Albert Pujols
I was on my way to lunch when I heard the news that the Los Angeles Angels signed Albert Pujols for $254 million (when did they become the Los Angeles Angels? Weren’t they the Anaheim Angels? Then I heard they were the Anaheim Angels of Los Angeles, which made absolutely no sense). Like all St. Louis Cardinals fans, I was very disappointed. But unlike some, I’m not going to treat this like it was baseball’s version of “The Decision” in 2010, where LeBron James left the Cleveland Cavaliers to join the Miami Heat. Cleveland felt betrayed by their hometown hero, and hatred and anger went rampant. I don’t blame Cleveland fans for feeling what they felt. And I think they felt retribution was served when “King James” and his Miami Heat lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals.
Pujols batting in our first game at Busch III
Many believe Albert Pujols is the best player in the major leagues. Cardinal fans believe that (at least, some did up until last Thursday). Rookie of the year, 3-time MVP, 3 National League pennants, and 2 World Series champonships. He holds the record of 10 consecutive seasons from the start of his career on hitting .300 with 30+ home runs and 100 RBIs. But most say that 2011 was an “off-year” for Pujols. Slumping during the season, career lows in batting average and RBIs, and missed 13 games due to injury. For most players, Pujols’ 2011 stats would be stellar. Per the New York Times, “Even when Pujols struggles, he excels.”
For me, I had hoped that Albert would have stayed a Cardinal, to be a member of a team for the duration of his career. He may hever supplant Stan Musial, but he would have been right up there with “the Man”. St. Louis adores its Cardinals. Most superstars are usually held in the highest regard by their fans, but nowhere else will you find the support and adoration like you will in St. Louis. Just ask the players, past and current: St. Louis has the best fans in baseball. I don’t think any other town will treat Pujols the same as St. Louis did. It’s disappointing to hear people are “recycling” or even burning their Pujols jerseys. I have Cardinal gear with former players’ names on them, and I still wear them; I know there are other Cardinal fans like me. So let’s be realistic and not take this change so personal like Cleveland did.
I don’t feel hatred or anger towards Pujols. Major League Baseball is a business, and I know Albert did what he felt is best for himself and for his family. For a working man, you and your family ALWAYS comes first. Forget the millions of dollars here for once. If I’m in a position where I excel at my job, and someone else wants to hire me, pay me more, and possibly give me something more that I currently have, I will seriously consider leaving my current employer to join a new team. It will sadden me to leave the group that I have worked with day in and day out and have grown close to, but ultimately, I must put myself and my family first when it comes to a change in my career.
And Albert is an extraordinary person. He is a better person than me when it comes to charitable work. He and his wife Deidre established the Pujols Family Foundation to help those with Down Syndrome (something Deidre’s daughter was born with), and it also aids the poor in his home country of the Dominican Republic. And he is actively involved, whether it be a prom for his friends or delivering supplies to his homeland. To get a better understanding of Albert Pujols outside of baseball, you must read and see his segment on 60 Minutes. It certainly puts things in perspective.
And what about the Cardinals? They’ll be fine. We just won the World Series, for crying out loud. With the exception of Game 3 where he joined Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson as the only players to hit 3 HRs in a WS game, Pujols was not a major factor (yes, I know in Game 6, he did hit a key double in the 9th that led to a tie game that ultimately… well, you know the rest). The lineup we have is solid. And now we have a little extra money to play with.
Good article on USA Today on the Angels’ signing of Pujols and what it does for baseball.
I’m happy that he was a Cardinal for his first 11 seasons, and each of them were pretty damn awesome. I’m glad that I got to see him play, and although she won’t remember them, I’m happy that my little girl Sophia went to 3 of his baseball games as a Cardinal. Albert, good luck in LA. I wish you all the best with your future endeavors in baseball and in life. Thanks for the memories.
Wild Cards
Great articleon the St. Louis Cardinals.
Cards vs Mets 041810
We took Sophia to her first ballgame Sunday night. Grandma, Grandpa, Daniel and his friend Adam also came along to see the Cardinals take on the NY Mets. Sophia enjoyed just about every bit of the game: the ride over on the Metrolink (“Choo Choo!”), the music, Fredbird (“Tweet Tweet!”), the fireworks from Rasmus’ homer, and Cracker Jacks. We can’t wait to take her again. As always, click the image above for the photo set (I didn’t take many photos; I wanted to enjoy the game).
Smoltz as a Cardinal
I said this before on Twitter; I hope he has the same good fortune as Holliday, Lugo, and DeRosa are having since they joined the team.
