Hal Morris Tells Reds He's Retiring

SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) _ Hal Morris, a mainstay on the Cincinnati Reds' teams of the 1990s, has told the team he's retiring. <br><br>The 35-year-old first baseman signed a nonguaranteed minor league

Friday, March 23rd 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) _ Hal Morris, a mainstay on the Cincinnati Reds' teams of the 1990s, has told the team he's retiring.

The 35-year-old first baseman signed a nonguaranteed minor league contract March 6 and came to spring training to see if he could win a backup role. He went 2-for-17 (.118), an indication he wasn't going to win a job.

General manager Jim Bowden said Friday that Morris had informed the team of his intentions but had not yet given written notice.

Before a 16-3 win over Toronto on Thursday, Morris said he would retire rather than play in the minors again. Morris, who was a medical school student when he decided to become a professional baseball player, is 10 hours shy of getting his degree in organic chemistry and is considering going to law school.

Morris had two stints with the Reds, from 1990-97 and as a backup to Sean Casey in 1999-2000.

In his first season with Cincinnati, the Reds won the World Series. He hit .304 in 14 seasons.