Cardinals look to Edgar Renteria for leadership: St. Louis shortstop helps generate a winning atmoshere.

AS THE SUN GLISTENED ON another Florida morning last spring, the St. Louis Cardinals snapped through a brisk session of infield drills at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter. The baseball popped in and out of gloves and sizzled from station to station. With each arrival, it was processed and advanced in equally efficient manner.

The rhythm and harmony of the Gold Glove-studded crew is mesmerizing to watch, a baseball adaptation of a Harlem Globetrotters routine. All that was missing was "Sweet Georgia Brown." When the exercise ended, manager Tony La Russa and a group of players observing enthusiastically applauded.

Shortstop Edgar Renteria acknowledged the moment by breaking into a dance and the entire group cracks up. It is a personality Cardinals fans seldom see, a side of Renteria his teammates cherish, a side his coaches and managers universally admire.

"He's one of those special guys that has a real rare feeling for the game," said Jim Leyland, who managed Renteria and the Florida Marlins to a World Series title in 1997. "He has fun doing it. He has fun figuring out things. He's a very, very bright player. It's just an instinctive thing with him; he's just got it."

Spanish-speaking players, those who don't speak English fluently, remain largely anonymous to American audiences. The media does not seek them out for post-game analysis. The language barrier makes it difficult for them to project their individuality. Renteria, a native of Barranquilla, Colombia, has expanded his English in recent years and is quite capable of conversing. But he is, by nature, a shy and proud man, and his persona is much more accessible in Spanish.

Fernando Vina, who speaks Spanish and English with equal aplomb, has become Renteria's keystone comrade and close friend.

"Obviously, me being able to speak Spanish, to go both ways, I can enjoy that we really hit it off together," Vina said. "I think people do miss out. But he's coming along, speaking English in meetings and stuff. I think he's kind of relaxed. Every year, he gets a little better with his English and he's grown within himself and feels more comfortable."