PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. • At about this time last spring, non-roster catcher Eric Fryer was heading back on a near-empty bus to Jupiter, Fla., from Tampa (4½ hours away), where the Cardinals had played their final exhibition game of the spring.
Before the trip to Tampa, Fryer already had been introduced to the Memphis clubhouse attendant he would be seeing in a few days when the Triple-A season started. Upon his return from Tampa, Fryer was to catch lefthander Jaime Garcia, who was making one more minor league start before joining the team in Pittsburgh for the start of the season.