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JUPITER, Fla. -- So, can the new left side of the Blue Jays infield play?
We asked some St. Louis Cardinals about their former teammates -- third baseman Scott Rolen and shortstop David Eckstein -- who are in their first training camp with the Jays.
Rolen was acquired in an off-season trade for another third baseman, Troy Glaus, while Eckstein signed as a free agent and is expected to take the first-string job at shortstop from John McDonald.
Both Rolen and Eckstein are remembered fondly at the Cardinals training camp.
ON SCOTT ROLEN
- Coach Hal McRae: "I saw Brooks Robinson, I saw Mike Schmidt and I played with George Brett. Rolen is the best third baseman I've ever seen. With us he'd make one play a year where you'd say: 'That's the best play at third I've ever seen.' The next year he'd give you one better. His feet are quick like a wrestler's."
- Yadier Molina: "Sixth inning of Game 7 of the 2004 National League championship series against the Houston Astros, we're tied 2-2 against Roger Clemens. Rolen hits a two-run homer to left, we win."
- Chris Carpenter: "We're in K.C. in 2004 and we're up 10-3 in the eighth when (catcher) Alberto Castillo tries to pick Scott off first. He's safe, but Scott is mad that the guy tried to pick him with the score so one-sided.
"Edgar Renteria hits a ground ball over the bag at second, Rolen goes in so hard he takes out the second baseman (Tony Graffanino) and the shortstop (Angel Berroa). He throws a guy off him, gets up and runs off."
- Closer Jason Isringhausen: "I'm not a detail guy -- like who hit the ball or what inning -- but I can remember how many times (Rolen) turned doubles into outs for me. Fans will see one 'wow' play a game from him."
- Chris Duncan: "The game before he was shut down last year (left shoulder), we were in Houston. He could barely swing. He battled through a long at-bat and drove in the run that put us ahead."
- Adam Kennedy: "I've never seen a guy so big move so fast."
- Anthony Reyes: "When I came up, of all the veterans he was the nicest to me, always picking you up when you were down."
ON DAVID ECKSTEIN
- Molina: "There are so many (highlight plays that Eckstein pulled off), I can pick only one? Okay, we're in Colorado, David chased a pop-up in foul ground. He ran and ran and ran, dove, crashed into the fence and held on to the ball.
"Or, how about Game 5 of the 2005 NLCS? We are down 4-2, top of the ninth inning, Eckstein is up and Houston is a strike away from knocking us out. He fouls off two or three, then singles to left. Then, Jim Edmonds walks and Albert Pujols hit a three-run homer."
"We were there when Pujols homered off Brad Lidge in the din of Minute Maid Park. The 43,470 screaming Astros fans went silent as if someone had hit a mute button.
- Carpenter: "I gave up solo shots to (Braves') Jeff Francoeur and Kelly Johnson and we're down 2-1 in the bottom of the ninth. We load the bases and David hits a walk-off homer. He's as hard-nosed a professional as I've ever played with."
- McRae: "I have been in the game 40 years and I have never seen anyone with David's energy. From the time he gets to the park until an hour or two after, he is in constant motion -- lifting weights, stretching, fielding ground balls. It's like he thinks something bad will happen if he stops moving."
- Duncan: "Playing left field I got an up-close view of both of them. Both had a tremendous ability to make the over-the-shoulder catch on a dead run."
- Kennedy: "I've taken countless hours of ground balls with David. He's a lot more talented than people give him credit for."
- Isringhausen: "David is not A-Rod (Alex Rodriguez) or Derek Jeter," Isringhausen said. "He just plays his butt off every day and is one the toughest to strike out. Plus, everywhere he goes he wins the World Series, so who knows about Toronto this year?"