. One day, you're in the fifth, the next day, the 9th, the day after that, in the 12th. You just want a consistent situation. When Jason came back, I knew my role would be from the eighth inning forward.
Q: In the past two postseasons, you gave up the game-winning hit that eliminated the Cardinals (against Arizona in the 2001 Division Series and against San Francisco in the 2002 National League Championship Series). Do those games still bother you?
A: The one against Arizona hurts the most. It was the fifth and deciding game. I battled to get out of a situation with a man on third with one out. I came in and got out of that jam. But Tony Womack just beat me. Last year, we were down three games to one already, and it wasn't as gut wrenching because the night before we had a lost that game when (Benito) Santiago hit a homer to beat us. You could just sense we were done that next day. We were kind of flat. It's just one of those things. Sometimes you succeed, other times you don't. What can you do⢠It's a competition and you do your best.
Q: What is it like to have Albert Pujols as a teammate?
A: He reminds me of a young Albert Belle, but not in the sense where he would snap at anybody. (Belle) wasn't like that anyway. People gave him a bad rap. But (Pujols) comes out ready to play. Everyday. My old teammate, Vladimir Guerrero, is the same way. They don't want a day off. (Pujols) is an intelligent player. He learned very quickly how to become a better outfielder. He picks up on the little things about the game in all aspects. He is so mature for his age.
Q: Where did your trademark messy hat come from?
A: I grew up in Northeastern Central Pennsylvania. My dad was a farmer and truck driver. I remember as kids going out and getting dirty. There are a lot of coal (miners) in the area, and even living near a big city like Pittsburgh, it's a blue-collar town. All I'm doing is showing my friends and family back home that I haven't forgotten about them. I work hard and get dirty too. I don't want them to think I'm a prima donna. As long as I've been in little leagues, I've had the dirty hat. I had all kinds of nicknames because I got dirty. Kids called me Pigpen. It's the Pete Rose theory -- you've got to get your uniform dirty so it looks like you've played.
