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Minor News
It was just as beautiful a day today in South Florida as it was yesterday. Day two of Spring Training went as expected. It was the first full scheduled workout for pitchers and catchers. As I’ve said before, there are a lot of new faces this spring, many of whom are getting their first taste of a big league camp. Tony La Russa took note of the many young players.
“Shouldn’t be any sleepy spring training games,” he said. “Guys will be out there playing for their major-league lives.”
I know how much Tony prefers the veteran guys, and emphasizes the value of situational and pressure filled experience, but it would be nice to see a rookie or two break camp with the Cardinals this March. I think the younger guys, especially the ones playing for the league minimum, can really bring some much needed energy to a stagnant ball club. It was great during the stretch run of the ’06 World Championship season to see some of the unseasoned guys step into big roles. Guys like Adam Wainwright, Anthony Reyes, Tyler Johnson, and Josh Kinney stepped up when the team needed them to, and the Cardinals wouldn’t have brought home the trophy without them.
Speaking of Kinney, today was his third time throwing off a mound this spring. Although his rehab is going well, it looks as though he might not see any game action for a while longer. Matthew Leach has more.
Cardinals’ hitting coach Hal McRae was involved in drills with some of the hitters today decked out in his new #15 jersey. Remember my thoughts on that?
According to Derrick Goold, Colby Rasmus arrived to camp today. “The Chosen One” has an outside shot of making the club, but more than likely he’ll start the year in Memphis. Don’t forget to check out Goold’s Bird Land, for all the inside happenings down (up for me) in Jupiter. Today he discusses a possible Mark McGwire appearance, as well as the “save the bullets” rule. Find it all here.
And Chris Lee has more eye-popping photographs to share, this time of Mike Matheny instructing the catchers. Find them here. It’s great to see Mike with the Birds on the Bat.