But Pujols isn’t ashamed
Maybe I’m just old school, but getting swept by a team with the second-worst record in baseball is pretty embarrassing.
When that team is the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates, that really is an embarrassment. When the team with the worst record is the Kansas City Royals, that adds to the distaste I would have in my mouth.
But Albert Pujols isn’t ashamed. He said following the Cards’ humiliating three-game sweep in Pittsburgh that the team is not embarrassing itself.
Well, if that’s not embarrassing to Pujols, here are some facts that should be.
— The Cardinals had the best record in baseball last season despite numerous injuries. This season, eight teams have a better record and three others are a game shy of the Redbirds’ 62 wins as of Tuesday.
— The Cardinals would be in fourth place in the American League East, 7.5 games behind the New York Yankees, 5.5 behind Boston and a game behind the Toronto Blue Jays. All three of these teams’ fans are not happy with how they have played this season and will cause for drastic change if they do not make the playoffs.
— If the Redbirds were in the AL Central, the team’s only hope would be the Wildcard Playoff spot. They would be 14.5 games behind the Detroit Tigers, even though that team has lost five of six games. The Cards would trail the White Sox by 9 games and the Minnesota Twins by 6 games.
— The AL West is being regarded as weak this season, yet the Oakland A’s would hold a 3.5 game lead on the Cards. The Redbirds would be in second place, but by just two games over the Los Angeles Angels and Texas Rangers. Oakland and Texas’ payrolls are miniscule compared to the Redbirds’, by the way.
In the National League:
— The New York Mets would hold a 9-game advantage over the Cardinals in the NL East. Philadelphia is under .500, but would be just five games off the Cards’ pace in a battle for second place.
— The Los Angeles Dodgers would be tied with the Cards in the NL West. Of course, the Redbirds hold a 7-0 advantage of the Dodgers in games played this season, which means they are seven games worse against the rest of the NL. The Cardinals would also but just two games ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks who are a game under .500.
Folks, this is embarrassing to me. How about you?
While he should not be ashamed of his stats in 2006, Pujols is also in danger of being a one-season MVP before being dethroned. If the season ended today and I had a vote, Carlos Beltran of the Mets is the MVP. Pujols is second, but only because Ryan Howard of the Phillies will most likely not make the playoffs. If the Phils were to sneak in, Howard would finish second on my ballot.
Alfonso Soriano of the Washington Nationals would also be a threat if his team were better.
By the way, the Cardinals will still win their division by 10 games. And the Reds will be embarrassed once it is all said and done.
Maybe…
