ESPN MLB

JUPITER, Fla. – The red-clad fans at Roger Dean Stadium sure love their St. Louis Cardinals. They know Mike Shannon's career statistics by heart, and they were devastated to learn that Mark McGwire's power was the product of something other than milk drinking and endless hours in the weight room.

The crowds are a lot sparser on the complex's back fields, beyond the outfield fence and the batting cages where Albert Pujols and Scott Rolen hone their swings. St. Louis' minor leaguers play with passion but pursue their dreams in anonymity before the occasional agent, girlfriend, and minor-league groupie toting the obligatory copy of Baseball America's Prospect Handbook.

This is where Rick Ankiel, playing right field and batting third for Class A Quad Cities, prepares to go to work today. First he digs his front foot into the batter's box and takes a practice swing. After that, he'll take a hack at a new chapter in a career that's been filled with pitfalls and surprises.

Like Big Mac on Capitol Hill, Ankiel wants desperately to focus on the positive. He also has absolutely no desire to revisit the past.

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