JUPITER, Fla. — On the first day the sliding drill appeared at spring training and Hall of Fame base thief Lou Brock strolled onto the Cardinals campus, the club is still waiting to see if the stolen base shows up as an option for this season.

Last season, the Cardinals stole the third-fewest bases in the majors — 56, or only Yadier Molina’s one ahead of the San Diego Padres in the National League. Two players in the majors stole more bases than the Cardinals as a team — Jose Reyes (78) and Juan Pierre (64) — and in the Jupiter Grand Prix shortstop Hanley Ramirez nearly caught the Cardinals with 51.

From that law-abiding lineup, the Cardinals return only 26 steals to 2008.

Manager Tony La Russa said he doesn’t know if stealing bases will be a trait of this year’s club, one that figures to hinge its offensive identity around the thumpers in the middle. He’s not sure it needs to be. Looking over the lineup, there are only a few candidates to swipe a bag. Consider the totals coming back:

• 7 — Brendan Ryan
• 6 — Adam Kennedy
• 4 — Ryan Ludwick
• 2 — Chris Duncan, Aaron Miles, Albert Pujols
• 1 — Skip Schumaker, Rick Ankiel and Molina

While Kennedy was mentioned as someone who could steal a few more (assuming more playing time), Ryan represents the one blend of steals and leadoff potential in that bunch. His career best in minor-league baseball was 30 steals in a season, and he had 17 steals (in 23 attempts) in 81 games with Triple-A Memphis.  Schumaker would seem to — speedy as he is in the outfield — but he was caught stealing more times last season than thefts, 4 to 3. His best year in pro ball was a 26-steal season, but he was nabbed 16 times that summer.

Ankiel, La Russa said, has the athleticism and speed, but is still learning the nuances of running the bases, let alone stealing them.

So that leaves the lawless youth.

Brian Barton, the Cardinals Rule 5 pick who has been hard to get a read on during workouts, has the speed and stats of a leadoff hitter with steal potential. He went 21-for-31 on steals last year, and in his best pro year he stole 24 bases. Perhaps the best of the lot, though, the player that could goose the Cardinals’ running game a bit with some fleet-footed discount is … well, probably obvious.

Colby Rasmus stole 18 bases on 21 attempts last season.

He stole 27 in 35 tries the year before.

“My attitude on something like that is there’s a lot of ways to score runs,” La Russa said. “If you’ve got guys who can steal, you steal. If you don’t, you don’t throw your hands up and say we can’t score.”

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Larry Walker came by camp to start his work as a guest instructor, and here’s a bit of a trivia: He’s gone Hollywood. OK, OK. It was awhile ago, and really he leaves the details of it to his business partners. But Walker is part owner of Hand Prop Room, a company that creates props for films. The Web site — www.HPR.com — gives a rundown of film credits that includes The Departed, Pirates of the Caribbean, Gangs of New York and Ali.

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On Friday, it will be a matchup of aces and a complete circus. The New York Mets will welcome the Cardinals to Port St. Lucie, Fla., and the Grapefruit League debut of … drumroll, please … Johan Santana. The Cardinals will counter with Adam Wainwright.

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Kris Honel, the 16th overall pick in the 2001 draft, threw a tryout session for the Cardinals’ minor-league system brass Monday. Honel was taken by the White Sox in the first round nearly seven years ago. He never made it out of Double-A, pitching there last season and walking 52 batters in 60 2/3 innings. (He struck out 44.) Honel had Tommy John surgery in 2005 and is apparently trying to catch on after his release. He threw for the Phillies on Sunday.

In his throw for the Cardinals, he clearly had mechanics issues, but threw the ball 88 mph to 91 mph. A Cardinals official said they were interested enough to talk at least an invite with the righthander out of Kankakee, Ill.

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Stock rising: pitcher Kyle McClellan, continuing his program as a starter, made his second appearance against hitters Monday. If catchers are a tell, then consider he threw to Molina three days ago and Jason LaRue today.

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Remember back at Winter Warm-up when Scott Spiezio said part of the way he sorted through his difficult 2007 season — one that saw the death of a teammate, injuries, and a turn in rehab for substance abuse — was to write and produce songs for his band. Here are some of the songs that will be appearing on Sandfrog’s forthcoming album, “Off Season”:

• “Pass Them By” — About Josh Hancock and the reaction to his death.

• “Face Down”

• “Past Due” – About running from your past.

• “Rust” — About watching a person deteriorate.

• “Save Yourself” — About accepting help from others not really being possible until you realize for yourself that you need help.

• “Dusted Off”

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From the ongoing education of Brendan Ryan, another in series of anecdotes: The Cardinals hauled out everybody’s favorite “Hack Attack” again Monday — now taking suggestions on a nickname for the prized pitching machine that takes a beating and keeps throwing strikes — for a situational scrimmage. It’s a test of the hitters and the defense, but it also can prove a reminder for the base runners.

The coaches yell out the situation. Ryan is at second base, there is one out, and the count is 2-2. On the crack of the bat, Ryan bolts from second and rounds third, only to have coach Jose Oquendo tell he’d be toast at the plate. His jump wasn’t good enough. Oquendo tells him that instead of moving at the crack he has to lunge when he knows the pitch is a strike. Another drill, another tip.

As Ryan has started to say, whatever it takes to make the team.

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Then he made two snazzy defensive plays, including an infield-in, diving stop of a line drive by Cesar Izturis. 

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Former Green Bay Packers general manager Ron Wolf made his first visit to spring training on Monday, which gives me reason to retell one of my favorite quotes from a few springs past. There, watching Albert Pujols taking batting practice, Wolf said: “That sound. This is what it must have been like to hear Ted Williams or Babe Ruth hit.”

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I’m embarrassed to say that I have not seen the movie, but man was the book bold, grab-you-by-the-throat brutal, and brilliant. If there’s an author who writes words that bore down on you like a freight train and cut like barb wire, it’s Cormac McCarthy.

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