A sunny spring morning, thousands of swings before each one rang with history, a group gathered casually around the batting shell on a back field in Jupiter, Florida, to watch Albert Pujols work.
The regulars arrived — coaches, teammates, and some early-bird fans, chattering and cheering beyond the backstop. A guest of Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, Ron Wolf stood near the cage. A few years away from his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as architect of the Green Bay Packers, Wolf spoke softly with a couple of baseball writers, pausing when the big stick connected.