Cardinals Poz: Pujols consistently sensational [Archive]

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BigRedChief

07-12-2009, 11:39 AM

By JOE POSNANSKI
The Kansas City Star

ST. LOUIS | With the All-Star Game coming here on Tuesday, everyone is trying to find something new to say about the best player in baseball, Cardinals star Albert Pujols. It isn’t easy. The reason it isn’t easy is because Pujols’ hallmark has been his consistency — he has been so ridiculously consistent — and the truth is that consistency doesn’t make for great storytelling.

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess and handsome prince, and they lived in a beautiful kingdom, and they loved each other a lot, and they raised their children, and nothing bad really ever happened to them. The end.

How consistent has Albert Pujols been? Well, this is his ninth season — and if you cobbled together a season made up of his worst numbers — that is, take his worst batting average, his lowest home run total, his lowest run total and so on — the season would look like so: .314 batting average, .394 on-base percentage, 32 home runs, 99 runs, 103 RBIs. Again, those are his worst numbers.

Not to bring the Royals into it — they obviously have enough of their own problems — but if you take the best Royals numbers the last five full years (minimum 500 plate appearances), they look like so: .307 average (David DeJesus), .366 on-base percentage (DeJesus), 21 home runs (Mike Sweeney), 101 runs (DeJesus), 97 RBIs (José Guillen). Well, at least they beat Pujols’ lowest run-scoring year.

But really, beyond that overwhelming consistency — beyond saying that Pujols is great every single season — what more can you say? Sure, you can talk about the remarkable season he’s having right now: He really does have a chance to become the first player since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967 to win the Triple Crown. Going into Saturday he led the National League in home runs (32 — leads by eight), RBIs (85 — leads by eight) and after getting two more hits on Saturday his .338 batting average is second in the league, nine points behind Florida’s Hanley Ramirez.
But that just takes you back to his consistency. Is this his best year? Probably. But he has had numerous best years. Last season, for instance, he hit .357 with 44 doubles, 37 home runs and 116 RBIs, one of the greatest seasons ever. In 2006, he hit .331 with 49 homers and 137 RBIs, one of the greatest seasons ever. In 2003, he led the league with a .359 batting average and he hit 43 homers and drove in 124, and, yes, that was one of the greatest seasons ever too. See, it can get numbing after a while.

So what else is there to talk about? Well, you can talk about his fiery work ethic — nobody works harder at the game. All spring training, he’s the first one to arrive — he does most of his best work at 6:30 in the morning — and all season he blocks out all distractions and sticks to the same routine.

“It isn’t just that Albert works harder than anyone else,” Cardinals manager Tony La Russa says. “He works smarter too. He does everything for a purpose.”

But you know what? Work ethic — like consistency — doesn’t make for great storytelling either.

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess who worked really hard. Yes, every day she would get up and work. And she worked all day. And then she would go to bed and wake up the next morning and work hard again. The end.

So what’s there to say? Well, baseball writer and Boston Red Sox advisor Bill James may have come up with the best way to say something new about Pujols. In this week’s Sports Illustrated, Bill and I wrote about how Pujols might be the most perfect player in baseball history — perfect referring to a player that:
1. Was great in the big leagues from the start.
2. Did not have his career interrupted by anything — injuries, strikes, wars, feuds with management, suspensions or anything else.
3. Plays at a Hall of Fame level every single year.
We came to the conclusion that Pujols — even though he’s not even nine full years into his career — already belongs with the all-time greats, with Musial, Mays, Mantle, Aaron, Ruth, Williams, Gehrig, DiMaggio and so on. He hasn’t surpassed them, of course. But he’s in their club.

Here was the interesting thing … after the story was already done, Bill sent me an e-mail with this additional thought about Pujols:
“This is what I think is fascinating about him … that you have here a player whose talent level obviously is quite good, but whose production-vs.-talent ratio is like Craig Counsell’s or Ronnie Belliard’s … guys who really don’t have much ability but hang around forever because they do what they can do. I think Albert is like that.”

And you know what: That’s exactly right. That’s what makes Albert Pujols different, what separates him from most of the other superstars of his time. He does what he can do.

Take his defense. One of the reasons Pujols famously was not drafted until the 13th round was because many scouts did not think he had a true defensive position. But through constant practice and that fiery pride (again), he has become perhaps the best defensive first baseman in baseball. An analyst named John Dewan came up with a video system that helps him measure how many more (or fewer) plays a defender makes against average — and according to that, Pujols has made 88 more plays than the average first baseman. No one is even close.

“It’s important to me to play good defense,” Pujols says. “It’s important … I want to be a complete player. I would say I work as hard on my defense as I do my hitting.”

He works on all of it. Pujols is not fast at all, but according to people who watch him closely he is an above-average base runner. The numbers bear this out. He scores from second on a single about three-quarters of the time. He scores from first on doubles more than half the time. This year, he has stolen 10 bases and been caught only three times. “There isn’t a time,” La Russa says, “when Albert Pujols isn’t trying to beat you.”
There’s no doubt that much of this drive comes from Pujols’ childhood in Kansas City. Pujols came to Kansas City when he was 16 — from the Dominican Republic, through New York — and what he remembers most about those early days was how desperate and alone he felt. He could not speak English. He did not know anyone or understand the world around him. If you ask Pujols what he has worked on hardest in his life, he might tell you that it was learning how to speak English and learning how to adapt to his new country.

“That was the hard part,” he says. “Baseball always came easy to me.”
And he admits that those sharp early months shaped him. He says that sometimes he still feels like that scared 16-year-old kid. He was a baseball star at Fort Osage High, but he did not get drafted. He went to Maple Woods Community College. He met his future wife, Dee Dee, at a club in Kansas City — and for a while she worked three jobs and he would babysit Isabella, who was born with Down Syndrome. They spent $150 on their wedding. Their honeymoon was in Peoria, Ill., Albert’s first minor-league stop after he was drafted by St. Louis. It’s not an uncommon story … but Pujols makes it clear that those early times still drive him.

Prove himself. That was the obsession. He had to prove himself. He had to show people that he was a great baseball player. And even when he did prove himself — even when he made the Cardinals after only one full season in the minor leagues and then went on to one of the greatest rookie seasons in baseball history (.329, 37 homers, 130 RBIs) — he did not feel proven. He had to improve his defense, his base running, his leadership. He had to win a World Series. He had to do these things and more, much more. He had to get better every single year or else … what? He didn’t want to know.

Yes, Bill James called it just right: He plays like he’s an outsider just trying to make the club. Does it make for a great story? Maybe not. But it makes for a great ballplayer.

“What’s so special to me about Albert,” La Russa says, “is that he hasn’t changed one bit. I can’t even tell you how hard that is. You look at all he’s accomplished, and he’s the same guy that he was the first time I saw him. And I think he will always be that same guy.

”http://www.kansascity.com/666/story/1318931.html

jidar

07-12-2009, 12:02 PM

Yeah.. I guess it's true. Pujols is so good he isn't even worth talking about. He's almost too good.

SPchief

07-12-2009, 12:06 PM

cough roids cough

BWillie

07-12-2009, 12:08 PM

Yeah, he's better than AROD. Definitely. I think if Pujols really wanted to he could hit 70 home runs and bat .260

smittysbar

07-12-2009, 12:09 PM

cough roids cough

BS

Skip Towne

07-12-2009, 12:22 PM

Yeah, he's better than AROD. Definitely. I think if Pujols really wanted to he could hit 70 home runs and bat .260

Why haven't the Yankees signed him yet?

Frazod

07-12-2009, 12:36 PM

cough roids cough

Do you really think if Pujols was taking steroids some butthurt east coast reporter wouldn't have burned him down by now? They'd love nothing more than to ruin him.

