Adios Albert

When it comes down to it, Albert Pujols should be a Cardinal.  There's no other way around it.  The Cardinals allegedly offered Albert 10 years 220, while the Angels offered 10 years 254.  Putting the Deidre revelations aside.  (Deidre said that they were offered 5 years 130 first, insulted then offered a nine year deal with an option 10.  She said had they actually been offered the guaranteed version of 10 years 220, then Albert would still be a Card)  Regardless, it never should have come to that. For the last 6 years Albert has made roughly 14 million.  He wanted to make 25 mil per.  PAY THE MAN!  He's only the best hitter in baseball.  If that's what he wants to be paid you pay him.  Because again, he is the best player is baseball.  Not to mention he's far more valuable to the Cardinals organization than he is to any other team because he's going to go down as one of the game's greatest players.  Can you imagine if they Yankees had let Jeter go?  Jeter wouldn't have made nearly as much money with any other team, but the Yanks ponied up b/c Jeter is the face of the franchise.  He's Mr. Yankee.  He's the contemporary Yankee legend.  From Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle, Berra, to name a few and now Jeter.

The Cardinals had a chance to do that with Pujols, but they blew it.  Over what?  3 million dollars a year.  The projected payroll is supposed to be 110 million this year.  You mean to tell me the cards can't go to 121?  It's going to cripple the franchise financially to spend 11 million more than they wanted to.  A hot dog and a soda costs 12 dollars, but you're struggling to pay bills.  Cmon son.  If you can show me a statement that says the cards only made 11 million last year then I'll leave it alone.  But just think about how much money they made off squirrel shirts alone!?!? I refuse to buy into the Cardinal spin that they couldn't afford it.  Being able to put a statue in front of busch stadium  is so much more valuable than a few million dollars.  It's much more valuable than overpaying a man towards the end of his career. A career in which he made 200,000 his first year, 600 his second and 900 his 3rd.  His totals from those years go: 37 HRs, 130 RBIs, .329 BA / 34 HRs, 127 RBIs, .314 BA / 43 HRs, 127 RBIs, .359 BA. That's how these deals work.  You compensate a man for when he was underpaid.  They took care of Holiday, they took care of Lohse, but they inexplicably didn't take care of the franchise?  Unbelievable.  I'd almost have more respect for the Cards if they would have been honest and said, "you know what, we're not gonna sign him.  He costs too much, and it's been a great 11 years."  The thing is, winning the world series cost us pujols because it gave the owners a honeymoon period.  People are still high off this world series and not going to be as critical of the franchise.  It's why they hired Matheny, a man with no coaching on his resume, to manage the team.  They could have had a stud in francona, but saving the 4 million was more important to them.

Last note is for Cardinals fans.  There are too many people acting like Albert aged 5 years overnight.  Even in a down year the man had 37 home runs, and a .299 average. AND he missed time with a fractured wrist.  Now I'm hearing about how he wasn't that good, and he's a jerk, and we're better with out him.  First, he was that good.  2nd, he is a jerk.  Probably even more than Barry Bonds.  When I took the pic below I was less than ten feet away from him and every other Cardinal on the field talked to me and my friends except Albert.  He didn't even acknowledge use.  Like he was too good and couldn't be bothered.  Dude, it's BP, chill.  But whatevs.  And 3rd, you're not better when you lose the best hitter in baseball and get nothing in return.  period. 

It's crazy that the Cardinals kept keeping LaRussa, the one man I wanted gone the most, and then showed Albert the door, the one guy I didn't want us to lose. 

Ultimately, the Cardinals are run as a business.  They'll be fine and people will pay 8 dollars for beers and go to games and cheer on their squad.  The Cards are my franchise so I'll root for them too, but I'm not going to be bitter towards Albert, because had the franchise wanted to keep him they would have.