ALL-STAR NOTES : Morgan Misses Family Fun, but It Sure Beats Riding the Colossus

TORONTO —  In the unhappy aftermath of his failure to be selected to the National League’s All-Star pitching staff, the Dodgers’ Mike Morgan made alternate plans for the three-day break.

He planned to visit Magic Mountain with his family Monday and to play golf Tuesday with his father, Fernando Valenzuela and Stan Javier.

Those plans were disrupted Monday when Morgan was asked to replace injured Dodger teammate Ramon Martinez on the NL staff and decided to accept, though he called his initial snub a joke and said he wouldn’t go as a replacement if that situation developed.

“As disappointed as I was initially, the little kid came out in me,” Morgan said Tuesday of his change of heart. “As bitter as I was, I feel like I’m here as an All-Star and feel like I was an All-Star to my team during the first half.

“It’s still an honor, even though it took a teammate’s injury.”

Morgan said his initial bitterness stemmed from a belief that his 9-5 record and 2.43 earned-run average would produce his first All-Star selection.

“I was thinking it would be a dream come true and was obviously disappointed when it didn’t happen,” he said.

“I recognize now that a lot of guys have been disappointed over the years and that it’s a tough decision for the manager and National League president.

“The roster is only so big. What would be the difference if they expanded them and brought in another five to seven guys? That would eliminate all the controversies.”

The All-Star game may represent one milestone in a turning-point summer for Morgan, who has spent 10 seasons searching for recognition and respect.

A pennant would be the realization of a second dream, he said. Then there’s his eligibility for free agency when the season ends.

“If the price is right, I’ll be back with the Dodgers,” he said. “If not, I’ll have to consider the options. It’s in the back of my mind, but there’s a long way to go.”

In the meantime, Morgan smiled and said he wasn’t upset about canceling his golf game with close friend Valenzuela, recently released by the Angels and now, Morgan speculated, possibly waiting for National League expansion in 1993.

“I’m sure we would have only talked about pars, birdies and holes in one,” Morgan said. “Freddie doesn’t like to talk about baseball. He tends to keep that personal.”

All of this was before Tuesday night’s game. Did he hope to cap his belated selection by getting a chance to pitch? “I didn’t fly all this way for room service,” Morgan said with a laugh.

Morgan got his shot at dessert when he pitched the eighth inning of the National League’s 4-2 loss and retired Kirby Puckett, Carlton Fisk and Roberto Alomar in order.

“I’m going to cut out the box score,” Moran said. “Who knows when I’ll get another chance?”

What became a long-distance feud between American League second basemen Julio Franco and Roberto Alomar ended when they shook hands and said the whole thing had been overblown and taken out of context.

It started when Franco was quoted as saying he deserved to be the starter ahead of Alomar, who responded by saying he didn’t have to prove anything and that Franco would have to wait five or six innings before getting in the game.

“Somebody twisted my words,” said Franco, the most valuable player of last year’s All-Star game. “What I said was that if you can prove I shouldn’t start this game, I’ll kiss your . . . “I never said the name Alomar. We Latins have to stick together. I’m not talking to reporters anymore.” He was smiling when he said that.

Former Angel general manager Mike Port continued his job search here but said that midseason “isn’t the easiest time of year to find something.”

Though his name is being linked to the Denver expansion team, Port called it pure speculation and said: “I think the expansion teams have been waiting until they were officially approved, and that only happened last week.”

The strongest rumor continues to be that Denver wants Whitey Herzog to oversee the operation and Miami hopes to hire Dallas Green.

Rickey Henderson, the Oakland Athletics’ self-proclaimed greatest base-stealer ever, wore a T-shirt under his uniform that commemorated his record steal in May.

Dodger second baseman Juan Samuel, briefly breaking his media boycott, said his All-Star selection represented a personal satisfaction and a chance to show the Dodgers “they were wrong.”

He referred to the Dodgers’ attempts to trade for a second baseman before offering arbitration, a vehicle for his return to the club last winter.

“I honestly didn’t want to come back,” Samuel said. “I had offers to play other positions with other clubs, but I wasn’t satisfied with any of them. I ran out of time and had to accept the arbitration offer.”

Chicago White Sox shortstop Ozzie Guillen displayed a sign that read, “Hi-Ven,” in the pregame introductions, a greeting for his native Venezuela.