JUPITER, Fla. -- Sitting at a picnic table outside the Cardinals' spring complex this week, manager Mike Matheny recognized the irony of his words. There he was speaking passionately about needing to inject more "fun" into Spring Training, all the while trying to muster up the appearance that he was having fun himself.
The latter was a hard sell.
The stoic manager, who publicly scowls more than he smiles, doesn't feign to be of the Joe Maddon ilk. He has achieved what he has in this game by keeping his nose down and his drive intense. But in identifying a weakness of his, Matheny is hopeful that others can offer the levity that he lacks.