Cardinals Settle Into Camp Rhythm as Hornsby Lets the Game Do the Talking

The Cardinals returned to the field this afternoon with less noise and more purpose.

A day removed from a sharper reminder of how the game is meant to be played, the club moved through its work at League Park with a steadier hand and fewer interruptions. There were no pauses along the third base line today, no quiet conferences that carried louder than they sounded.

Just baseball.

Rogers Hornsby watched from his usual ground, arms folded, saying little and needing even less. The difference from the day before was not in effort—it was in execution.

Ground balls were handled cleanly.

Throws arrived on time.

Plays finished where they started.

That tends to keep a man satisfied.

Tommy Thevenow continued his steady work at shortstop, moving easily to both sides and making the routine play look like it ought to. Jim Bottomley gave him the same dependable target at first, ending innings without extending them.

Les Bell handled the hot corner without incident, which is the sort of report a third baseman prefers.

On the mound, the Cardinals continued their gradual shaping of a staff. Bill Sherdel worked through a controlled stretch, mixing speeds and keeping the ball where it belonged. Jesse Haines followed with his usual ease, throwing as though he had never stopped.

There is comfort in that, particularly in March.

Flint Rhem took his turn as well, showing the same lively arm that has kept him in the conversation, along with the occasional reminder that the conversation is not yet finished.

Behind the plate, Bob O’Farrell kept things orderly, calling a steady game and giving the pitchers something consistent to work toward.

At the plate, the Cardinals showed signs of finding their timing. Ray Blades sent a sharp drive into the outfield grass, and Chick Hafey followed with a swing that suggested he is not far behind.

The crowd, modest but attentive, watched it all unfold under another clear Texas sky. Spring spectators tend to notice the small things, and today there were more of the right ones than the wrong.

That, more than anything, marked the afternoon.

The Cardinals are still building, still sorting, still deciding who will make the trip north when the time comes. There is work left to do.

But for one day at least, the game looked the way it is supposed to.

And when that happens, there is usually not much left for a manager to say.

League Park — San Antonio, Texas

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