ANGELS NOTEBOOK: ST. LOUIS PAYS RESPECTS TO BUCK.

Byline: Joe Haakenson Staff Writer

ST. LOUIS - The St. Louis Cardinals honored Hall of Fame broadcaster Jack Buck, who died at 77 on Tuesday, with a memorial service before Thursday's game.

Fans were allowed to view Buck's closed casket, which was placed behind home plate. A total of 10,077 fans viewed the casket before the line was cut off so the club could begin the memorial service.

Several individuals spoke during the service, including Cardinals Hall of Famers Stan Musial and Lou Brock, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, and announcer Mike Shannon, who sat alongside Buck in the broadcast booth for more than 30 years.

Broadcaster Joe Buck, Jack's son, was master of ceremonies.

``When you think of Stan Musial's five homers in a doubleheader, Bob Gibson's no-hitter, Red Schoendienst's Hall of Fame career, Lou Brock's stolen base record, Ozzie Smith's 1985 playoff home run, you think about Jack Buck,'' said William DeWitt, the Cardinals' chairman of the board. ``When you think about Mark McGwire's home run chase, you think about Jack Buck. When you think about the return to baseball after Sept. 11, we also think about Jack Buck.''

Musial, 81, got a standing ovation when he was introduced.

``It was a great pleasure to know Jack Buck, he always had an uplifting spirit,'' Musial said. ``He always had a positive attitude even in the face of the ailments he had late in life. He enjoyed people, he loved St. Louis and he loved the St. Louis Cardinals. We will miss him greatly. And Jack, the fans and I, we all love you.''

--Respecting La Russa: Angels manager Mike Scioscia went 1-2 in his first head-to-head matchup with La Russa, but said he didn't consider the series anything more than the Angels against the Cardinals. La Russa has managed in the majors since 1979, including in the 1988 World Series for the A's when Scioscia was a player with the Dodgers.

``I have a ton of respect for Tony, but I don't look at it like I'm competing against him,'' Scioscia said. ``I know what he has accomplished as a manager. I think Tony's got a good philosophy. He'll look at his assets on the club and he maximizes it. He doesn't force anything. You look at when he was with Oakland and had all that power. Now with this club he works hard to expand the offense and get the most out of it.''

--Notes: Ex-Angel and current Cardinals center fielder Jim Edmonds was not in the starting lineup Thursday. Edmonds had just returned from the disabled list on Sunday because of a sprained right wrist. He pinch hit in the seventh and flied out before walking in the ninth. For the series, Edmonds went 1 for 10 with a home run and a walk in the series. ... The Angels designated utility player Clay Bellinger for assignment. Bellinger had played all season at Triple-A Salt Lake.

ANGELS vs. MILWAUKEE

Time: 5:05 p.m.; Miller Park

TV/Radio: No TV; 570-AM, 1090-AM (Spanish).

Matchup: Ramon Ortiz (7-5, 3.40 ERA) will start for Anaheim against Milwaukee's Ruben Quevedo (3-5, 3.81). Ortiz is coming off a complete-game victory over the Dodgers. He gave up four hits, all four being solo homers in an 8-4 victory. Ortiz has allowed a major league-leading 22 homers, but 18 have been solo. Opposing hitters are batting .215 against Ortiz this season, which is third best in the AL behind Boston's Derek Lowe (.186) and Seattle's Freddy Garcia (.213).

- Joe Haakenson

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ANGELS vs. MILWAUKEE (see text)