I had this conversation with Bearcat at the game yesterday. It's too bad for Kansas City that they didn't draft this guy, but if they had, he'd be playing in New York right now, just like Beltran. Would you rather see him in St. Louis or New York?

So please, get over your butthurt. It's not the Cardinals' fault the Royals suck.

BigRedChief

07-12-2009, 12:44 PM

Why haven't the Yankees signed him yet?
Because he plays in the best baseball town in America.
The Cardinals can afford a top ten payroll.
The Cards are usually contenders for a playoff spot.
Already been to 2 World Series's during his career.

wild1

07-12-2009, 12:57 PM

Do you really think if Pujols was taking steroids some butthurt east coast reporter wouldn't have burned him down by now? They'd love nothing more than to ruin him.

I had this conversation with Bearcat at the game yesterday. It's too bad for Kansas City that they didn't draft this guy, but if they had, he'd be playing in New York right now, just like Beltran. Would you rather see him in St. Louis or New York?

So please, get over your butthurt. It's not the Cardinals' fault the Royals suck.

Well every team in the league passed on him what, 18 or 20 times. There wasn't some special insight that landed him with the Cardinals, he's just that one-in-a-thousand low round pick who blossomed into an all star.

I think it's hard to believe that even a small fish like Kansas City would have let him get away easily. KC locked up their franchise player, Sweeney, for big money over all his productive years plus a couple more. I really doubt that any team would have let him get away unless it was a rebuilding situation and for what a player like him would bring it might have been the right move. He is only one player out of 25 after all

POND_OF_RED

07-12-2009, 01:25 PM

"sensational" fielding from the gold glover in the 7th. :p

alanm

07-12-2009, 02:04 PM

Some guy on the Star web site posted about wondering who the 13 guys we drafted over Pujols were and where they are now.
:spock:
I'm thinking at least 11 are gone out of MLB or never made it to the show.

Halfcan

07-12-2009, 02:28 PM

cough roids cough

:shake: I have watched Pujols since he was a kid-his big turning point came with a local trainer. He went from a skinny kid with fast hands to a stud in a few years. He still trains with the same guy, the same way-and trains even harder now.

His Best years are ahead of him.

Frazod

07-12-2009, 02:28 PM

"sensational" fielding from the gold glover in the 7th. :p

Yeah, well, everybody's entitled to the occasional Buckner moment.

Probably won't do you any favors that he'll have some time to stew over it and play your guys again later tonight.

Halfcan

07-12-2009, 02:31 PM

Yeah, he's better than AROD. Definitely. I think if Pujols really wanted to he could hit 70 home runs and bat .260

He has a chance to his 60 this year and bat 330 or so. 170 plus RBI's

Those are crazy numbers. I predicted a MVP award for him before the season-and it looks like he will get it.

DeezNutz

07-12-2009, 02:31 PM

Well every team in the league passed on him what, 18 or 20 times. There wasn't some special insight that landed him with the Cardinals, he's just that one-in-a-thousand low round pick who blossomed into an all star.

I think it's hard to believe that even a small fish like Kansas City would have let him get away easily. KC locked up their franchise player, Sweeney, for big money over all his productive years plus a couple more. I really doubt that any team would have let him get away unless it was a rebuilding situation and for what a player like him would bring it might have been the right move. He is only one player out of 25 after all

Beltran was the franchise. Sweeney was something to try to appease the fans. Great hitter, but a DH. No DH is a team's cornerstone.

Yes, the Glass-led Royals would have let Pujols walk.

Hootie

07-12-2009, 02:37 PM

Frazod

07-12-2009, 02:45 PM

It's hard for me to respect LaRussa's opinion when it comes to work ethic when he CONSISTENTLY defended Mark McGwire during the steroid allegations brought upon by Canseco...

Do I think Pujols has cheated? Absolutely.

Do I have any reason for thinking so? (Manny Ramirez)

Is there any proof? I highly doubt it.

But if Manny and ARod proved us anything this year...you just can't get THAT good without help.

And if Pujols actually did get THAT good without help...damn guys like ARod and Manny for dragging him through the mud with them...

Because I bet if anyone did a poll among non-Cardinals fans...asked whether or not Pujols had ever done any PEDs...at least 50% would answer yes.

Your epic butthurt is always good for a laugh.

I'll repeat what I said earlier for certain Cub retards among us - if Albert was cheating somebody would have ruined his shit by now, just like A-Roid and Manny.

He's in a class with the best that ever played - we haven't had anybody play on that level for a long, long time and now there's ONE guy. Do you think Gehrig was on roids? Ruth? Williams? How about Cobb?

Idiot.

Halfcan

07-12-2009, 02:45 PM

Halfcan

07-12-2009, 02:46 PM

DeezNutz

07-12-2009, 02:52 PM

Your epic butthurt is always good for a laugh.

I'll repeat what I said earlier for certain Cub retards among us - if Albert was cheating somebody would have ruined his shit by now, just like A-Roid and Manny.

He's in a class with the best that ever played - we haven't had anybody play on that level for a long, long time and now there's ONE guy. Do you think Gehrig was on roids? Ruth? Williams? How about Cobb?

Idiot.

In fairness, it's a much different game with far greater athletes; it's harder to perform at an epic level today. Put Pujols in the game 50 years ago, and he would be, literally, killing people.

I'll be surprised if nothing eventually surfaces linking Albert to something. Prior to this year, everyone said the same thing about A-Rod...clean, no rumors, etc.

That said, it doesn't change my perception of Pujols as a player; he's amazing. Hope he's clean. Don't think he is, but hope so. And I have no animosity toward Card fans at all. If he were my guy, I'd own his jersey.

Hootie

07-12-2009, 02:53 PM

Pujols has one of the best swings ever. His legs and torso are so strong from training - he just drives the shit out of the ball.

Barry Bonds always had a great swing and had an .OPS over 1.100 almost every single season of his career...until it ballooned up into the 1.400 range during his steroid years...

I'm not butthurt...I loved Barry Bonds...I think he is the GREATEST player I've ever seen...with or without steroids...

If I were a Cardinals fan...I'd love Pujols, too...but that doesn't mean my opinion would change about the fact he has probably done PEDs...

and to be honest, I already miss the steroid era...not my body, and I like HR's and 100 MPH fastballs.

Frazod

07-12-2009, 02:56 PM

In fairness, it's a much different game with far greater athletes; it's harder to perform at an epic level today. Put Pujols in the game 50 years ago, and he would be, literally, killing people.

I'll be surprised if nothing eventually surfaces linking Albert to something. Prior to this year, everyone said the same thing about A-Rod...clean, no rumors, etc.

That said, it doesn't change my perception of Pujols as a player; he's amazing. Hope he's clean. Don't think he is, but hope so. And I have no animosity toward Card fans at all. If he were my guy, I'd own his jersey.

The flip side to that argument is what would the old timers do with today's training techniques and modern medicine? And how would the absence of those things adversely affected Albert had he played 50-60 years ago? There's really no way to answer that question, but IMO, great is timeless.

DeezNutz

07-12-2009, 02:58 PM

The flip side to that argument is what would the old timers do with today's training techniques and modern medicine? And how would the absence of those things adversely affected Albert had he played 50-60 years ago? There's really no way to answer that question, but IMO, great is timeless.

That's a great point. Assuming they would have displayed the necessary drive (not sure some of them would have), you're absolutely right.

Frazod

07-12-2009, 03:00 PM

Barry Bonds always had a great swing and had an .OPS over 1.100 almost every single season of his career...until it ballooned up into the 1.400 range during his steroid years...

