JUPITER, Fla. - Eighteen years later the memory remains an indelible marker to Mike Matheny.
A 23-year-old rookie for the American League Milwaukee Brewers, Matheny was leaving the field after catching the first inning of his first major league start when the Brewers' feisty manager Phil Garner intercepted him on the way to the dugout.
Garner demanded Matheny tell him why he had selected the second pitch to Rich Amaral, the Seattle Mariners' second hitter, as he did.
A bit flustered by the request, Matheny paused — a bad move when confronted by a manager nicknamed Scrap Iron as a player.
"Don't let me ever hear you have to hesitate with that answer again," Garner reprimanded.
Matheny never forgot the incident during a 13-year playing career that brought four Gold Gloves and standing as a World Series catcher. Today he recalls it while standing at the edge of his first spring training as Cardinals manager — or, for that matter, manager of any professional team.
Matheny eventually established a reputation for preparation and determination as a player. Barely three months ago he entered a meeting with the Cardinals' four-man managerial search committee a bit unsure why he had been summoned. He left it with the strong sense that he would receive strong consideration to succeed Tony La Russa in Busch Stadium's first-base dugout.
"He was very prepared," recalled general manager John Mozeliak, among those in the room that day.
Mozeliak considered Matheny a "longshot" candidate before interviewing him and admitted to making something of a "gamble" on the day the hire was announced. Yet, an organization fresh off its 11th World Series championship believes it has invested wisely in a man unfailingly lauded for his character, his intelligence and his presence.
"It's a different feel, a different year, but there's a lot of excitement going on," said pitcher Chris Carpenter, one of two former Matheny teammates in camp still as a player.
Matheny may best convey his outlook by a reminder that will hang from his office wall: "Be True to Thine Own Self."
"I'm at peace with what I'm supposed to bring to the table, and that's just who I am," Matheny said. "At that point, it's just figuring out how I can help these guys. I'm going to do what I truly believe is going to help these guys and help our team. ... Trust your instincts in what is going to happen, whether that's the next day or one of those heat-of-the-moment things that is going to get second-guessed by the media and everyone else. That's part of the gig, but I know I've done my work and preparation, and I've got the right motive. The right motive is to help these guys."
Matheny, 42, leads a new-look coaching staff that is missing longtime La Russa lieutenants Dave Duncan, Dave McKay and Joe Pettini. Mike Aldrete was promoted from the team's assistant hitting coach to bench coach. Chris Maloney and Dyar Miller were promoted from player development to the major league staff. Derek Lilliquist ascends from first-year bullpen coach to pitching coach. Only third-base coach Jose Oquendo and hitting coach Mark McGwire return in the same role from La Russa's staff.
Matheny and three members of his coaching staff spent time on a recent Caribbean cruise. Matheny and Aldrete devoted time to piecing together a spring schedule. The others got to better know him as a person.
"I think we've made a good start," said Matheny, who also familiarized himself with his staff during mid-December meetings. "I used the time to say, 'If you don't know anything about me, this is what I believe in and what I stand for. And if you don't see it, call me on the carpet and let me know.'"
Spring training will offer the first glimpse into Matheny's methodology. While he has hinted at some tweaks in emphasis, few anticipate a complete break from the past.
"I don't think anyone who is coming in is going to try to reinvent spring camp," said Carpenter, attending his 10th spring training with the club. "I think all the guys here, Mike included, were under Dunc' and Tony for a long time and know how it worked. It's one of those deals: If it's not broke, don't fix it."
Matheny knows La Russa's lengthy, successful run as manager creates its own shadow. However, Matheny's predecessor believes the most obvious questions are the wrong ones.
"I think the talk about experience gets exaggerated," said La Russa, who took over the Chicago White Sox after less than two years as a minor-league manager. "Even if you have experience, there are issues. You're part of a coaching staff, but you're not the coach. There's a certain responsibility that attaches to that leadership role. I'm sure Mike will do a good job of delegating. But what do you delegate? That's ultimately his decision."
