Ray Lankford Left Field St. Louis Cardinals Profile
	2001 SEASON STATISTICS GM HR RBI R SB AVG 91 15 39 38 4 .235

ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Ray Lankford was granted a leave of absence from the Cardinals on Tuesday after complaining about a lack of respect.

Lankford, who has been with the team since 1990, is expected back in a few days, according to manager Tony La Russa.

Lankford was willing to waive his no-trade clause to accommodate a deal before Tuesday's deadline, but the Cardinals were unable to make a trade.

On Monday, Lankford told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he didn't feel the team gave him the respect he deserved. La Russa took issue with that.

"There isn't any other way we can show respect for this guy," La Russa said. "He gets all the respect he earns. He's just got into a rut the last couple years where the swings and misses are driving him to the bench."

Lankford was hitting .235 with 15 homers, 39 RBIs and 105 strikeouts in 264 at-bats this season.

La Russa said it was a good idea for Lankford to leave the team. He said he probably wouldn't have used him much, or at all, anyway.

"I think it's a smart move to take time and try to figure out where he's going and what's happening," La Russa said.

The Cardinals played two men short on Tuesday night against the Atlanta Braves. St. Louis traded reliever Jason Christiansen to San Francisco for a minor league pitcher and expected to call up a replacement on Wednesday.

The Cardinals also activated outfielder J.D. Drew from the 15-day disabled from a broken right hand and placed right-handed reliever Mike Timlin on the DL with a knee injury.

Lankford, 34, is signed for next season at $8 million and the team has an option for 2003. He can veto any trade because he's been in the major leagues for 10 or more seasons and with the same team for at least five years.

Lankford hasn't been the same since undergoing knee surgery after the 1998 season, when he batted .293 with 31 home runs and a career-best 105 RBI.

Last year he batted .253 with 26 homers and 65 RBI, but struck out 148 times.