I'm not butthurt...I loved Barry Bonds...I think he is the GREATEST player I've ever seen...with or without steroids...

If I were a Cardinals fan...I'd love Pujols, too...but that doesn't mean my opinion would change about the fact he has probably done PEDs...

and to be honest, I already miss the steroid era...not my body, and I like HR's and 100 MPH fastballs.

I'll bet Albert would hit 100 home runs in a season if he wore Bonds' Darth Vader arm brace. I think that helped him as much as the roids, if not more.

Bonds is an obvious cheater and a low life piece of shit. And he retired with the exact amount of rings he deserved - ZERO.

wild1

07-12-2009, 03:01 PM

Beltran was the franchise. Sweeney was something to try to appease the fans. Great hitter, but a DH. No DH is a team's cornerstone.

Yes, the Glass-led Royals would have let Pujols walk.

Beltran wanted out, he wouldn't even consider an extension. There is nothing they could do about that.

DeezNutz

07-12-2009, 03:03 PM

Beltran wanted out, he wouldn't even consider an extension. There is nothing they could do about that.

In his contract year, you're right.

But they sure as hell could have locked him up long before this.

wild1

07-12-2009, 03:05 PM

it's stupid to say Pujols is a roid creation. it's so stupid that it's not even worth the keystrokes it takes to explain why.

L.A. Chieffan

07-12-2009, 03:07 PM

it's stupid to say Pujols is a roid creation. it's so stupid that it's not even worth the keystrokes it takes to explain why.

why

wild1

07-12-2009, 03:07 PM

In his contract year, you're right.

But they sure as hell could have locked him up long before this.

I suppose they could have grossly overpaid him. Do you think it would have been to their credit to do that?

wild1

07-12-2009, 03:10 PM

why

because. if you don't know the difference between barry bonds and albert pujols' careers, you need a lot more work understanding baseball than any reasonable person would put in on a message forum debate

L.A. Chieffan

07-12-2009, 03:12 PM

because. if you don't know the difference between barry bonds and albert pujols' careers, you need a lot more work understanding baseball than any reasonable person would put in on a message forum debate

so you're saying it IS possible for pujols to have done PED, he's just followed a different career arc.

DeezNutz

07-12-2009, 03:13 PM

I suppose they could have grossly overpaid him. Do you think it would have been to their credit to do that?

I would have signed him to an extension at least 2 years before his contract year.

And, yes, it would be to their credit and GREAT benefit to have a player as talented as Beltran on the roster. Cost be damned.

milkman

07-12-2009, 03:15 PM

because. if you don't know the difference between barry bonds and albert pujols' careers, you need a lot more work understanding baseball than any reasonable person would put in on a message forum debate

I am not in any implying that Pujols is guilty of taking PEDs, so don't misinterpret this.

I'm not sure that the way their careers evolved differently really is any indication that Pojols has never taken PEDs.

DeezNutz

07-12-2009, 03:20 PM

so you're saying it IS possible for pujols to have done PED, he's just followed a different career arc.

He just started far earlier. Stupid Bonds.

Chill, Cards fans. Just noting the break in the logic.

Coltman

07-12-2009, 03:24 PM

American League, he would only be good, not great!!! Cardinal fans are the worst in MLB, believe me I have been there!

chiefzilla1501

07-12-2009, 03:30 PM

It's hard for me to respect LaRussa's opinion when it comes to work ethic when he CONSISTENTLY defended Mark McGwire during the steroid allegations brought upon by Canseco...

Do I think Pujols has cheated? Absolutely.

Do I have any reason for thinking so? (Manny Ramirez)

Is there any proof? I highly doubt it.

But if Manny and ARod proved us anything this year...you just can't get THAT good without help.

And if Pujols actually did get THAT good without help...damn guys like ARod and Manny for dragging him through the mud with them...

Because I bet if anyone did a poll among non-Cardinals fans...asked whether or not Pujols had ever done any PEDs...at least 50% would answer yes.

But you're forgetting the fact that for 2 years, steroids testing has been as rigorous as ever. And in many cases, you are seeing some players who were alleged steroid users start to really struggle at the plate. I don't care what anybody says--the fact that David Ortiz dropped from .330 to .260 to .222 is anything but a coincidence. I'm sure that the top targets in steroid testing are big HR guys like Pujols.

Pujols is still going remarkably strong after steroid testing. That doesn't mean he never used, but you would expect that if he was on the juice that his play would decline once he got off the juice, don't you think?

milkman

07-12-2009, 03:34 PM

American League, he would only be good, not great!!!

:spock:

Frazod

07-12-2009, 03:36 PM

American League, he would only be good, not great!!! Cardinal fans are the worst in MLB, believe me I have been there!

Right. He got his World Series ring by beating the Cubs. Never does anything in interleague play, either.

Moron. Go play in the traffic.

DeezNutz

07-12-2009, 03:37 PM

Dude's never done shit against the Royals, I'll tell you that much.

With a straight face, boys. Straight fucking face.

Demonpenz

07-12-2009, 03:54 PM

Pujols has great strength, balance, eye, intensity, and patience, and the ability to lay the wood on a roundish ball at the largest part of the bat every time he lets errr fly

BigRedChief

07-12-2009, 05:08 PM

American League, he would only be good, not great!!! Cardinal fans are the worst in MLB, believe me I have been there!ROFL
http://dontdatethatdude.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/idiot2.jpg

BigRedChief

07-12-2009, 05:13 PM

Dude's never done shit against the Royals, I'll tell you that much.

With a straight face, boys. Straight ****ing face.
:doh!:
He has a career batting average of .382 against the Royals, with 12 homers and 44 RBIs in 41 games.

“It’s nothing special. I’m just seeing good pitches and hitting them,” said Pujols, who has 12 homers in 27 career games at Kauffman Stadium.

DeezNutz

07-12-2009, 05:25 PM

:doh!:
He has a career batting average of .382 against the Royals, with 12 homers and 44 RBIs in 41 games.

“It’s nothing special. I’m just seeing good pitches and hitting them,” said Pujols, who has 12 homers in 27 career games at Kauffman Stadium.

It's a good thing I wasn't being sarcastic.

Saul Good

07-12-2009, 06:34 PM

I'm a big fan of his, and I hope he's never done steroids.

Gun to my head...he's done steroids.

Halfcan

07-12-2009, 06:55 PM

I'll bet Albert would hit 100 home runs in a season if he wore Bonds' Darth Vader arm brace. I think that helped him as much as the roids, if not more.

Bonds is an obvious cheater and a low life piece of shit. And he retired with the exact amount of rings he deserved - ZERO.

yep people forgot that arm brace-it probably added 30 homers a year. I cant believe they let him use it.

fuggin cheater

Chief Henry

07-12-2009, 07:48 PM

American League, he would only be good, not great!!! Cardinal fans are the worst in MLB, believe me I have been there!

You've been where, exactly ?

tk13

07-12-2009, 10:20 PM

In his contract year, you're right.

But they sure as hell could have locked him up long before this.
To be fair, they were going to trade him before his contract year but then we started winning in 2003 and there was no way you could do that in 1st place. I believe they almost traded him for a package that included Hank Blalock. Maybe I'm thinking of the wrong trade. So they built up the team for one more shot and it tanked. They were offering him extensions long before he was ever a FA... I forget the exact numbers but Baird said publicly years before he was a FA that nothing was ever going to happen until Boras' offers became more realistic. Who knows what they were back then. I do know Jayson Stark wrote that when Beltran hit FA that Boras was telling "certain teams" that they'd have to offer 10 years and $200 million for him to even consider their team.

