He had plenty good enough supporting casts for a marquee player to win a championship with. The team was built around him.

Pujols has worked hard, carried himself humbly, finished business in STL, and is now leaving for more money. Not a decision I would make, but maybe he's looking for a new challenge. New scenery. Or to make a little bit more money before he retires. But the difference is, he doesn't leave with any unfinished business.

Lebron gave up in his final playoff series with the Cavs, knew he was going to Miami the entire year and yet strung the Cavs along for an entire year (screwing the Cavs' chance to get good free agents), went on live TV to humiliate a city of very loyal fans, and then spent an entire year wondering why people were mad about it. And worst of all, he committed the biggest crime to a sports fan--he decided he was going to manipulate the system to win a championship because he couldn't do it on his own.

This isn't even in the same ballpark as Lebron.

I don't think the demands are ridiculous. I think the offers are ridiculous.

If I'm Pujols, I'm going to demand what the best offer is going to be.

I didn't say Pujols is the same as LeBron, I just said I didn't blame LeBron for leaving. The way he did it was stupid yes. We can disagree on the level of talent around LeBron.

I get that a guy is going to look for money. When he turned down 9 years/$198 from the Cards last off season his demands became ridiculous... in my opinion.

i know...i've followed his progress.

i sign a contract w/my employer every 3 years. they know what they're paying me. i know what they're paying me. hell, i think i'm one of the most productive employees at my company, but i know what i signed that contract for. if the lazy dipshit next to me makes more, i don't give a rats ass. his contract, his business. when my next contract comes up, i'll sign for the next 3 years, not for the last 30 years i've worked there. it's pretty simple, really.

like i said...i've loved having ap play for my favorite team. i'd love for him to be a cardinal forever. but if he wants to leave for bigger bucks than what he's going to produce for my team in the future years, thus being detrimental to the rest of the club, then let him go.
sec

You and Dan Gilbert are the only idiots you actually beleive this.

Drew Gooden, Ilgauskus, Larry Hughes, Varejao. And in every team he played for, the Cavs had one of the most suffocating defenses in the league with plenty of solid role players. The team was built around a superstar. In the later years, they couldn't get Lebron better players because Lebron refused to sign a long-term contract. That's why they traded for shitty stopgaps like Jamison and Joe Smith. Because no free agent in their right mind would sign a long-term deal.

Lebron played on plenty of supporting casts that would have won a championship with a superstar.

You're really making the arguement that those 4 guys were a good enough supporting cast to win a title? Really? Even as a KU homer I know Gooden was mostly worthless... and Anderson Varejao?! Anderson Varejao???!!!

Good God man! Hate LeBron all you want but damn...

10 years, 200 million is a lot, and Albert probably has 5-7 years left...but if you win another world series or two, wouldn't it be worth the cost?

And I don't believe this crap I hear about St. Louis being a "small market" team....They have the cash to do this, and it would not hamper them in anyway to continue to rebuild a winner.

Reports trickling out that the Cardinals matched the Marlins 10 year offer with the same money and added a full no trade clause.

http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/new...s_stl&c_id=stl

DALLAS -- If resolution on Albert Pujols' situation is in fact coming soon, the Cardinals are not going down without a fight. General manager John Mozeliak said Tuesday evening that his team has tendered a new contract offer to the slugger. Mozeliak declined to provide any specifics on the offer, or to illuminate how or whether it differs from the club's offer last winter to Pujols.

Still, it's movement and is believed to be the first offer the club has made since the season ended. Asked whether the ball was in the Cardinals' court or that of Pujols' camp, Mozeliak simply said: "Theirs."

St. Louis still holds out hope to re-sign its signature player, a man who ranks in the franchise's top five all time in nearly every major offensive category. It's clear, though, that Miami is sincere and aggressive in its pursuit of Pujols as well. No deadline has been set by the Cardinals or by Pujols' agent, Dan Lozano, Mozeliak said, but the matter could gain significant clarity in the near future.

The Marlins have made a 10-year offer to Pujols, and the two clubs appeared to be the only serious suitors for the three-time National League Most Valuable Player at this time. USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported Tuesday night that the Cardinals have upped their proposal to 10 years, and a mystery team has also offered Pujols a 10-year contract. Miami has aggressively stepped up its pursuit of Pujols since the Winter Meetings began.

"In this case," Mozeliak said, "I think we're participants. I don't think we're dictating anything."

The Cardinals would of course love to have the matter settled in their favor. But one way or another, the club is eager for a conclusion, in order to pursue other matters. St. Louis still would like to upgrade its bullpen and middle infield, as well as potentially adding some bench depth.

"We've definitely put all of our eggs into this basket as far as trying to address it," Mozeliak said. "So for the resources upstairs here [in the team's suite], meaning all the people working, it would be helpful to start looking at other options if necessary."

Matthew Leach is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Obviously, You're Not a Golfer and follow him on Twitter at @MatthewHLeach. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

LeBron/a young Z/Larry Hughes/Gooden with Varejao as the #6 guy off the bench... it's not nearly as bad as people say. And Eric Snow as a useless scorer, but a good ballhandler and defender. In his latter years, they never brought in the marquee free agents. But they were a defensive powerhouse with good, solid role players. The problem is that people are stuck on this idea that you have to build a roster stacked with superstars.

The team was built very well for Lebron. The problem is that the Cavs built the team to support Lebron being "the guy." Pretty clear that in Miami, that's not who he is. His ego will never admit it, but he's a very good player who needs somebody else to take over in key moments.

Lebron had a good enough supporting cast early in his career to win a championship. Later in his career, if he committed to Cleveland, he could have convinced a very good free agent to sign a long-term contract there.
So instead, the Cavs fell over backwards for him and tried to piece together shitty 2-year stopgaps like Jamison, all aimed at getting Lebron a winner so he'd stay in Cleveland. Lebron weaseled his way into convincing not one but two marquee players to sign in Miami. He couldn't have even tried to do the same in Cleveland?

Marlins say they expect a Pujols decision tonight.
Per ESPN
http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/73...-tuesday-night

Ken_Rosenthal Ken Rosenthal
Sources: #Angels pursuing Pujols. Ongoing conversations. #MLB

I hate the Cards, but he would be a ****ing fool to leave that organization AFTER JUST WINNING THE DAMN WORLD SERIES!!!