Ask the contemporary baseball fan who might be the quintessential shortstop in the Cardinals' long history and he will refer you to "The Wizard," Ozzie Smith.

Ask one who saw Marty Marion play during baseball's "Golden Age" and the answer might be entirely different, as different as the moniker. They might tell you "Mr. Shortstop," Marty Marion.

The defensive ground wire for four Cardinals pennants and three World Series championships in the 1940s, Marion died of an apparent heart attack Tuesday evening. He was 94 and lived in Ladue.

Long and lean, the 6-foot-2 Marion struck an unconventional figure for a shortstop, which earned him a number of nicknames during a playing career that spanned 13 seasons, 11 with the Cardinals (1940 to 1950). A native of Richburg, S.C., Marion also was popularly known as "Slats," while sportswriters labeled him "the Octopus," in deference to his tentacled reach and expansive range.

"I heard that Earl Weaver said the reason he thought about moving Cal Ripken to shortstop is that he (the St. Louis-born Weaver) grew up watching Marty Marion," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "That's a hell of a compliment."

Bothered by chronic back problems and sore knees, Marion retired as a player at age 32 to become manager of the Cardinals in 1951. The club finished a distant third that season (81-73), losing 18 of 22 games to the rival Dodgers. Owner Fred Saigh fired Marion and replaced him with Eddie Stanky.

Marion resurfaced the following season as player/manager of the St. Louis Browns. After two years with the Browns, he managed the Chicago White Sox from 1954 to 1956. No less an authority than Cardinals Hall of Fame legend Stan Musial held Marion in the highest regard.

Saddened by the news, Musial said, "He's been a good friend since 1942. He was a great player and even better person."

Marion's place in baseball history has been misrepresented somewhat by his modest offensive numbers. While his career batting mark of .263 is unremarkable, it compares favorably overall with shortstops of his era. He batted .280 in 1943 and .357 in a losing effort in the World Series. His best overall production came in 1942, when he batted .276, led the National League in doubles (38) and had 54 runs batted in. He finished seventh in the league's Most Valuable Player voting.

Two seasons later, he batted .267 with six home runs, 26 doubles and 63 RBIs as the Cardinals captured another pennant and beat the Browns in the "Streetcar Series" of 1944. At season's end, Marion was named the NL MVP.

Over the years, critics have suggested the award was an anomaly, emblematic of a watered-down war-time product. It was a time when "even the Browns," St. Louis' notorious American League misfits, reached a World Series.

But in that same '44 MVP vote, Marion edged Chicago's Bill Nicholson, who had 33 home runs and 122 RBIs, as well as Brooklyn's Dixie Walker, who batted .357. He also beat out his teammate Musial, who batted .347 with 51 doubles, 14 triples, 12 homers and 94 RBIs.

Those who played with Marion saw the impact of his glove and knew he was deserving. In his 1977 book with author Bob Broeg, "The Man Stan Musial — Then and Now," Musial said he had even more respect for Marion after he won the MVP.

"I think it was the greatest tribute to defensive play in the history of the MVP award," Musial said.

Hall of Fame second baseman Red Schoendienst, who joined the Cardinals in 1945, played alongside Marion for six seasons. Schoendienst is among many who believe Marion should be among the honored in Cooperstown.

"It was a big break for me to come up as a rookie and play second base with him playing short," Schoendienst said. "That was good; made it easier for me.

"You look at his stats and everything, and he should be in the Hall of Fame. He never ever tried to say that he belonged in the Hall of Fame. He liked baseball. That's why he played it. … He was easy to meet, easy to be with."

Marion also finished eighth in MVP voting in 1945. He was selected to the All-Star Game seven times. He led NL shortstops in assists twice (1941 and 1946) and finished third or better four other times. He led NL shortstops in fielding percentage four times and finished second four other times. Gold Glove Awards for fielding excellence did not come into existence until 1957.

"He never got the credit he deserved," said St. Louis native Joe Garagiola, a teammate to Marion for five seasons (1946-1950). "And Marty knew what it was to play with pain. He had the back problem and everything. (Cardinals trainer) Doc Weaver always was working on him."

The closest Marion came to HOF validation was 1970, when he received 40 percent of the vote. Garagiola said debating Marion's place in history now is a moot point. The number of people who saw Marion play continues to shrink, and the time elapsed makes perspective all the more difficult.

"I don't know who was a better shortstop in his prime than Marty Marion, or who plays today that you could compare him to," said Garagiola, who now lives in the Phoenix area. "I always remember being traded to Pittsburgh, and they talked about me as a 'smart catcher, great handler of pitchers.'

"Sure, when I was a Cardinal, they'd hit a mistake pitch on the ground, Marty or Red would get to it and more time than not, they'd turn it into a double play. Then I go to Pittsburgh, same hitter, same pitch, same ground ball and the infielder would miss it. All of a sudden I wasn't so smart.

"People just don't know how good Marty Marion was."

Joe Torre, also a former Cardinals MVP and manager, said it's the historical attributes of players like Marion that make the baseball culture in St. Louis special.

"Around St. Louis there's a sense of the history of the game," Torre said. "He was the one you measured against."

Rick Hummel and Derrick Goold of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report from Lakeland, Fla., and Jupiter, Fla.

Martin W Marion