(post to test ping.fm)
Celtics win 17th NBA Championship
Game 6 – Lakers 92, Celtics 131
Boston’s 39-point win surpassed the NBA record for the biggest margin of victory in a championship clincher; the Celtics beat the Lakers 129-96 in Game 5 of the 1965 NBA Finals.
Congrats to Boston and the Big Three. I was never a real fan of Pierce, but he stepped up when the team needed him. I’m also happy to see KG and UConn Husky Ray Allen finally win a title.
Busch Stadium 2008
Photos taken at the ballgame on Saturday.
let's dance
The big dance begins tomorrow, and I’ve made my picks. Aside from the top seeds, I know nothing about the regions, seedings, rankings, or the players. I’ve got 3 of the 4 top seeds in the final four. I have UNC beating UCLA 62-54 in the championship. You can check out my bracket here.
quickie 020508
What’s going on? We had 8 inches of snow on Friday. It’s all gone thanks to 75 degree weather Monday. Work is hell. I flooded the master bathroom on Super Bowl Sunday (more on that later). I cheered on the Patriots only to see them lose in fantastic fashion to the Giants (kudos to Eli Manning and the Giants D). Work is hell. Aggravated my knee again while working in the bathroom. Collecting Pepsi bottle caps for free music. Work is hell. I don’t have any updated photos of the Tremont because of said plumbing problems; I hope to get them on Friday.
15 and counting
Patriots set NFL records en route to win over Dolphins
The New England Patriots are unstoppable. The only teams that I think have a shot at defeating them in the playoffs are the Indianapolis Colts and the Dallas Cowboys, who both have already lost to the Pats this season.
If the Patriots beat the Giants [next Saturday night], then go unbeaten in the postseason to finish 19-0, they’ll join the Dolphins as the only teams to post a perfect record from opening day until the clock in the championship game runs out.
Do I think they can go 19-0? Yes. Do I want them to? Yes. The unbeaten record of the 1972 Miami Dolphins, as precious as it is, is meant to be broken. And Tom Brady and the Patriots are showing everyone how it’s done.
Here’s comedian Bob Marley’s take on the Patriots run (as heard on The Tony Kornheiser Show on 3WT Radio):
Colorado "a little rusty"
World Series – Game 1 – Boston 13, Colorado 1
Counting their comeback from a 3-1 deficit against Cleveland in the AL Championship Series, the Red Sox have outscored opponents 43-6 in their last four games. In the first five innings against Colorado, the Red Sox were 11-for-15 (.733) when batting with two outs.
The last time Boston was in a situation like this, it was against the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2004 World Series. They hadn’t been to the championship in 86 years and had just come back from an 0-3 deficit against the New York Yankees. I don’t expect the Red Sox to sweep the Rockies like they did the Cards. But there’s no curse haunting them anymore, and this powerhouse made a statement last night.
NFL – week 5
My picks (updated as final scores come in):
Arizona @ St. Louis – Cardinals √
Cleveland @ New England – Patriots √
Carolina @ New Orleans – Panthers √
N.Y. Jets @ N.Y. Giants – Giants √
Seattle @ Pittsburgh – Steelers √
Detroit @ Washington – Lions X
Miami @ Houston – Texans √
Atlanta @ Tennessee – Titans √
Jacksonville @ Kansas City – Jaguars √
Tampa Bay @ Indianapolis – Colts √
San Diego @ Denver – Broncos X
Baltimore @ San Francisco – Ravens √
Chicago @ Green Bay – Packers X
Dallas @ Buffalo – Cowboys √
Bulger benched
Rams name Frerotte starter for injured Bulger against Arizona
All season, Bulger has insisted he was healthy enough to play. It’s unclear how much time Bulger will need to heal. He originally suffered the injury in Week 1 against Carolina, and was sacked six times in the second week of the season against the 49ers. “I was never going to pull myself out, I know that much,” Bulger said. “It’s real easy to play hurt when you’re winning, but it’s just not in me to pull myself out when we’re 0-4.”
NFL coaches need to start thinking like MLB managers. If your quarterback is struggling, and your team is not scoring points, you go to your “bullpen”. You’re not permanently replacing your starter; it’s a move to get the offense going again.
Jocketty out; LaRussa next?
Jocketty out after 13 years as Cards’ GM (ESPN.com)
St. Louis won six NL Central titles, one wild card and two NL pennants under Jocketty. After failing to spend much on free agents last winter, the Cardinals faded to a 78-84 record this year and a third-place finish behind Chicago and Milwaukee.