DeezNutz

07-12-2009, 10:29 PM

To be fair, they were going to trade him before his contract year but then we started winning in 2003 and there was no way you could do that in 1st place. I believe they almost traded him for a package that included Hank Blalock. Maybe I'm thinking of the wrong trade. So they built up the team for one more shot and it tanked. They were offering him extensions long before he was ever a FA... I forget the exact numbers but Baird said publicly years before he was a FA that nothing was ever going to happen until Boras' offers became more realistic. Who knows what they were back then. I do know Jayson Stark wrote that when Beltran hit FA that Boras was telling "certain teams" that they'd have to offer 10 years and $200 million for him to even consider their team.

It's hard to say what is and isn't true about this situation. Some reports say that the parties were only $1M apart in securing an extension, but Baird couldn't get the green light for the additional funds and Beltran and co. wouldn't come down.

Also, the trade supposedly had to be done for players who were, or nearly were, ML ready. Obviously this puts a terrible constraint on the level of return.

Eh. It's just frustrating water under the bridge now. But I completely agree with your main point that the mirage of 2003 did the organization no favors.

tk13

07-12-2009, 10:56 PM

I don't believe that for a second. Beltran was testing free agency. Thinking otherwise is fantasyland. He was not agreeing to any reasonable long term contract in KC.

DeezNutz

07-12-2009, 11:00 PM

Maybe. Definitely the case in '04. Sure would have liked to have heard a definitive answer in '01 or '02.

Hootie

07-12-2009, 11:56 PM

yep people forgot that arm brace-it probably added 30 homers a year. I cant believe they let him use it.

fuggin cheater

ROFLROFLROFL

This is just fucking ridiculous.

Ultra Peanut

07-12-2009, 11:57 PM

I think him a butt

Reaper16

07-13-2009, 12:04 AM

I have an open mind when I ask this question: What advantage did Bonds' arm brace supposedly give him?

Frazod

07-13-2009, 12:06 AM

ROFLROFLROFL

This is just fucking ridiculous.

No, the ridiculous part is that MLB allowed him to wear the fucking thing in the first place.

30 is probably a bit much, but it is undeniable that it helped him. The brace (a) gave him a uniform swing every time, and (b) allowed him to crowd the plate without worrying about getting hit on the arm.

Reaper16

07-13-2009, 12:08 AM

Why don't more players wear an arm brace then, if the benefits are so tremendous?

Hootie

07-13-2009, 12:14 AM

Frazod

07-13-2009, 12:15 AM

Why don't more players wear an arm brace then, if the benefits are so tremendous?

I think you need an excuse first. Bonds initially needed the brace after surgery in '92.

Why he still needed it more than a decade later, well, draw your own conclusions.

http://stickandballguy.com/blog/2007/08/07/the-dirt-on-bonds-armor/

Hootie

07-13-2009, 12:16 AM

wow...

called that...

citing a friggin' blogger...

whooopdeedoo...

Here's my blog:

Pujols has done PEDs...look at how big he is...look how far he hits HRs...PEDs!

Show me a credible journalist that talks about his elbow armor as some sort of "unfair advantage" and maybe your stance on that matter might not sound so moronic.

Frazod

07-13-2009, 12:24 AM

Frazod read it from some bitter blogger who wanted to become famous...that's why you never heard such an absurd claim from any professionals...because no fucking elbow armor is going to turn you into a guy who hits a HR at will...a guy who has perfect vision and plate discipline...

Frazod just hates everything and is a bitter, bitter man...

Barry Bonds > Albert Pujols

and that's not to say that Pujols isn't phenomenal...because he is...but no one in the last decade has even come close to sniffing Bonds' jock when it comes to hitting...

and 1 YEAR AGO we KNEW ARod and Manny were clean...

Right now we KNOW Pujols has never taken any PEDs...

Say his name shows up on that 2003 list...would anyone really be THAT surprised?

Was anyone really that surprised about ARod or Manny?

LMAO

I know you've grown fond of Bonds since you suck his dick so often, but he's still a cheating piece of shit, his record is a tainted sick joke, and he couldn't hold Pujols' jock. Nothing good is ever said about him and his own team took down the mementos of his accomplisments because HE'S A FUCKING EMBARRASSMENT.

And I love how you cry and whine about how I hate everything when I'm just bashing one guy (well, one guy and his bitch). But I must tell you, watching your team win a World Series every now and then cures bitterness rather effectively.

Not that you'll ever know, you loser punk. ROFL

tk13

07-13-2009, 01:19 AM

I think lots of people talked about the body armor back in the day. They got on Bonds about it... said the same thing about Craig Biggio. He had elbow armor and got HBP all the time. I don't know about it helping anyone hit any HR's, but people definitely talked about it going overboard.

http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/web/COM1036657/index.htm

BigRedChief

07-13-2009, 06:31 AM

ESPN: Pujols is the perfect player
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/allstar09/columns/story?columnist=kurkjian_tim&page=090713pujols_hitting

Braves third baseman Chipper Jones, a future Hall of Famer, calls Albert Pujols "the greatest right-handed hitter I've ever seen.'' Gary Sheffield, a member of the 500 home run club, calls Pujols "the best hitter I've ever seen because he has done it since day one.''

Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, one the greatest hitters ever, agreed with Sheffield, then went a step further about the terms in which we might speak about Pujols in 20 years.

"I used to say that Barry Bonds is the greatest hitter I've ever seen, but Albert has taken it to a different level,'' Gwynn said. "From the first year he got to the major leagues to right now, it's just unbelievable the numbers he has put up. He never has a valley. He makes outs like everyone else, but he has had no struggles in 8½ years.

