Cardinals Keep the Line Moving as Camp Turns a Shade More Serious on St. Patrick’s Day

St. Patrick may have had the calendar, but Rogers Hornsby had the field.

There was no holiday to the proceedings at League Park this afternoon, where the Cardinals went about their work with a little more purpose and a little less patience than earlier in the week. If anything, the pace quickened.

Spring always begins politely. It does not stay that way.

Hornsby kept the infield busy from the outset, sending ground balls across the hard Texas dirt with the steady rhythm of a man who prefers his answers sooner rather than later. Tommy Thevenow handled his chances cleanly at short, moving well to either side and showing the sort of steadiness that keeps a manager from asking too many questions.

Jim Bottomley provided the usual certainty at first base, stretching for throws and collecting what came his way with minimal fuss. There are louder positions on a ball club, but few more appreciated.

Flint Rhem took a turn on the mound and showed both sides of his afternoon. When he found the plate, his fastball carried enough life to keep the hitters honest. When he did not, the ball had a way of wandering just far enough to make things interesting.

That, too, is March.

In the outfield, Taylor Douthit covered ground in center with his customary ease, drifting under a long fly that might have carried a step farther had the wind been feeling ambitious. Ray Blades followed with a firm line drive during batting practice that drew a few approving looks from those gathered along the grandstand rail.

The crowd, modest but attentive, kept one eye on the field and the other on the sun, which showed no sign of taking the day off. A few green ties could be spotted among them, though the ballplayers themselves had little time for such decorations.

There are positions to be earned, and they are not handed out with the morning coffee.

Hornsby watched most of it from near the third base line, arms folded, saying little. He does not need to say much this time of year. The game tends to speak for him.

And on a day meant for celebration, the Cardinals continued the quieter business of deciding who will be staying when the real work begins.

Mike Allen- Bird Chatter Post