DENVER — Not too far from where Coors Field is now, just down the Boulder Turnpike headed toward Boulder Valley and the mountains is the “Scenic Overlook” that was a landmark of my youth. It’s a quick pull off Highway 36 and it offers a panaromic view of the signature Flatirons and the valley.

It’s also high enough to be one of several places you could tune in KMOX.

Had the phrase existed years ago…

DOWNTOWN — The promotion of Cardinals righthander Mike Parisi to the major leagues inspires a buzz of palace intrigue — Is Anthony Reyes on his way out of the organization by way of Triple-A? Will Joel Pineiro’s back spasms allow him to make his start as scheduled Monday in Colorado? But Parisi’s imminent debut with the Cardinals has a historic ring all its own.

The 2004 Draft Class, finally, has arrived.

The Cardinals much-maligned College…

DOWNTOWN – Not too often the Cardinals wake up on the last day of April with a chance to make a little franchise history. But that’s the case today.

The Cardinals won their 17th game of April last night against the Reds. It came in a 7-2 victory that saw manager Tony La Russa tinker just enough with his lineup to add depth of power and watch it work. That win tied a franchise record for…

TOWER GROVE — What with two dugout-clearing donnybrooks this weekend and the ever-agitating Chicago Cubs coming to town this weekend with first place possibly up for grabs, this little island of three games against Cincinnati seemed so quaint, so tranquil.

Then Walt Jocketty used a most curious word.

Vendetta.

“Trust me,” he said at the press conference announcing his hiring as general manager of the Reds. “Me and (manager Dusty Baker) are very motivated. We’re…

DOWNTOWN — For parts of four decades Cardinals’ pitching coach Dave Duncan has been a coach at the big-league and this season is his 29th a pitching coach, the most by any person every to hold the position. Manager Tony La Russa is fond of saying that most of the game is pitching and that Duncan handles all of the pitching decisions.

So when La Russa goes into Cooperstown, Duncan will surely go …

Fishing….

DOWNTOWN — In the eighth inning of a rather usual July game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cardinals closer Jason Isringhausen stepped into the box and faced Bucs lefty Joe Beimel. Isringhausen had come in to close out what was a 9-6 ballgame, but a turn of the lineup had put a bat in his hand with the bases loaded.

So, naturally he ripped a triple, and the box score reads: 

Rolen Scores; Renteria Scores; Matheny…

FORT MYERS, Fla. — After Brad Thompson has had a particularly difficult inning or just returned from a disastrous at-bat, Aaron Miles will eye the righthander from down the bench. Thompson knows he’s watching, waiting … for the fume.

It just hasn’t been there this spring.

“OK, I like it,” Miles tells him. “I like it.”

Thompson admits he’s been known to be a bit hotheaded on the mound or in the dugout. His body…

JUPITER, Fla. — Sitting back in his office here at Roger Dean Stadium on Thursday, manager Tony La Russa was asked if he would take the swing Albert Pujols has right now into April.

“Shoot,” La Russa said, “I’d take where he was two weeks ago.”

Pujols has received plenty of attention this spring, but mostly for the tattered remains of a tendon in his right elbow, not for the damage he’s done at the plate. The Cardinals MVP has…

FORT LAUDERDALE — Cesar Izturis is the Cardinals starting shortstop and short of a catastrophic conclusion to what’s been a slow spring, he’ll continue to be the Cardinals starting shortstop right up until and after Opening Day.

The numbers say competition. The Cardinals say otherwise.

Izturis, who has two hits in his first three at-bats today against Baltimore, entered the game with more errors in the field (six) than hits at the plate (five). Contrast that…

(THE SAMPLER) JUPITER, Fla. — It’s an off day for the Cardinals here at Roger Dean Stadium, and that means no baseball is being played on this side of the campus. No major-league baseball that is. The minors are in full swing on the backlots. So, it is with that in mind that today’s snapshots from spring training begins with a minor-league story.

A quick note: There will be two posts here today, back to…