Injuries to key players didn’t help either.
unlucky 7
The Cardinals had surged from 10½ games out at the end of June to within a game of first place in the NL Central before hitting the road and hitting the skids. The latest loss dropped them 4½ games out.
Embarrassing. I can’t watch anymore.
redbirds on fire
The Redbirds, who have been as far as 10.5 games out of first place, now trail the Brewers by 2.5 and the Cubs by two. On July 27, they were nine back, but since then they’ve beaten Milwaukee six straight times. St. Louis’ five-game winning streak overall is its longest of the year. The Redbirds are 7-1 in their last eight games and 8-2 in their last 10, each a season-best stretch.
Sweet. I might actually start watching baseball again.
Cards reliever killed in car crash
There will be no baseball played tonight in St Louis as the Cardinals mourn the passing of pitcher Josh Hancock.
final four
Since the start of the tourney, I watched like … maybe 1 game in its entirety? Not that the games were boring; I just haven’t been interested. I wished I watched today’s East Regional final between UNC and Georgetown. With 6 minutes left and the Tar Heels up by 10, my picks for the Final Four were still intact. Somehow, they went ice cold and the Hoyas forced overtime. Then Georgetown just stomped all over North Carolina in OT. My final four were Florida, UCLA, UNC, and Ohio St. I had UNC winning it all; so much for that. Now I’ll be cheering on the Hoyas next Saturday. How can I not? They represent the Big East. I say Florida and Georgetown in the championship, with Florida coming out on top 75-70.
LaRussa charged with DUI
St Louis Post-Dispatch article
Why do public figures continue to put themselves in these situations?
madness returns
The big dance starts tomorrow, and I almost forgot to make my picks. I haven’t watched much of college hoops this season, so I winged it. I’m rooting for Southern Illinois and North Carolina (I like Tyler Hansbrough). I made my picks at PicksPal. We’ll see how I do …
Far Away, Super Bowl’s Losers Will Be Champs
Where do the Super Bowl losers’ t-shirts and hats go?
In some parts of the world, the Seattle Seahawks are the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Buffalo Bills are the last great football dynasty and Tom Brady is some frustrated quarterback from New England who can never win it all.
TigerTrap
The setup is that Tiger Woods left a golf club out on the course. When a group of golfers finds it, Tiger approaches them and asks for it back.
week in review
Another busy week ends …
- I learned quite a bit with coding and report writing during my training, but it never really sunk in until this week. It’s a good thing my predecessor is available as a resource whenever I run into a jam, and my counterpart is very willing to help anytime I need it.
- The helpdesk chains that bind me may break in time for Thanksgiving, and for that I am grateful. One half started Tuesday, and he’s gotten to be comfortable fairly quickly. He still has a bit to learn, but it’s very early in the game. His other half starts this week, and I will be assisting with training since he will be my replacement.
- I start my normal schedule Monday, working 10-hour days. That may seem long, but it’s necessary to get the job done. I am currently trying to accomplish a 10-hour day in 5 hours, and it’s not easy. The payoff of the new schedule will be the day off each week. The next 3 weekends will be nice (3 days, 4 days, 4 days). Can’t beat that!
- My headaches returned with a vengeance on Thursday. I’d like to attribute it to stress, but I’m not so sure. Thursday was a busy day, and I felt pressured to get things done. But the stress was not as bad as when my headaches initially started in late September. I’m sure stress doesn’t help, but I’m not so sure it’s the cause. The headache is accompanied by pain in my left ear, and something new: an occasional shooting pain down the left side of my upper back. I didn’t sleep well Thurs and Fri night due to the pain (I slept better last night because I lacked sleep). I plan to see the doctor this week because this is getting out of hand; I finished a bottle of ibuprofen all on my own in 5 weeks.
- I’m still not sure what to do with tenyjr.com.
- I changed my theme since D took mine.
- Rams lose another close one to Seattle. We need to work on 2 things: penalties and time management.
- When We Were Kings – **** – a fine film that transcends boxing. Ali proves to the world why he is the “Greatest” (and not just in the ring).
- X-Men – **** – Jackman steals the show as Wolverine, although I think the hair-do isn’t necessary to make the part work. Enjoyed this more the 2nd go-round (in preparation for “X3: The Last Stand”).
And another one begins.
celebration
Cards faithful share in team’s glory (MLB.com)
On a perfect day, St Louis celebrates (MLB.com)
Never mind the chill and rain that plagued the World Series — on Sunday, when thousands upon thousands of St. Louisans and Cardinals fans took to the streets of downtown, Mother Nature delivered a day perfectly designed for festivities.
