HOUSTON — He has been the torchbearer for the St. Louis Cardinals’ revamped minor-league system since the moment they took him 28th overall in the 2005 draft, and center fielder Colby Rasmus hasn’t been overcome or buckled by the expectations because he isn’t overcome or buckled by much.

Sometimes he has to be checked for a pulse.

Quiet, reserved and careful with his comments, the Cardinals’ rookie is making a bid to win the National League Rookie…

HOUSTON — The last of the Killer B’s still buzzing around — unless, that is, Michael Bourn has graduated to the hive — Houston Astros first baseman Lance Berkman has become one of those likable adversaries that populates the St. Louis Cardinals’ best rivalry of the past decade.

Berkman will have spent much of his career as a divisional rival — and really a complement — to Albert Pujols. Berkman is a career .300 hitter. He…

JUPITER, Fla. — A time-honored tradition here at Roger Dean Stadium for a few members of the copy klatch is keeping a stopwatch on the National Anthem. It’s spring training for the vocalists, too, and some can run a little … say, showy … with their interpretations. A similar exercise could be done with the questions that make up The PD-Q.

As mentioned before, some click through the questions and others ponder. And then there are…

FORT MYERS, Fla. — For the most part, every player I’ve approached this spring with the 20 or so questions that make up The P-DQ has gamely taken the time to answer them. Sometimes they breeze through them with short, precise answers. Sometimes they labor over them, crafting an answer. Often they draw a crowd of teammates who encourage or needle their answers.

And then there was Dustin Pedroia.

The Boston Red Sox second baseman, reigning American…

JUPITER, Fla. — Way back during the Junior Spivey era of Cardinals second basemen, the Cleveland Indians passed a big-hype, big-frustration prospect through waivers. Every other team had a crack at landing this infielder who once showed up at spring training with personalized batting gloves that read, “The Franchise.” The St. Louis Cardinals, governed by general manager Walt Jocketty, and scrambling for an alternative when the Spivey signing whiffed, were one of 28 teams who…

JUPITER, Fla. — During the tour of Florida this past week, there were several opportunities to unfurl the list of questions that make up the Vanity Fair-esque PD-Q and get some answers from around baseball. And it’s like today’s will disappoint. Philadelphia closer Brad Lidge will forever have a place in St. Louis Cardinals’ lore for one pitch — one pitch that Albert Pujols hit into history that October night back in 2005. It was the…

LAKELAND, Fla. — With each passing transaction this winter, St. Louis Cardinals reliever Ryan Franklin’s rank within a rebooted Cardinals bullpen moved another year or two away from the average age. Gone is Russ Springer. Gone is Jason Isringhausen. Still relatively new to this whole relieving thing himself, Franklin enters this season as mentor, sage and the longest-tenured consistent member of the Cardinals bullpen.

That role he was ready for.

But there’s another role the Cardinals may ask…