Dearly departed Albert

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Well, he is gone. Yes, the man

who said “it’s not about the money,” “I’m going to pray on it and

God will tell me” and “it was about commitment” has decided to take

his act to The Los Angeles Angels, and that is fine with

me.

I am a great

admirer of Albert Pujols’ baseball ability. He is the best player I

have ever seen in a Cardinal uniform who is not named Gibson or

Musial. I must admit that I am somewhat perplexed by his actions

and recent comments on why he is no longer a Cardinal.

Let’s get to a

few things about the dearly departed Albert. As it has been

reported by some that Albert was not happy with negotiations, I am

trying to figure out how a team offers you over $200 million

guaranteed yet you feel slighted? Throw in the fact that they had

already paid him more than $100 million by season’s end. Pardon

me, but slight me all you want for $200 million.

I did chuckle

when Albert was quoted as saying he was impressed with the

commitment the Angel owner was making. Let me see now, I am

wondering when, over the last 11 years, were the Cardinals not

committed to Albert and putting a competitive team on the field? An

era, I may add, that saw him get to three World Series and win two

of them.

For most of his

time here, Albert was one of the highest-paid players on the team.

He was so revered that he could do whatever he wanted to whomever

he wanted and seldom face repercussion.

For Albert to

act like the Cardinals were not committed is again perplexing. When

there was controversy, Albert never assumed responsibility in why

things changed in negotiations, though it was his decision that

counted more than anything else.

I am not in

favor of any athlete being paid for a 10-year period at his

disclosed age. Anyone over the age of 30 at a minimum of $22

million is not cost-effective for the future of any team. In the

case of the Angels, they had a cash infusion of a $3 billion TV

deal that gave them the flexibility to make the offer they made. If

you think Albert Pujols will be worth $25 million in year five or

six of this contract, then you are sadly mistaken.

The current

Cardinal ownership group has been the most successful in the

history of the team for a reason. They get it. They reinvest in the

product. They run it like a business, and they are fan-sensitive

with respect to putting a competitive team on the field. And they

seldom get caught up in responding to baseless

accusations.

Will they make

a mistake? No doubt they have in the past, but had they signed

Albert to the money that was being discussed it would have been a

mistake that would have come back to haunt them and their fans

sooner than you think.

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As for the

Cardinals, they will obviously have to find a way to fill the void

of a player who has Hall of Fame numbers. Memo to the Cardinals:

Don’t worry about trying to find the next Albert. Look for the best

components of what makes a good team, as there are a lot of teams

that have won that did not have Albert on their team. The Cardinals

can invest in the future with other players via free agency, trades

or developing players in their system.

If you look

over a 10-year period of this contract, everyone should be a

winner. The Angels win early as they make a splash in hopes of

winning a World Series. The Cardinals win, because they are out

from under what would have been a ridiculous contract in a few

years. Of course Albert wins, as he can take his game to Hollywood

and tell them all the things he thinks they want to hear and what

makes him cool.

Yes, Albert is

gone and I am appreciative of his baseball skill and memories on

the field as a Cardinal. But he is gone, and now life goes on. And

I cannot wait for spring training to start, and neither should

Cardinal Nation.

Dearly departed Albert

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