Starting the Routine

Things are starting to get established down in Jupiter.

Yesterday, it was Tony LaRussa’s time in front of the media.  You can hear some of his remarks here .  A lot of what you’d expect out of TLR, a lot of working hard, have a chance to compete, etc.  Tony’s not likely to tip his hand or give anyone on the team a reason to slack off.

It’s also not surprising that he’s defending Mark McGwire , even as he admits 1998 means something different to him now.  Hopefully between McGwire on Wednesday (and yesterday as well) and TLR, this can get taken care of.  Because it’s an unnecessary shadow over the spring if reporters keep on and on.

Some other Cardinal news came out yesterday, as the team officially hired Mitchell Page as the hitting coach at Quad Cities.  Many remember Page from his time at the major league level with the club before personal issues drove him away from the game for a time.  He’s been in Washington since and gives the club solid depth in its teaching ranks.

The hire that got the most attention, however, was that Mike Matheny was going to be a special assistant to the GM .  Matheny was a class act in St. Louis and it looks like he’s creeping closer to being a managerial prospect.  It’ll be interesting to see how his career develops, though right now a lot of his work will be off the radar.

If you want to keep up with what is happening in Jupiter, Fox Sports Midwest has up a notebook they update during the day.  It’s always good to see Jim Hayes back in action, isn’t it?  They’ve got an entirely new web site , as well.

Finally, if you haven’t read this about Red Schoendiest, you need to.  Man loves the game and loves the Cardinals, so much so that he worried about not getting his annual contract!

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