TOWER GROVE — A year ago at this time, Mannywood was sweeping the nation as the Los Angeles Dodgers and their flamboyant outfielder were surging toward a playoff berth. Manny Ramirez, acquired in a stunning deadline deal with the Boston Red Sox (with an assist from Pittsburgh), had 43 RBIs and 14 home runs in his first 42 games as a Dodger. He had propelled the team to a 24-18 record since his arrival and…

TOWER GROVE — Catcher Jason LaRue, racing from the bullpen to the left-center field wall, was one of the first St. Louis Cardinals to reach Rick Ankiel as he lay on the warning track Monday night.  He had a view of the catch, the stumble, the crash and then he was part of the dash of teammates to Ankiel’s side.

“The most significant part of what we all I saw, I think, is that it shows…

JUPITER, Fla. — As innings get more scarce and at-bats get more important late in spring training, some of the major-league players — or, more precisely, those battling for major-league jobs — have to find their swings and their pitches elsewhere. Enter the minor-league games.

The trip across the state and a couple other assignments put me a couple days behind on the Vuch Reports. How better to spend an overcast Sunday back here at the…

JUPITER, Fla. — This offseason, the St. Louis Cardinals’ former Rule 5 pick and renaissance man with the engineering jones, Brian Barton, was a man on the move. He jetted off to Jamaica for a few days, and that was the smallest trip he took. The Cardinals’ outfielder also spent about 10 days in South Africa — where he continued to conquer a fear he mentions below — and another 10 days in Australia.

Last season,…

JUPITER, Fla. — With his first batting order of the spring pinned to the corkboard in the clubhouse, manager Tony La Russa met the media this morning to deal with some real lineup sticklers.

We read that lineup like it’s a horoscope, like the names fluttering here and there from spot to spot are so many tea leaves. Like it’s the Rosetta Stone to La Russa’s true feelings about his ballclub and the players that make…

JUPITER, Fla. — Infielder Skip Schumaker’s first diving play in a game this spring training came this afternoon at about 1:30 p.m. EST, for those of you keeping score. Dashing to his left, Schumaker dove, snared Joe Thurston’s speedy grounder, got to his feet, and …

Threw high to first base.

“I have to realize I have more time,” Schumaker said later. “I can only learn that in games.”

Schumaker said his goal is to improve each day…

JUPITER, Fla. — With so much of the attention focused on the transplanted infielder two doors to his left, Joe Mather has been able to quietly go about his new life as a third baseman without many questions and without the entourage of spectators every time he bends to scoop a grounder.

After all, it’s not like he hasn’t been there before.

There was a time — actually Jupiter was the place — when Mather was a…

JUPITER, Fla. — What with Skip Schumaker learning a new position, Joe Mather reintroducing himself to an old position and a whole gaggle of prospects who could use some tutoring at their positions, one of the hardest working men in Camp Cardinals this spring is a coach.

The club that once asked Jose Oquendo to play every position, now needs him to coach every position.

Seemingly all at once.

On the field furthest from the clubhouse here at…

JUPITER, Fla. — Having removed the rockstar hair from his chinny chin chin the night before, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter rubbed his shaved face and pondered what he saw as a developing theme of spring training.

“What’s with all the facial hair?” he said.

Hey, he started it.

Carpenter arrived at Winter Warm-up with a shaved-slick dome and a tuft of hair to make King Tut envious. What’s followed is a parade of hairy — er,…

TOWER GROVE — When it comes to the St. Louis Cardinals, the question “Who’s on first?” is rhetorical. You might as well ask who is hitting eighth. What’s going on at second was discussed in this morning’s Post-Dispatch with Joe Strauss’ latest dispatch from Jupiter, Fla. But when it comes to wondering which player will be at third base on Opening Day …

Don’t know.

Just yet.

The 11th-hour news that incumbent third baseman Troy Glaus required a January surgery…

DOWNTOWN — Cardinals’ closer candidate Chris Perez came to St. Louis this winter to have a scan taken of his achy ankle, and while the joint doesn’t hinder the work he’s trying to do on his delivery it has made his other offseason goal a tad trickier.

Perez said an MRI taken in November of his left ankle revealed a bone spur and bone inflammation. Surgery was considered, but because it doesn’t bother him when he…

DOWNTOWN — Cardinals reliever Josh Kinney was thrilled to describe a winter that included his engagement to a gal from Springfield, Mo., and a successful bear hunt as “normal.”

“Been nice,” Kinney said at the Warm-up. “No rehab. That’s different.”

Kinney missed all of the 2007 season and most of the 2008 season after needing Tommy John surgery to repair the elbow that helped the Cardinals to their World Series win in 2006. He made a strong…

DOWNTOWN — What started as St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa’s standard stumping for Chris Duncan as an “impact” member of the still-crowded 2009 outfielder suddenly became a second nomination in as many months for rookie Colby Rasmus as a key figure in the coming season.

On Monday, La Russa was in town to promote his annual ARF Fundraiser (bring on Lewis Black!) and he spent part of the afternoon with a handful of scribes at Busch Stadium….

TOWER GROVE — About a week ago, Baseball America slipped me the information that for the first time since they began publishing their rankings of overall minor-league systems the St. Louis Cardinals would reach the top 10, finishing eighth in a poll and discussion of editors there at BA. Since then, there has been a, ahem, tsunami of questions and criticisms.

The general theme of those comments has been: What does it mean, and what does it…

LAFAYETTE SQUARE — As a result of having so many officially retired numbers and several unofficially retired numbers (See: 25, 51 and 32), the St. Louis Cardinals sported a lineup that at times resembled an offensive line. The team simply did not have enough lower numbers for Chris Perez, Joe Mather, Jason Motte, et. al., to score anything lower than Skip Schumaker’s 55 for their backs.

There were a lot of swingin’ 60s out there, and there…