La Russa managed 5,097 regular-season major league games, reached six World Series and was named Manager of the Year four times. The difference in experience is midnight and noon, ocean and desert. But more significant is how the new man runs his team and retains respect.
La Russa firmly believed that it was the manager's responsibility to oversee all aspects of his team, from retaliation against overly aggressive pitching to orchestrating the running game.
La Russa never embraced the notion of players-only clubhouse meetings. He kept vigilant watch over what players said to media, often summoning them into his office for an explanation as he held clipping in hand.
Indeed, for all the attention La Russa's sometimes acerbic postgame comments generated on "Tony TV," few doubted that he was using the medium to reach his team as well.
The third-winningest manager in the game's history believes the role requires not only taking a team's pulse but also helping create it.
"Some guys farm out pieces of the decision process," La Russa said. "Some, for example, might let the third-base coach run the offense. I'm not sure what he's going to do. But that's the No. 1 reality you face. The game is why you're in uniform."
Matheny prepared meticulously as a player. Considered an outstanding technical catcher, he may have received occasional criticism for predictable pitch selection but never for his commitment to his pitching staff. Matheny never blanched at the heavy workload assigned by La Russa and Duncan.
"No one has ever been more conscientious as a teammate," La Russa said.
The symbolic transfer of the manager's chair took place between the two on stage last month at the downtown Hyatt at the team's Winter Warm-Up. Following a lengthy on-stage conversation with Matheny in front of a packed ballroom, La Russa rose from his chair and applauded the new man, bringing the rest of the room with him.
"I've always been about what I thought of Mike as a teammate and as a person. They made a terrific choice," said La Russa, adding, "I'm at such peace with turning the page. You needed a fresh look there. It's time for the organization to have a different appeal to it. I'm wishing it well. They've got a real good club with real good leadership."
Sixteen years of La Russa created a level of predictability. Spring training became a six-field ballet with its complicated playbill posted daily in the clubhouse. Comparisons between the regimes are inevitable.
"I don't think there are going to be any major surprises," Mozeliak said. "I anticipate business as usual. He's going to have his fingerprints on things. My expectation is that this is going to be a very professional regime. I don't anticipate any major turbulence."
Matheny is a former teammate of Carpenter and catcher Yadier Molina. Then 22, Molina reached the major leagues as Matheny's backup in 2004. Carpenter was a teammate in Toronto before St. Louis.
"I think he's going to be great," Carpenter said. "He's well-respected by everyone in the game. I know when he has a passion for something he puts everything into it. I know it's going to be weird. But it's going to be exciting."
Matheny contacted a heavy percentage of the 40-man roster before reaching Roger Dean Stadium. His message is a mix of work ethic and humility. He informed some players of potential adjustments to their role and reminded some younger talents, "Don't come in here strutting or this may not be the place for you."
The Cardinals advertise few major league openings. The bullpen appears overstuffed with righthanded arms. The rotation is healthier. Only second base suggests any lack of definition. Still, Matheny has underscored to his younger players a need to impress.
"Come in here and fight for a job," he said. "Some of them may have less certainty. But come in here and be prepared to wear a couple different hats and let us see if you can do it.
"These guys are smart. They know about the opportunities. It gets back to communication. I'm going to throw this at you. And if it doesn't make sense, we'll talk it out."
Communication will move in many directions. Mozeliak and Matheny acknowledge there is a learning curve to be embraced.
"Those are parts of the job," Mozeliak said, "definitely as it relates to game management and dealing with media on a daily basis. It's very difficult to train for unless you sit in that seat. I'll make sure Mike knows I'm an ally for him if he needs one."
Pitchers and catchers officially report to camp on Saturday. Spring's first workout follows Sunday.
Under the glare of a title defense, a first-time manager walks eyes-front into a challenge and the scrutiny that comes with it. Mindful of an incident almost two decades old, Matheny is ready for it.
"I'm not sure what each person's expectations may be," he said. "I know what mine are. And I can assure there will be a reason for everything that is done."
