I rarely comment on this sort of thing, because there are no facts to analyze. There's nothing involved but matters of the heart, and I don't really have one, so I can't claim to be an expert. Dick Cheney probably has more friends than I do. But even a Grinch like me sometimes steps back from the facts and tries to listen to his heart. If I had been Pujols, I would have stayed with the Cards.
Look, I grant you that the Angels put up the biggest contract, and the difference between the contracts is a lot of money - more than most of us will make in a lifetime. And I grant that the Angels had the right to do so. And I grant that Pujols had every right to do what was best for him. The free market determined his value and he accepted it. That's OK. And I grant that he should get the highest salary in the game. And I don't care whether the Cardinals win or lose.
Having established all that, I think I would have stayed in St Louis if it had been me.
The Cards did offer him $22 million a year. Once you have that much money, a few bucks more isn't all that critical. If you're making $22 million per year, your life won't improve that much if you jump to $25 million.He was a local home-town icon and because of that he was loved, not just in St. Louis, but across the sports world. I think he just vacated his position as one of the most beloved sports figures in America, and it surely seems that he just did it for the bucks. Why else? He didn't leave a poor team to play for a winner. He didn't leave to play in a ballpark better suited to his abilities. He didn't leave to be near friends and family.
The Cards could have been even better next year, when superstar pitcher Adam Wainwright returns. It's not like Albert is desperate to leave and play with a winner. His best chance to win is probably right at home. And they're already the damned champs of the world.
And Missouri is his home. He graduated from a high school in Independence. He went to a community college in KC. He married a Missouri woman and raised four kids there. He owns local businesses and is active in community affairs.
No, he left for the long green.
The scratch. Simoleans. Moolah. Clams. Lucre. Spondulicks.
I don't condemn him for it, but I think he will regret it.
Thursday, December 08, 2011
St Louis store gives away Pujols merchandise; another man hawks anti-Pujols shirts
St Louis store gives away Pujols merchandise; another man hawks anti-Pujols shirts
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The Cardinals did this to themselves. If they had just re-signed him 3 years ago when the contract talks first came up they would only have 7 years left on the 10 year contract he wanted (which coincidentally matches the 7 year contract that St. Louis wanted to give him). So instead of doing the right thing they played hardball with him basically daring him to sign with another team. The first life lesson my Dad taught me was that you never gamble with anything you're not willing to lose (be it money, women, friendship, etc...) unfortunately it seems like no one in the Cardinals front office has learned that one. Well till today that is.
ReplyDeleteUncle Snoop, all you points are valid and have been kicked around on the St. Louis forums for the last couple years. I really thought if he left if would be to Miami where he could be the spotlight role model in a Latino community. 10 years is a ridiculous contract in the post steroid era. I guess at least in the AL they will have the DH. I'm a lifetime Cards fan and believe they also made the best money decision by giving the team more flexibility.
ReplyDeleteEverything you said Pujols doing it for the bucks applies ten times over to the Cardinals. Why is it okay for the team to make decisions solely on the basis of profit but not the player?
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