"Is this the spot?" Matheny said.
Two equipment bags topped by six boxes of shoes was stacked in front of Matt Holliday's locker stall, which used to be Pujols' spot. As for Pujols' decision in December to take a 10-year, $254 million free-agent deal with the Angels after 11 Hall of Fame trajectory seasons with the team that drafted him? Old news.
Pujols' name never even came up during Matheny's wide-ranging 18-minute opening media session.
"It's going to be different," said pitcher Kyle Lohse, a former Phillie. "But it's a business and we have 25 other guys who'll pull together to win as many games as we can. That's the way it goes. And nobody's going to feel sorry for us."
The Cardinals anticipate a visit in the next few weeks from La Russa, who will be assisting longtime friend Jim Leyland with the Tigers. La Russa has said he won't be looking over Matheny's shoulder.
Ichiro's last stand?
No one really knows when Ichiro Suzuki will retire. The 38-year-old outfielder is heading into the final year of his contract with Seattle and isn't discussing a new deal.
There he was on Saturday, though, beginning his 12th spring training in Peoria, Ariz., with the Mariners as the team held its first full-squad workout of 2012.
Naturally, there was a bit more buzz around camp than usual. More fans showed up to watch and get autographs. More media from Japan arrived, following Suzuki's every move. And when asked about his future, Suzuki said it was difficult to say how long he plans to keep playing.
"When I first came in 2001, I never thought that I would be here in 2012," he said through translator Antony Suzuki. "You can wish you'd be there, but you never know. So it's the little things that count and it's the little things that you build off, to where you've come this far."
