JUPITER, Fla. — Forgive outfielder Skip Schumaker if he left today’s simulated game a little unnerved and confused.

When he was on the basepaths, the game was less baseball, more dodgeball.

As if near-miss scalded grounders by Albert Pujols and Juan Gonzalez didn’t almost clip him on hit-and-run plays, shortstop Brendan Ryan finished the attack by pegging Schumaker on the neck with a throw between second and third.

“Albert almost took my my ankle out,” Schumaker said. “The lower back shot was Juan. Then Ryan just hit me in the neck. It was a good day until the end of the day.”

Manager Tony La Russa brought out a new toy — a shiny, fancy pitching machine – and threw four teams into two games a few days earlier than normal. Usually, the Cardinals have a coach-pitch scrimmage a day or two before the exhibition opener. Wanting to work on situational hitting and test the defense at the same time, La Russa figured there’s no time like the present.

It was barely a game at all, what with all the rules in place.  

• There were always runners on base.
• Hitters were trying to advance the runner, hit-and-run or bring in a runner from third on a sacrifice fly.
• Hitters were limited to eight swings and then out of the cage.
• All the hitters had their turn before flipping sides.

Still, it was a welcome sight to see any semblance of actual game play after days of drills and live batting practice and in-depth, enterprise reporting on the historical evolution of long toss as a religious movement. C’mon. There is only so much team coverage of tee work in the batting cages one blog can offer.

Games … is, is good.

Where else are you going to see Juan Gonzalez glide back to make a catch over his shoulder in right field? (As he did Saturday.) Where else are you going to see Ryan make a diving snag of a line drive on a Cesar Izturis line drive with the infield in? (Did that Saturday, too.) Ryan making a tumbling stop on a grounder and then flipping it to Aaron Miles to complete one of the better double plays of the day? Or, the same Ryan popup … repeatedly … against the snazzy new pitching machine … as he tried desperately to put a ball on the ground to move a runner over from second to third? (Again, Saturday.)

The game most of us watched featured the following teams:

• Team Juan: 1B Albert Pujols, 2B Adam Kennedy, 3B Troy Glaus, SS Izturis, LF Chris Duncan, CF Schumaker, and RF Gonzalez.
• Team Lud: 1B Josh Phelps, 2B Miles, 3B Scott Spiezio, SS Ryan, LF David Carpenter, CF Rick Ankiel, RF Ryan Ludwick. 

There was no score kept. Runners were constantly on base. And, adding to the simulated aspect of the game, Pujols had four hit-and-runs called on four consecutive swings. (Though, it should be noted, that La Russa considers Pujols one of the finer hit-and-run batters in the game and says he is eager to have one called when he’s at the plate; and La Russa, we know, is eager to call for one.) The game was really about La Russa’s keys – doing what’s necessary with your at-bat — and Schumaker surviving, and fielding.

And when it came to fielding, it was mostly about the shortstops.

From center fielder, Schumaker has a great vantage point on the range of the shortstop. In Memphis last year, he was struck by Ryan’s ability to cover his position and the fewer groundballs that skipped out the center fielder’s way. Ryan had his moments Saturday (see above), but the play of the sim-game goes to Izturis. The Cardinals new shortstop darted to his right, plucked a slow-roller with his glove and then fired cleanly to first.

Schumaker, talking about his vantage point on such plays, wasn’t too shaken by his constant ducking and weaving and eventually bruising to offer his take on Izturis.

“He’s got,” Schumaker said, “sick range.” 

***

La Russa is a big fan of Milwaukee first baseman Prince Fielder’s decision to go green and become a vegetarian. “Long-term for his professional and personal — for anybody’s — it’s a smart way to go,” he said. Asked if he was a vegetarian when he played, La Russa took the serve and volleyed: “I didn’t play when I played.”

Fielder did say in the article linked above that his diet switch has a menu caveat:

“My wife said that if I lose some power, she’s cooking me a big steak.”

*** 

Cardinals official John Vuch provides some additional information on the South Korean pitcher being brought to minor-league camp on an invite:

Jai Chul Chung, a righthander, believed his baseball career was over before it had begun and enlisted in the military. He was one of the best high school pitchers in the country, apparently sought after by many professional teams as a senior. He elected to go to college, Sung Guen Kwan University, but missed several years with an arm injury.

While in the military, he tried throwing the ball again and felt his arm strength return. He worked with his uncle, a former pro and current athletic director at Dong Kook University. When he finished his military service — on this past Dec. 9 — he headed to a tryout, along with about 300 other players. The Cardinals scout in attendance, Chuck Fick, said Chung stood out with a solid fastball, a good curve and a changeup.

***

Today’s jolt of sticky-sweet nostalgia for Cardinals Nation comes from the Toronto Sun, where Bob Elliott worked the Cardinals’ clubhouse here in Jupiter for teammates’ fond memories of Scott Rolen and David Eckstein. Check this quote from hitting coach Hal McRae:

“I saw Brooks Robinson, I saw Mike Schmidt and I played with George Brett. Rolen is the best third baseman I’ve ever seen. With us he’d make one play a year where you’d say: ‘That’s the best play at third I’ve ever seen.’ The next year he’d give you one better. His feet are quick like a wrestler’s.”

*** 

Word out of Giants camp, at the end of this notebook, is that former Cardinal reliever Steve Kline has lost a sixth of the man he once was.

***

During an outfield drill — as captured by P-D photog Chris Lee; easily the most famous sports photog in Lafayette Square – center fielder Rick Ankiel had two basesballs in his hands and was racing to catch another. This led to an unusual moment. Ankiel dove, snared the fly ball, but only … briefly. When he landed three balls scattered and bounced away from him.

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