JUPITER, Fla. — What with its keystone combination of Rogers Hornsby and Ozzie Smith leading the way — batting .346 and .325, respectively — and center fielder Jim Edmonds topping the team with 10 home runs and 47 RBIs, the St. Louis Cardinals would appear to be a virtual juggernaut in the virtual world of Seamheads.com’s (simulated) Historical League.

And, yet, the ‘Birds are struggling. Could be that injury to Stan Musial.

Hall of Famer Rick Hummel is at…

JUPITER, Fla. — Each day at spring training, manager Tony La Russa writes and posts a schedule of that morning’s workout. It can be as much a riddle as a schedule for those new to speaking La Russa. But one area of the sheet handed the media Friday was clear — and shocking.

It listed the coaches who would be working with players.

There, listed last after the Dave Duncan, Jose Oquendo, Derek Lilliquist, Dennis Martinez and Mike…

JUPITER, Fla. — Cardinals manager Tony La Russa promised the assembled fourth estate a juicy scoop for report day, and he would have delivered, too — had his pitching coach not apparently threatened him with harm.

See, La Russa had planned to christen a new closer.

“Chris Carpenter,” the manager said.

You should have seen Dave Duncan’s expression.

With Carpenter at his locker and La Russa addressing a handful of media types, the manager explained that trainers had told…

JUPITER, Fla. — He’ll wear No. 22, probably take plenty of batting practice alongside Albert Pujols, and he’ll get ample opportunity to show he still has some pop in his previously presumed retire bat.

Little else can be guaranteed when it comes to Juan Gonzalez.

Oh, one other thing:

“He’ll come here in great shape,” Yadier Molina said Wednesday.

The Cardinals’ catcher was one of the most recent arrivals at Roger Dean Stadium and in addition to some comments…

JUPITER, Fla. — Taking his game outside for the first time in months, Cardinals righthander Matt Clement began what he hopes is a normal spring training with his first throw off a dirt mound.

In between whacking clumps of mound off his cleats, he said he felt strong.

“It’s been two years since I’ve been doing a normal spring training schedule,” Clement said. “Everything is progressing as normal.”

Rain — yes, rain, you poor snowbound readers — interrupted the…

JUPITER, Fla. — First-time Cardinal Matt Clement arrived on campus today and started getting to know the place. The major leaguers are holed-up in a minor-league clubhouse for the timebeing — lockers have yet to be assigned in the main clubhouse — but Clement got the lay of the floorplan.

Quickest way to the training room is here. Back way to the kitchen is there.

He also got to meet his pitching coach, Dave Duncan.

In a rite…

TOWER GROVE — Two years from today, the midsummer classic — a national holiday as far as I’m concerned — will be in full swing not too far from where I’m writing today’s mailbag. We’ll just be coming off our Home Run Derby hangover and eager for that night’s All-Star Game.

But what will those righthanded sluggers have had to aim at?

Will Ballpark Village be up and vibrant and inviting Albert Pujols to launch a baseball…

(Or, They Had, They Wanted, They Got, Vol. II)

TOWER GROVE — The Cardinals had such high hopes. From afar they had complimented him. From afar they raved about his ability, his stuff. From afar they saw a talented pitcher yearning for direction, yearning to be outfitted with what he would come to call “a better plan”. From afar they coveted him.

His closeup, however, has been an utter  calamity.

The curious case of Kip Wells continued —…

JUPITER, Fla. — In his second at-bat of his fourth game back from shoulder and toe surgeries, Jim Edmonds flipped a double down the left-field line and drove in a run. As he brings his swing back from last summer’s season of injury, he’s yet to really put a sting in a pitch this spring.

But his last-minute race to be ready for opening day isn’t just about having his swing.

“I’m not like Albert (Pujols) who…

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — He knew there were critics. He knew there were doubters. He knew there were many pundits out there writing him back into the bullpen two or three halting starts into spring training.

Heck, he even thought it was a joke the first time he heard about it.

Turns out it’s still no joke.

Guess we should all get used to Braden Looper being a starter.

In his final start of spring training — his last chance…

JUPITER, Fla. — Swinging against the wind most of the spring, Albert Pujols put together a gust of his own Tuesday.

The Cardinals’ slugger launched his first home run of the spring — in his 63rd at-bat of March — deep past the left field wall at Roger Dean Stadium. The ball, a shot off  Los Angeles Dodgers starter Brett Tomko, nailed the window of  a second-story  office at the Florida Marlins’ building some 30, 40…

JUPITER, Fla. — Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright has been able to find flaws in each of his six outings this spring, from the accuracy of one of his pitches to the length of one of his innings to — on Monday — when he mined through his best outing of spring to be critical of his “pitch sequence”.

One sequence of pitches in particular.

One that went from foolish to frightening to fortunate in one pitch.

One that…

JUPITER, Fla. — With the usual dramatic flair and panache for timing that’s come to color his career, Cardinals center fielder Jim Edmonds stepped up for his first plate appearance of spring, his first in-game step toward an 11th-hour sprint toward opening day, his first chance to flaunt his surgically repaired shoulder and dig in with his surgically repaired toe, and promptly …

Walked.

Baby steps. Baby steps.

Edmonds made his spring debut Sunday, starting in center field…

JUPITER, Fla. — Through his first 12 innings of work this spring training, righthander Kip Wells – the Cardinals’ lone new pitcher signed to mend a staff that hemorrhaged free agents this winter — had not allowed an earned run. He had struck out nine  and had just two  unsteady  innings, one chocked  with hits the other  sprinkled with walks.

Hard to imagine another team that got more bang for its buck in pitching than the…

(UPDATED–With Minor League Performances) PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — When Braden Looper takes the mound to make his debut as a starting pitcher in the major leagues, he will do so against a team that once signed him to be their closer.

The Cardinals continued a burlesque-like revealing of their starting rotation Friday when  Looper, the Cardinals reliever turned righthanded starter, did not make the scheduled trip north  to face the New  York Mets on Friday….