JUPITER, Fla. — Shortly before cloistering his coaching staff in a room here at Roger Dean Stadium for their annual pre-camp meeting, manager Tony La Russa graced the media with a few moments of his time and a few early-spring thoughts on the team-building ahead. Much of what he had to talk about (Skip Schumaker! Second base? Skip Schumaker? Second base! Really? Really!) will be in tomorrow’s paper, but here are some quick bits on the last day before the three best words of February.

Pitchers. Catchers. Report.*

La Russa’s first full day at the campus started with Chris Carpenter’s bullpen session, where the righthander threw breaking balls for the first time and seemed to ease back the throttle on his effort. Carpenter didn’t quite have the feel for his curve, but that’s too be expected this early in the process. La Russa sat with pitching coach Dave Duncan through the session.

“More importantly, Chris likes how he feels,” La Russa said. “Dunc likes how he looks. That’s my cues.”

La Russa said Schumaker and Joe Mather will be splitting time between outfield work and infield work becaue the body cannot handle doing the full-bore prep for both positions. “The body will give out,” La Russa said. “The arm will give out.”

“It’s a matter of priorities,” he said.

Red Schoendienst, the Hall of Fame infielder, offered to fill in at second if he’s needed.

“‘If you really need some help at second,’ he told me,” La Russa said. “‘I’ll try it.’”

La Russa has not yet reached out dispatched second baseman Adam Kennedy, though he continues to say he plans to. Kennedy said at the Winter Warm-up that he hadn’t spoken personally with La Russa since the end of last season. He implied there wasn’t much reason to talk until they got to spring training. Have to imagine there is even less interest in getting a phone call from La Russa now, but that’s exactly what La Russa said he intends to do before the next week is over.

“There isn’t anything about Adam’s attitude that created this,” La Russa said. “If would be difficult for him to talk in here and be even with those guys. This year, it’s what you show.”

Pressed about it, La Russa expanded on what he meant, essentially saying that yes, Kennedy would have entered this spring training with a chance at the starting job equal to all the others — experienced candidates like Brendan Ryan all the way to minor-leaguer Jarrett Hoffpauir and transplant Schumaker.

Joel Pineiro is not yet in camp, but he’s expected to arrive here tomorrow. (He lives just a few blocks down Interstate-95, over yonder in Miami.) Pineiro wants to play in the World Baseball Classic. The Cardinals are unsure if that’s the best idea. There is some internal discussion going on. Ditto with Albert Pujols, whose opinion on his participation in the WBC will be sought next week during a meeting with GM John Mozeliak.

“I think the guy wants to pitch for his country,” La Russa said of Pineiro. “Which I respect.”

* What, you were expecting Happy, Valentine’s and Day? Sorry. Wrong blog. Mrs. Goold got flowers and something that sparkles, but everyone knows Saturday isn’t just about a box of chocolates. Though there’s a tortured metaphor there somewhere for how the Cardinals enter spring training …

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