October 6, 2011

End of an Era in St. Louis?

By - Kris Fletcher

It's hard to believe, but depending on what happens in Philadelphia against the Phillies on Friday, yesterday's 5-3 victory at Busch Stadium may have been Albert Pujols' final home appearance in a Cardinals uniform.

Photo by: Bill Greenblatt
"I don't wanna talk about that,'' Pujols said following the win. "This is no time for me to talk about if this is going to be my last game.''

If owner Bill DeWitt Jr. doesn't open his wallet as wide as the St. Louis Gateway Arch, Pujols will become a free agent in November. It's highly unlikely the Cardinals would be able to compete with the likes of the Yankees or Red Sox if they hand Pujols a blank check and tell him to fill it out.

While Pujols may not wanna talk about it, there's no doubt he's thought about the possibility his days in St. Louis may be numbered, based on his comments yesterday.

"It's been eleven years,'' Pujols said. "This is not just one year. It's been eleven years. A lot of great moments. A lot of bad moments. A lot of frustrating moments. Those are what you take with you. So hopefully, we end up winning and come back here in the second round. Pretty much just give to these fans what they deserve, and that's a championship."

Photo by: Elise Amendola
If the Cardinals do in fact lose tomorrow, Pujols officially completes his seven-year, $100 million contract. His new deal could make his old one seem like pocket change.

"St. Louis has to sign him. They have to get something done," former teammate Fernando Vina said. "If not, it will be a devastating blow. He's the face of the organization, that's the bottom line."

In watching the game last night, you could tell the fans were fully aware it could be the last time they saw Pujols in person as a Cardinal. That would explain why they cheered nearly everything he did.

Few players ever went 0-for-4 to such thunderous applause. Even fewer actually deserved it.

12 comments:

  1. I've been a St Louis fan the past decade because of Pujols. If they don't re-sign him, I'm done with the Cardinals. They can't possibly be dumb enough to let him get away. He IS the Cardinals.

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  2. Hope the Cubs sign him. It would cause about 50,000 St. Louis fans to commit suicide. :)

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  3. My mother is a real estate agent in Creve Coeur, Missouri - where Pujols lives - and according to her, his house has been "secretly" up for sale around a month. Mark my words, he's gone.

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  4. Pujols will be on the back end of a hall of fame career. He's starting to be injury prone as well. If St. Louis has to break the bank just to bring him back, why bother?

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  5. I really hope Pujols does the right thing and re-signs with St. Louis, but I won't be surprised at all if he ends up elsewhere. If sports have taught me anything, its never underestimate a players greed.

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  6. Big Albert would look good in Yankee pinstripes.

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  7. TJ - I'm sure your mother saw that in a chain letter, didn't she? How does one "secretly" put their house up for sale? Would Pujols "secretly" hope someone picks up the "secret homes for sale" magazine at the local grocery store? Give me a break.

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  8. No, it's actually fairly common for athletes to do that if they're preparing to leave a city but don't wanna cause a stir before they actually do. Alex Rodriguez and LeBron James for example, both did the same thing. The agent calls around trying to sell the house and property to prospective buyers, as in, people that could actually afford such a high priced home. Agents get names of possible buyers off a computer generated list. The list actually has a name, but I'm not sure what it's called because I myself am not an actual real estate agent. Anyway, my point being, it's a pretty common practice. So no, my mother didn't get the info off a "chain letter." I'm dealing in actual facts dude.

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  9. Yanks sure could have used Pujols last night, rather than that choke artist A-Rod!

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  10. Been a Cardinals fan my whole life. But if they don't bring Pujols back, I may be looking for a new favorite team.

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  11. TJ shut up. You don't know what your talking about. Do everyone a favor and go back to your mom's basement and keep your two cents to yourself. Pujols isn't going anywhere.

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