DECATUR - It took all of one minute for new St. Louis Cardinals play-by-play announcer John Rooney, formerly of the Chicago White Sox, to endear himself to a roomful of St. Louis fans at Thursday's Cardinals Caravan.

The best part of his new job? Easy.

"I still get to hate the Cubs," Rooney told the crowd.

He immediately admitted his comment was tongue-in-cheek, but it still drew the loudest applause from fans gathered at the Holiday Inn Select.

Cardinals fans who attended got to look at the team's immediate future and a bit of its storied past all on the same stage.

Rooney was joined by pitchers Anthony Reyes and Brad Thompson, as well as outfielder John Gall. Of the three, Thompson has the best bet of landing a spot on the opening-day roster after going 4-0 with a 2.95 ERA in 40 appearances last season.

Former Cardinals pitchers Danny Cox and John Costello were also present, allowing fans to reminisce.

Cox was teammates with Bruce Sutter, the newest member of the baseball Hall of Fame, for a few years in St. Louis, and his comments on Sutter drew the second-loudest round of applause.

"I guess everybody kind of realized what he did for baseball in the time he played," Cox said. "Too much is based on numbers, because numbers change due to different ball parks, and the ball, and this and that. Definitely, he earned it, and I'm real excited for him. I think it's absolutely fantastic I got to play with a hall of famer."

Most of the evening, however, was dedicated toward the future. Rooney's presence won't be the only thing new about the Cardinals this season. There's also a sparkling new Busch Stadium being built next to where its predecessor once stood.

"It looks pretty sweet. They keep saying they're ahead of schedule, but it still looks like they've got a lot to do though," Gall said. "It'll be interesting to see, but it's going to be amazing."

The same could be said of the 2006 Cardinals.

In addition to returning the key pieces of the high-powered offense - namely Albert Pujols, Jim Edmonds and David Eckstein - Scott Rolen could be back as well.

The pitching staff might be the weak link, but Rooney doesn't see it that way, especially when the staff boasts defending Cy Young winner Chris Carpenter.

"Sidney Ponson is a great gamble. I think it's a wonderful, wonderful pickup if Sidney has things together. And that's a big 'if,'" Rooney said. "I don't think the bullpen is as weak as some fear, and adding Braden Looper, I think, is a terrific pickup."

Because pitching is an ever-present need, both Thompson and Reyes have good shots at landing a spot on the big-league roster.

After a solid 22-game stint at the end of last season, that same opportunity is afforded to Gall.

He's about to embark on his third spring training with the Cardinals, but this is the first where an opening-day roster spot is within reach.

"I don't know what's going to happen, and I think that's actually exciting," Gall said. "This season, for me, anything is possible, and I mean that in the best possible way and the worst possible way.

"That's what's going to be the fun part about going to spring training, because anything is possible."

To a man, though, the six members of the caravan are more than optimistic about St. Louis' chances.

"Everybody's tied right now, and you can't look at it in a different way," Gall said. "But deep down everybody in the clubhouse believes not only is it possible to win the Central, but it's possible to win the whole thing."

And, like always, the fans will be there in droves. Brian Beck and his family went to the caravan for the second straight year. After the question-and-answer session ended, 4-year-old Emma and 1-year-old Breyton bopped around while they waited for their turn to get some autographs.

Neither had red on, but there was no doubt where their future allegiances would lie. Future Cardinals fans, right?

Brian smiled.

"They better be."

Todd Engle can be reached at tengle@herald-review.com or 421-7970.