HE'S NO. 1

Pujols leads all MLB hitters in the following offensive categories in 2009:
<TABLE sizset="17" sizcache="8"><THEAD><TR><TH>STAT</TH><TH>#'S</TH></TR></THEAD><TBODY sizset="17" sizcache="8"><TR class=last sizset="17" sizcache="8"><TD sizset="17" sizcache="8">HR (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/stats/batting?split=0&league=mlb&season=2009&seasonType=2&sort=homeRuns&type=reg&ageMin=17&ageMax=51&state=0&college=0&country=0&hand=a&pos=all&startDate=null&endDate=null&minpa=0)</TD><TD>32</TD></TR><TR class=last sizset="18" sizcache="8"><TD class=alt-bg sizset="18" sizcache="8">RBI (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/stats/batting?split=0&league=mlb&season=2009&seasonType=2&sort=RBIs&type=reg&ageMin=17&ageMax=51&state=0&college=0&country=0&hand=a&pos=all&startDate=null&endDate=null&minpa=0)</TD><TD class=alt-bg>87</TD></TR><TR class=last sizset="19" sizcache="8"><TD sizset="19" sizcache="8">OBP (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/stats/batting?split=0&league=mlb&season=2009&seasonType=2&sort=onBasePct&type=reg&ageMin=17&ageMax=51&state=0&college=0&country=0&hand=a&pos=all&startDate=null&endDate=null&minpa=0)</TD><TD>.456</TD></TR><TR class=last sizset="20" sizcache="8"><TD class=alt-bg sizset="20" sizcache="8">SLG (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/stats/batting?split=0&league=mlb&season=2009&seasonType=2&sort=slugAvg&type=reg&ageMin=17&ageMax=51&state=0&college=0&country=0&hand=a&pos=all&startDate=null&endDate=null&minpa=0)</TD><TD class=alt-bg>.723</TD></TR><TR class=last sizset="21" sizcache="8"><TD sizset="21" sizcache="8">OPS (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/stats/batting?split=0&league=mlb&season=2009&seasonType=2&sort=OPS&type=reg&ageMin=17&ageMax=51&state=0&college=0&country=0&hand=a&pos=all&startDate=null&endDate=null&minpa=0)</TD><TD>1.179</TD></TR><TR class=last sizset="22" sizcache="8"><TD class=alt-bg sizset="22" sizcache="8">R (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/stats/batting?split=0&league=mlb&season=2009&seasonType=2&sort=runs&type=reg&ageMin=17&ageMax=51&state=0&college=0&country=0&hand=a&pos=all&startDate=null&endDate=null&minpa=0)</TD><TD class=alt-bg>73</TD></TR><TR class=last sizset="23" sizcache="8"><TD sizset="23" sizcache="8">BB (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/stats/batting?split=0&league=mlb&season=2009&seasonType=2&sort=walks&type=reg&ageMin=17&ageMax=51&state=0&college=0&country=0&hand=a&pos=all&startDate=null&endDate=null&minpa=0)</TD><TD>71</TD></TR><TR class=last sizset="24" sizcache="8"><TD class=alt-bg sizset="24" sizcache="8">IBB (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/stats/batting?split=0&league=mlb&season=2009&seasonType=2&sort=intentionalWalks&type=exp&ageMin=17&ageMax=51&state=0&college=0&country=0&hand=a&pos=all&startDate=null&endDate=null&minpa=0)</TD><TD class=alt-bg>32</TD></TR><TR class=last sizset="25" sizcache="8"><TD sizset="25" sizcache="8">XBH (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/stats/batting?split=0&league=mlb&season=2009&seasonType=2&sort=extraBaseHits&type=exp&ageMin=17&ageMax=51&state=0&college=0&country=0&hand=a&pos=all&startDate=null&endDate=null&minpa=0)</TD><TD>55</TD></TR><TR class=last sizset="26" sizcache="8"><TD class=alt-bg sizset="26" sizcache="8">TB (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/stats/batting?split=0&league=mlb&season=2009&seasonType=2&sort=totalBases&type=exp&ageMin=17&ageMax=51&state=0&college=0&country=0&hand=a&pos=all&startDate=null&endDate=null&minpa=0)</TD><TD class=alt-bg>222</TD></TR><TR class=last sizset="27" sizcache="8"><TD sizset="27" sizcache="8">AB/HR (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/stats/batting?sort=atBatsPerHomeRun&split=0&league=mlb&season=2009&seasonType=2&type=sab&ageMin=17&ageMax=51&minpa=0&hand=a&pos=all&startDate=null&endDate=null&qual=true&count=127)</TD><TD>9.6</TD></TR><TR class=last sizset="28" sizcache="8"><TD class=alt-bg sizset="28" sizcache="8">RC (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/stats/batting?split=0&league=mlb&season=2009&seasonType=2&sort=runsCreated&type=sab&ageMin=17&ageMax=51&state=0&college=0&country=0&hand=a&pos=all&startDate=null&endDate=null&minpa=0"")</TD><TD class=alt-bg>93.9</TD></TR><TR class=last sizset="29" sizcache="8"><TD sizset="29" sizcache="8">RC27 (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/stats/batting?split=0&league=mlb&season=2009&seasonType=2&sort=runsCreatedPer27Outs&type=sab&ageMin=17&ageMax=51&state=0&college=0&country=0&hand=a&pos=all&startDate=null&endDate=null&minpa=0)</TD><TD>11.47</TD></TR><TR class=last sizset="30" sizcache="8"><TD class=alt-bg sizset="30" sizcache="8">ISOP (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/stats/batting?split=0&league=mlb&season=2009&seasonType=2&sort=isolatedPower&type=sab&ageMin=17&ageMax=51&state=0&college=0&country=0&hand=a&pos=all&startDate=null&endDate=null&minpa=0)</TD><TD class=alt-bg>.391</TD></TR><TR class=last sizset="31" sizcache="8"><TD sizset="31" sizcache="8">SECA (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/stats/batting?split=0&league=mlb&season=2009&seasonType=2&sort=secondaryAvg&type=sab&ageMin=17&ageMax=51&state=0&college=0&country=0&hand=a&pos=all&startDate=null&endDate=null&minpa=0)</TD><TD>.645</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

"Consistency is the thing you look for in a hitter, and no one in today's game has been more consistent than Albert. Look at all the things he can do: hit, hit for power, drive in a run, hit down in the count, late in the game, uses the whole park. You take all of the things in the pie, and he has them all. There are a lot of great hitters out there, but there's only one Albert.''

Five years ago, Gwynn was asked to name the hitter that most reminded him of himself. It was expected that he might name a contact hitter, a singles hitter, such as Ichiro, who hits the ball to all fields with amazing bat control, which is what made Gwynn the best hitter -- for average -- since Ted Williams. Gwynn didn't say Ichiro. He said it was Albert Pujols.
"I still feel that way,'' Gwynn said. "He has the ability, more than anyone else in the game, to hit the ball where it's pitched, and he hits it there with great power. He never takes that pitch away from him and tries to hook it down the left-field line. Instead, he crushes it to right-center field. That's because he has the ability to stay back.

"He never looks fast up there. He is always in control. He is so prepared. He never goes to the plate with a predetermined notion about what's going to happen. It doesn't matter what the pitcher does, he's going to attack it, and attack it with power. When a hitter comes to the plate, a pitcher stands on that rubber, looks at the plate and asks himself, 'Are you a threat?' If you are, then I'm not coming at you. I can't believe he gets anything good to hit.''

Gwynn never struck out more than 40 times in any season, and averaged a strikeout every 21.4 at-bats. Last season, 90 players struck out 100 times, while Pujols struck out 54 times. After his rookie season, in which he struck out 93 times, Pujols has never struck out as many as 70 times in a season. In 2006, he hit 49 home runs and struck out 50 times. Through Friday, he had 32 home runs and 35 strikeouts, a ridiculous ratio in today's game.

"For him to only strike out 50 or 60 times every season, if that, is amazing,'' Gwynn said. "The trick is, he never seems to get fooled up there because he is so smart, he's so disciplined and he's so strong in his lower half. It seems like the only outs he makes are good outs, he squares the ball almost every time. What he is able to do better than anyone is make it look like he's in control all the time, not the guy on the mound. He dictates the action, not the guy with the ball. When a pitcher knows he's not in charge, he is in trouble.''

Gwynn, a career .338 hitter, and Ted Williams are the only players with career averages that high to play after 1938. They shared a special bond, one that revolved around hitting. When asked where Pujols might end up if he continues on this pace, Gwynn didn't hesitate.

"I had a great relationship with Ted, I spent a lot of time with him, you know that,'' Gwynn said. "He used to say that he wanted to walk down the street and have people say, 'There goes the greatest hitter ever.' That's where Albert Pujols is headed. He's only done it for nine years, but I really believe that's where he's headed.''

WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Watching Albert Pujols is history in the making. Check out where he already ranks all time in several key categories for players age 29 and under. The minimum requirement for each is 3,000 at-bats.
<TABLE><THEAD><TR><TH>RNK</TH><TH>Best OPS+</TH><TH>Most HR</TH><TH>Best SLG</TH><TH>Most RC</TH><TH>Best ISO</TH></TR></THEAD><TBODY><TR class=last><TD>1.</TD><TD>Ruth 219</TD><TD>Rodriguez 429</TD><TD>Ruth .712</TD><TD>Foxx 1,511</TD><TD>Ruth .361</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD class=alt-bg>2.</TD><TD class=alt-bg>Williams 196</TD><TD class=alt-bg>Griffey 398</TD><TD class=alt-bg>Williams .640</TD><TD class=alt-bg>Mantle 1,451</TD><TD class=alt-bg>Greenberg .299</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD>3.</TD><TD>Hornsby 183</TD><TD>Foxx 379</TD><TD>Gehrig .640</TD><TD>Ott 1,423</TD><TD>PUJOLS .297</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD class=alt-bg>4.</TD><TD class=alt-bg>Thomas 182</TD><TD class=alt-bg>Mantle 374</TD><TD class=alt-bg>PUJOLS .631</TD><TD class=alt-bg>Rodiguez 1,412</TD><TD class=alt-bg>Gehrig .297</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD>5.</TD><TD>Gehrig 182</TD><TD>Mathews 370</TD><TD>Foxx .628</TD><TD>Hornsby 1,314</TD><TD>Foxx .294</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD class=alt-bg>6.</TD><TD class=alt-bg>Cobb 182</TD><TD class=alt-bg>PUJOLS 350</TD><TD class=alt-bg>Greenberg .625</TD><TD class=alt-bg>PUJOLS 1,294</TD><TD class=alt-bg>Kiner .290</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD>7.</TD><TD>Mantle 175</TD><TD>A. Jones 342</TD><TD>Klein .618</TD><TD>Cobb 1,286</TD><TD>Williams .286</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD class=alt-bg>8.</TD><TD class=alt-bg>PUJOLS 172</TD><TD class=alt-bg>Aaron 342</TD><TD class=alt-bg>Helton .616</TD><TD class=alt-bg>Griffey 1,279</TD><TD class=alt-bg>Belle .285</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD>9.</TD><TD>Musial 171</TD><TD>Ott 342</TD><TD>DiMaggio .607</TD><TD>Gehrig 1,270</TD><TD>Ramirez .282</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD class=alt-bg>10.</TD><TD class=alt-bg>Mize 169</TD><TD class=alt-bg>Gonzalez 340</TD><TD class=alt-bg>Thomas .600</TD><TD class=alt-bg>Aaron 1,249</TD><TD class=alt-bg>Helton .279</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

BigRedChief

07-13-2009, 06:32 AM

Cont.....
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/allstar09/columns/story?columnist=kurkjian_tim&page=090713pujols_bestpitch

There is a difference between a great base stealer and a great baserunner: Rickey Henderson was a great base stealer; Paul Molitor was a great baserunner. You don't have to steal bases to be a great baserunner -- no one was better than Joe DiMaggio, and he stole 30 bases in his career. Cal Ripken was a great baserunner; he stole 36 bases in his career.

Albert Pujols is a great baserunner. He has 10 steals this year, and 55 in his career, but running the bases well is about getting a secondary lead so you can score from second on a single, or go from first to third to get the winning run 90 feet from home with fewer than two outs.

Few players in the game do that better than Pujols, and few in the past 20 years did it better than former Expos/Rockies great Larry Walker, who played parts of two years with Pujols.

"He's very good,'' Walker said. "He's daring. He does things on the bases that you wouldn't tell someone to do. He does things that are out of the ordinary. He takes chances. As a baserunner, you can't be afraid to take a chance. Albert isn't afraid of anything.''

Pujols is listed at 230 pounds, but looks bigger. Walker also looked bigger than his listed weight.

"He has deceptive speed,'' Walker said. "He's like me. People thought I was a big, giant lumberjack, but I was faster than people thought. So is Albert. He reminds me of [hockey star] Peter Forsberg. He has eyes in the back of his head. He knows where he is all the time on the ice. He always knows where he is, where the puck is and where the defender is.

"Albert is that way. He has eyes in the back of his head on the bases. He always knows where he is, where the ball is and where the defender is. He never makes the third out at third base.''

So where does that come from?

"It's instinct,'' Walker said. "It's just a feeling that you know where you are out there. You can't run scared or timid. I don't know where I got it from and I don't know where he got it from. When I got to professional ball, I couldn't get the ball out of the cage. I didn't even know the rules of the game. So, I learned how to run the bases because I had to learn everything about the game having not played it much growing up. But I'm sure Albert knew how to play the game because, unlike me, he played it so much when he was a kid.''

Walker said Pujols is an extremely intelligent player, including on the bases.

"He doesn't always turn it on,'' Walker said. "He won't run 100 percent on a ball hit to the outfield because he knows he can't go from first to third on that play anyway. The next time, the outfielder will be looking down at the ball, not thinking Albert is going anywhere, and the next thing he knows, Albert is halfway to third. He dekes the fielders.''

<TABLE><TBODY><TR class=last><TD>Braves manager Bobby Cox is 68 years old, he played two years in the major leagues, and he has managed in the majors for the past 32 years. He hasn't seen it all, but he has seen a lot.
And he says, "Albert Pujols might be the best defensive first baseman I've ever seen. A runner who is on second with no one out had better not jog his way to third on a ground ball to the right side because Albert, with that arm, might just throw him out at third.''

Former Cardinals great Ozzie Smith hasn't seen as much as Cox, but Smith is, by most measures, the best defensive shortstop ever, and maybe the best defensive player at any position. He knows defense like Tony Gwynn knows hitting, and he knows Pujols' ability.

"Albert is so great offensively, he doesn't get enough credit for his defense,'' said Smith. "He's one of the best. He's a throwback player. He understands the game. He's always thinking. You have to be that way to be a great defender. He's always in the right place.''

Smith has been watching Pujols play for nine years. The improvement has been striking.
"Albert has great instincts on defense, which is critical to being a great defensive player,'' Smith said. "He isn't afraid to throw the ball around.

"I played with another great defensive first baseman who wasn't afraid to throw: Keith Hernandez. I remember seeing Albert as a young player. I'd join Mike [Shannon] in the booth and I told him, 'This guy is going to win Gold Gloves some day at first base.'

"It's the way he reacts, the way he drives himself to be great. He has always done that. He's fun to watch at first base.''

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

[B]WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Albert Pujols won an NL Gold Glove Award in 2006. But is he really that good defensively? Here are four different defensive metrics -- the plus/minus ratings and the 2008 Fielding Bible Award voting results from "The Bill James Handbook 2009," ultimate zone rating from fangraphs.com, and 2009 range factor numbers from ESPN.com. And Pujols is No. 1 in each one.
<TABLE><THEAD><TR><TH>RNK</TH><TH>Plus/Minus
2006-08

</TH><TH>Fielding Bible
2008 voting, 1B

</TH><TH>UZR among 1B
Past 3 years

</TH><TH>Range Factor
2009

</TH></TR></THEAD><TBODY><TR class=last><TD>1.</TD><TD>Pujols +82</TD><TD>Pujols 90</TD><TD>Pujols 25.7</TD><TD>Pujols 10.78</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD>2.</TD><TD>Kotchman +42</TD><TD>Teixeira 88</TD><TD>Youkilis 14.1</TD><TD>Helton 10.58</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD>3.</TD><TD>Overbay +32</TD><TD>Kotchman 66</TD><TD>Kotchman 13.1</TD><TD>N. Johnson 10.11</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD>4.</TD><TD>Mientkiewicz +26</TD><TD>Helton 54</TD><TD>Helton 12.4</TD><TD>LaRoche 10.00</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD>5.</TD><TD>Youkilis +25</TD><TD>Overbay 53</TD><TD>Overbay 7.8</TD><TD>Overbay 9.98</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

BigRedChief

07-13-2009, 06:39 AM

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/allstar09/columns/story?columnist=kurkjian_tim&page=090713pujols_bestpitch

Jim Palmer is one of the greatest pitchers of all time. Among his accomplishments: He never gave up a grand slam in 3,948 innings. He walked 14 batters with the bases loaded in his career because he knew each one might get him for four runs. He knew he could get the next guy out, so he unintentionally intentionally walked those 14 batters.

