Photo by Derrick Goold, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Such a simple picture … an empty clubhouse at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Fla. Yet such an exciting picture too. All those brand-new jerseys and equipment, lined up and waiting for the 2012 Cardinals to break them in as today is at last when pitchers and catchers officially report.

Of course, most of the pitchers and catchers — and some position players too — are already there. Which is a great sign, isn’t it? We’re not the only ones anxious for baseball to begin again.

As we all know, much has happened since Allen Craig caught that fly ball to win the World Series on Oct. 28. Although many of the pieces that made up the 2011 champs are returning, some significant ones are not. Yet those departures seem to be a motivator, creating a hunger in the 2012 team that Bernie Miklasz wrote about.

“It’s a different feel, a different year, but there’s a lot of excitement going on,” said Chris Carpenter in Miklasz’s article. And when a team leader like CC, who was such a crucial part of the 2011 success, talks about excitement, that’s a great sign. No “woe is us” talk about the changes, just the recognition that things are different but things are good.

And while it will be a while still before we really have action from the 2012 Cardinals, today is one step forward. It’s great just to have real news to read about — check out all the new stuff posted just today on the Post-Dispatch website.

So it’s time to enjoy the beginning stages of 2012, to see what manager Mike Matheny will be like and learn more about how the 2012 Cardinals will come together. Before we know it, April will be here.

When the baseball season arrives, will it include Cardinals fan Kelsey Shea in the MLB Fan Cave? We hope so — and you can help us try to make that happen. Vote for Kelsey here (you can vote multiple times — hit “refresh” after voting and do it again) through Wednesday. Need more info on Kelsey and her background? Check out this post on her.


Christine Coleman is the senior St. Louis Cardinals reporter for Aaron Miles’ Fastball. Follow her on Twitter, @CColeman802, or email aaronmilesfastball@gmail.com. Also follow @AMilesFastball for the latest updates.