JUPITER, Fla. - Never one to miss an opportunity to prove he's the smartest man in baseball, manager Tony La Russa borrowed a quote from his friend, Pat Riley, the NBA's resident genius, while delivering his first spring training words to his world champion St. Louis Cardinals.

"I saw the headlines and was intrigued by Pat's comment," La Russa was saying Thursday morning at a cold, rain-dampened Roger Dean Stadium complex, where the Cardinals pitchers and catchers conducted their first workout since the team's World Series triumph in October. "It was too good a coincidence to miss."

So he didn't: In a pre-workout meeting, the Cardinals manager said he "mentioned" the remarks Riley made earlier this week in announcing his intention to return to the Miami Heat bench after the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday.

"We blew the start of the year," Riley told reporters, referring to the Heat's poor early-season showing after winning the NBA title in June. "We weren't ready."

La Russa is determined to make sure the Cardinals don't suffer from the same post-championship hangover.

He's telling his players that their run to glory last year was something special - then reminds them what happened last year is history, that this is a new season with new challenges, that they must be ready to roll on Opening Day.

These Cardinals aren't good enough to rest on their laurels.

And he won't let them.

In fact, when asked if winning the World Series made this spring any different for him, La Russa replied: "Actually, it feels exactly the same, because the most important thing - and this is an important message for our team - everyone is at zero,

recordwise and preparationwise.

"The fun is getting to play in October. So last year was a great accomplishment, a great memory. Turn the page."

La Russa knows all about the season-after letdowns that often undermine championship teams' repeat bids. No team has repeated as world champion since the 2000 New York Yankees. No National League team has won back-to-back pennants since the 1995-96 Atlanta Braves.

"That's human nature," La Russa said.

"Guys take too many congratulations." Apparently, though, La Russa knows how to prevent such slippage. He has managed 11 teams to division titles and, before his arrival in St. Louis, guided the Oakland A's to three consecutive World Series. Only two of his Cardinals playoff teams failed to get back to the tournament.

"I'm less apprehensive and more excited to see the guys with the talent, and what they do with it, than I am about other parts of the club," La Russa said. "The same guys could be in this camp, have three or four established starters (in front of them) and they wouldn't be quite as excited, because maybe there'd be one spot available. There are four spots out there. That makes it exciting for them. If they're excited, we're excited."