So, if the situation called for it, would Palmer walk Albert Pujols with the bases loaded?

"Of course I would,'' Palmer said. "The first thing that a pitcher has to understand is that Albert is better than you. I faced Al Kaline for the first time when I was 19 years old. I struck him out on three pitches. The next at-bat, he hit a two-strike changeup off the foul pole for a home run. The next at-bat, he hit a 97-mph fastball down and away to right field for a single. Right then, I thought to myself, 'OK, he's better than I am.' [George] Brett was that way. [Rod] Carew was that way. And Albert Pujols has always been that way.''

PUJOLS VS. THE BEST

Pujols has faced 16 former Cy Young Award winners during his career. How has he fared? Check out the numbers:
<TABLE><THEAD><TR><TH></TH><TH>HR/RBI</TH><TH>BA/OPS/SLG</TH></TR></THEAD><TBODY><TR class=last><TD>Roger Clemens</TD><TD>0/1</TD><TD>.308/.400/.308</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD class=alt-bg>Bartolo Colon</TD><TD class=alt-bg>1/1</TD><TD class=alt-bg>.500/.500/2.000</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD>Eric Gagne</TD><TD>0/1</TD><TD>.250/.555/.250</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD class=alt-bg>Tom Glavine</TD><TD class=alt-bg>0/3</TD><TD class=alt-bg>.391/.444/.391</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD>Roy Halladay</TD><TD>0/0</TD><TD>.000/.000/.000</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD class=alt-bg>Randy Johnson</TD><TD class=alt-bg>5/13</TD><TD class=alt-bg>.458/.500/1.208</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD>Cliff
Lee

</TD><TD>0/0</TD><TD>.200/.429/.200</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD class=alt-bg>Tim Lincecum</TD><TD class=alt-bg>0/0</TD><TD class=alt-bg>.375/.444/.500</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD>Greg Maddux</TD><TD>3/6</TD><TD>.341/.333/.585</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD class=alt-bg>Pedro Martinez</TD><TD class=alt-bg>0/1</TD><TD class=alt-bg>.154/.214/.308</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD>Jake Peavy</TD><TD>2/6</TD><TD>.350/.458/.700</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD class=alt-bg>CC Sabathia</TD><TD class=alt-bg>0/0</TD><TD class=alt-bg>.111/.111/.111</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD>Johan Santana</TD><TD>1/2</TD><TD>.375/.375/.750</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD class=alt-bg>John Smoltz</TD><TD class=alt-bg>3/5</TD><TD class=alt-bg>368/.400/.895</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD>Brandon Webb</TD><TD>0/2</TD><TD>.217/.308/.261</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD class=alt-bg>Barry Zito</TD><TD class=alt-bg>2/8</TD><TD class=alt-bg>.500/.625/1,200</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD>TOTAL</TD><TD>17/48</TD><TD>.326/.440/.586</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Palmer shakes his head when he thinks about how other pitchers approach Pujols.

"I read the other day where Albert hit a three-run homer off the Reds, and [Reds reliever] David Weathers said they didn't want to pitch around him and put the tying run at second base, but the winning run is Albert Pujols!'' Palmer said.

"Why in the world would they pitch to Albert Pujols in that spot? He is better than you. I saw Sparky Anderson walk Eddie Murray with no one on base in the first inning of the game. Why pitch to anyone unless you have to? That doesn't mean that you walk him every time leading off the third inning, but you can't give him a chance to beat you because he will. Some of the numbers that are put up today don't seem real. But Albert's numbers are real.''

Palmer says what makes Pujols so difficult to handle is his rare combination of contact and power.

"Albert's bat stays on the hitting plane longer than anyone's in baseball,'' Palmer said. "He hits mistakes. He hits pitcher's pitches. You either make him take a pitch, or you walk him. It doesn't make sense to do anything else.

"I gave up nine home runs to Jim Rice, eight of them were solo home runs. I did the same with Reggie Jackson. And Albert is a better hitter than both of them. But if you're going to give up a home run, give it up on your terms, not his terms. I would never, ever let Albert beat me. Sometimes, you just have to subjugate your ego. Look, the guy might win the Triple Crown.''

Palmer says he can't find a weakness in Pujols.

"He has tremendous plate coverage,'' Palmer said. "He can't be intimidated. If you throw at him, it doesn't bother him. He has the advantage that only the great hitters have; he can hit the inside pitch fair. That's why Hank Aaron hit 755 home runs. You throw up and in to Albert, he doesn't hook it foul; he hits it hard in fair territory.

"His swing is so short and so direct to the ball. That's the way Frank Robinson was. I saw Frank hit every pitch imaginable. I saw him hit Dean Chance's best slider. I saw him it two balls over the bullpen at Memorial Stadium with one hand. That's what Albert can do. He's the same hitter. What he does is force a pitcher to be at his best. And even that usually isn't good enough.''

So, what does a pitcher do with someone this good?

Palmer laughed and said, "You walk him!''

WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Where do you want to pitch Pujols? Attack him inside? Pitch away from him? Attack the heart of the plate? Good luck. No matter where you pitch him, he's going to punish you. The same goes if you try to elevate the ball or bury it in the dirt. Courtesy of Inside Edge, here are his numbers over the past two years, based on pitch location:
<TABLE><THEAD><TR><TH>STAT</TH><TH>INSIDE</TH><TH>MIDDLE</TH><TH>AWAY</TH><TH>UP</TH><TH>MIDDLE</TH><TH>DOWN</TH></TR></THEAD><TBODY><TR class=last><TD>Batting Avg.</TD><TD>.371</TD><TD>.412</TD><TD>.305</TD><TD>.344</TD><TD>.403</TD><TD>.320</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD class=alt-bg>Slugging %</TD><TD class=alt-bg>.748</TD><TD class=alt-bg>.905</TD><TD class=alt-bg>.530</TD><TD class=alt-bg>.698</TD><TD class=alt-bg>.831</TD><TD class=alt-bg>.589</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD>Home Runs</TD><TD>15</TD><TD>32</TD><TD>22</TD><TD>16</TD><TD>27</TD><TD>26

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

BigRedChief

07-13-2009, 07:13 AM

USA Today joins the Pujols love fest:

<TABLE id=topTools cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols is batting cleanup for baseball</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
By Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY
ST. LOUIS — Major League Baseball's 80th All-Star Game is Tuesday, but this year it is Albert Pujols (http://fantasybaseball.usatoday.com/content/player.asp?sport=MLB&id=3165)' personal party.

The St. Louis Cardinals first baseman is having one of the greatest seasons in history, putting up numbers last approached by Babe Ruth, Hack Wilson and Jimmie Foxx more than 70 years ago. Yet, it is his 32 home runs, 85 RBI and .338 batting average that have drawn suspicion, leaving Pujols hurt and angry.

"I can understand people being disappointed with A-Rod and Manny," Pujols says of the New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez (http://fantasybaseball.usatoday.com/content/player.asp?sport=MLB&id=1981) and the Los Angeles Dodgers' Manny Ramirez (http://fantasybaseball.usatoday.com/content/player.asp?sport=MLB&id=1884), who have been ensnared in performance-enhancing drug controversies this year. "But just because Manny made a mistake, now I have to pay? Just because A-Rod made a mistake, now I have to pay? Oh, guilt by association? That's wrong.
(http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/flash.htm?gid=1052)

"For people to be suspicious of me because of the year I'm having and for people to say I just haven't been caught, that makes me angry and disappointed.

"I would never do any of that crap. You think I'm going to ruin my relationship with God just because I want to get better in this game? You think I'm going to ruin everything because of steroids?"

