JUPITER, FLA • New manager Mike Matheny preached "respect" in his first message to the batterymen on his team before Sunday's workout. That respect covered the entire organization, noted Matheny, who cited Hall of Famer Red Schoendienst as an example, to the point that Schoendienst writes his entire last name when signing an autograph instead of looking for any shortcuts.

"You see a Red Schoendiesnt out here and that's just part of the tradition," Matheny said. "I think guys need to understand how it's been done around here before."

Matheny said one of the most significant conversations he had in the offseason came when he and Schoendienst were on their way to a duck blind where they were going to do some hunting. "He's not a guy who's going to jam you with words and talk the talk," Matheny said. "When he has something to say, you know he's been thinking about it and he believed it will hold a lot of value.

"I value those times with Red. He got embarrassed when I brought (his name) up. If there's an example for these guys to follow, you look not at just the way he went about his business as a player but how he goes about it as a person and he how he treats people. If you want an example, here's the guy.

"He's been doing it longer than any of us can ever remember. There are plenty of examples around here of how to go about it the right way. Just pay attention."

Said Schoendienst, "At first I didn't know who he was talking about. It was flattering.

"He did a good job this morning, I mean, an outstanding job."

And veteran pitcher Adam Wainwright said, "It sounded like (Matheny) had been doing it for years. Most people don't know he has been doing it for years. He's given speeches and been leading teams for a long time, not just managing. He commands respect and his message was perfect."

On his first day on the field as manager, Matheny said, "I was like a kid that had been waiting to open up that present that had been sitting there. It was something I'd been counting down the days for. I couldn't wait."

One of Matheny's first moves has been to schedule some of the Cardinals' top pitching prospects to throw bullpen sessions next to such established stars as Chris Carpenter or Wainwright in hope that something may rub off. The hitting groups for batting practice similarly will balance veterans with youth.

"We've got an opportunity to influence this organization for years to come," said Matheny. "If we put some of these kids out there on Field Z, out near Egypt, there's not going to much of a chance to see how these guys go about things on a daily basis.

"I didn't even start going there until I talked to all the veterans about it. To a man, before I had even finished talking, they had bought into it."

Wainwright, who found himself warming up next to the likes of Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz in the Atlanta camp, said he was on board with it, as was Carpenter. "I love that idea," said Wainwright.

Carpenter said he welcomed the young players watching the veterans and asking questions if they so chose. He had been in the same situation in Toronto with veteran righthanders Pat Hentgen and Roger Clemens more than a decade ago and he said, "Then, we mostly listened.

"It was a different game back then," he said, smiling.

MAKING THEIR PITCH

Wainwright has been working out in Jupiter since early January and, after he threw at "85 percent" of his maximum effort for 33 pitches Sunday, he said there was no untoward feeling of any sort. "Nothing to complain about," he said.

"I feel more ahead of where I normally am at this time. I'm reluctant to talk about it, I feel so good. I have no limitations whatsoever.

"When I go home at night, I'm not thinking about icing (his arm) or anything like that. I'm wondering what time 'American Idol' is coming on.

"I don't feel like I missed a year at all. I really don't."

Carpenter, a postseason hero with four wins last year, said his session was "uneventful" and said he had no recurrence of some recent back stiffness.

AROUND THE HORN

• Lefthanded reliever Mark Rzepczynski, who didn't begin to work out until Sunday and didn't arrive until Saturday, said he had been slowed by a recent bout with bronchitis. "I wanted to make sure I was healthy," he said. "I didn't feel better until Friday." ...

• When free-agent righthander Roy Oswalt's name was brought up to general manager John Mozeliak, he declined to specifically address the issue. "If I start getting specific on names, it puts me in a bad spot every time," he said. "The answer is that we always are looking at ways to improve the club if we feel we need to, whether it's the middle of February, the end of March or, as we learned last year, July 31. We're always open for business here."...

• Pitching coach Derek Lilliquist said that everything was positive as he witnessed the pitchers' first throwing sessions, which were under control. "Nobody tried to make the ballclub today," said Lilliquist. ...

• Schoendienst, 89 and going strong, won't be hitting fungo grounders for the first week or so of spring as he adjusts to a new pacemaker. ...

• And, Matheny reaffirmed, "Jason (Motte) is our closer."

Derrick Goold of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.