Pujols, who fell .012 points short in batting average of becoming the first player since Hank Aaron in 1957 to hold the Triple Crown at the All-Star break, has spent most of his 8½-year career putting up MVP numbers and building an impeccable reputation. But he has become more outspoken, talking about baseball's drug problem, players who don't respect the game and his future in St. Louis.

Pujols, 29, says he was tested six times last year as part of MLB's drug policy. But if that's not good enough, Pujols vows to take a test every day and, if he is caught using performance-enhancing drugs, he says, he will pay back the Cardinals every penny he has earned.

"Come test me every day if you want," says Pujols, who has the most home runs at the All-Star break since Barry Bonds (http://fantasybaseball.usatoday.com/content/player.asp?sport=MLB&id=1448) hit 39 and Luis Gonzalez (http://fantasybaseball.usatoday.com/content/player.asp?sport=MLB&id=1628) hit 35 in 2001. "Everything I ever made in this game I would give back to the Cardinals if I got caught."

Pujols realizes America is looking for a hero. He is volunteering, only if America will let him.

LOPRESTI COLUMN: Is St. Louis really that baseball-crazy? (http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/lopresti/2009-07-12-st-louis-baseball_N.htm)
BASEBALL PARADISE? St. Louis gets All-Star nod from players (http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2009-07-12-sw-stlouis-cover_N.htm)
TWITTER Quick hits from the All-Star Game from the USA TODAY staff (http://twitter.com/usatmlb)

"I can understand why people don't know who they can trust or their hero was caught," says Pujols, who has finished first or second in the National League MVP balloting in five of his eight seasons, with numbers remaining consistent before and since steroid testing began in 2003. "I want to be the guy people look up to. But I want to be the person who represents God, represents my family and represents the Cardinals the right way.
"So many people can't wait until I do something negative. I can't understand it. That's sad, because I want to be that poster boy in baseball. Just give me the chance."

Well-respected man
Pujols, who has three children with his wife, Deidre, and another baby on the way, goes to great lengths to maintain his untarnished image and uphold his deep religious beliefs. He doesn't drink or smoke. He doesn't have a tattoo or wear earrings. He doesn't go to bars, nightclubs or any place where his character could be assaulted.

"If we're in a hotel and a woman gets on the elevator by herself, I'll wait for the next one," Pujols says. "People have their agenda. You have to be careful who you can trust.

"It's the same thing with pictures. I'll have my picture taken on the field, but not off the field. Nowadays with photo technology, you can do so many things."

Pujols' on-field skills are admired by nearly every major leaguer, but he is also among the game's most respected players.

"He's my man," San Francisco Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval (http://fantasybaseball.usatoday.com/content/player.asp?sport=MLB&id=5533) says. "He's one I look up to. I think we all do."

Says Giant Randy Johnson (http://fantasybaseball.usatoday.com/content/player.asp?sport=MLB&id=1528), a five-time Cy Young Award winner, "I think Albert is the one guy in our game who could go to the opposition, say something, and they'd listen. That's how highly people regard him."
And the 6-3, 230-pounder is saying things more often, especially when it comes to showing respect for the game. The baseball cap should be worn properly. The jersey tucked. The back pockets in.

"I see teams take their jerseys out when the game is over," he says. "To me, that's not professional. I don't care what you do when you get off the field, but don't do it on the field. You don't want kids to see negative things."

Pujols, drafted in the 13th round in 1999, lives by his creed. He is in constant motion from the moment he enters the clubhouse five hours before game time until he departs late at night after lifting weights. Never is he clowning around, playing cards or watching TV.

"You've got to stay hungry," says Pujols, whose four grand slams this season are one shy of the NL record. "I see talent that is wasted after guys have one big year. I see players in the draft getting all of this money, thinking that guarantees them a trip to the big leagues.
"Just because you make $100 million, just because people say you're one of the best, doesn't mean you don't work hard."

Pujols' hard work has him on pace to go where only Ruth, Wilson and Foxx have been — a season with at least 50 home runs, 150 RBI and a .330 average. Then again, he already surpassed those Hall of Famers and every other player in history with at least 30 home runs and 100 RBI in his first eight seasons.

"It's as if he wants to not only be the best player today," Cardinals outfielder Chris Duncan (http://fantasybaseball.usatoday.com/content/player.asp?sport=MLB&id=691) says, "but the greatest player who ever played."

Free agency looms
Pujols received a record 5.3 million votes in All-Star Game fan voting and is eager to be the unofficial host of the festivities in his hometown, where he is scheduled to catch President Obama's first pitch Tuesday. He purchased a 24-person suite and tickets for 42 other friends and family members. It's a chance for everyone to celebrate his career and recognize he is the best player.

It also could be the prelude to his farewell.

Pujols, who signed a seven-year, $100 million contract in February 2004, is a free agent in two years. There are 16 players this year earning more than his $16 million salary, which includes four players who will be at the game. The question that haunts Cardinal Nation is whether the team will pay to keep him.

"I'm happy where I am and would love to be a Cardinal for the rest of my career," Pujols says. "If it's time for me to move on, I'll let God show me."
Pujols and the Cardinals have yet to open negotiations about a contract extension, but team owner Bill DeWitt says he hopes to begin talks this winter. For the Cardinals, time is running out.

"He knows we want him to be here, and we're going to make every effort to see that happen," DeWitt says.

Pujols is watching closely, trying to determine the Cardinals' plans. Will manager Tony La Russa, whom he adores, return? Will they be a big-time player in the free agent market? Or will they be content to keep their payroll below $100 million, leaving Pujols without adequate protection in the lineup?

"When you already made the money Albert has, you don't need to compromise," says Pujols' agent, Dan Lozano. "He is not going to chase the money. He wants to chase the rings."

The Cardinals, who haven't reached the playoffs since winning the World Series in 2006, enter the break in first. Yet there are fears of what will transpire in the second half. Pujols has been walked 71 times, including 32 intentionally, the most by any hitter outside Bonds since the stat became official in 1955.

It's this fear for Pujols, and the fact the cleanup hitters are batting .225 behind him, that could derail the season. It also could halt Pujols' bid to surpass Roger Maris' mark of 61 home runs, set in 1961. It since has been surpassed six times — all within a four-year period — and all by players linked to steroids. Pujols could become baseball's clean single-season home run king.

"I know I'm on the pace, but don't want to think about that," Pujols says. "To me, 62 isn't the record. You've got to hit 74. The king is still Barry."
But Pujols doesn't need the record to help his legacy. "History will be the litmus test," Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak says. "If he continues like this and there are no blemishes, he will go down as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, in an era that has been questioned."


<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=font-cn></TD></TR><TR><TD class=font-cn>Find this article at:
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</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

BigRedChief

07-13-2009, 07:20 AM

Interactive Graphic and video of Pujols swing from USA Today.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/nl/cardinals/albert-pujols-swing-graphic.htm

BigRedChief

07-13-2009, 08:23 AM

Frazod read it from some bitter blogger who wanted to become famous...that's why you never heard such an absurd claim from any professionals...because no ****ing elbow armor is going to turn you into a guy who hits a HR at will...a guy who has perfect vision and plate discipline...

Frazod just hates everything and is a bitter, bitter man...

Barry Bonds > Albert Pujols

and that's not to say that Pujols isn't phenomenal...because he is...but no one in the last decade has even come close to sniffing Bonds' jock when it comes to hitting...

and 1 YEAR AGO we KNEW ARod and Manny were clean...

Right now we KNOW Pujols has never taken any PEDs...

Say his name shows up on that 2003 list...would anyone really be THAT surprised?

Was anyone really that surprised about ARod or Manny?
"I can understand people being disappointed with A-Rod and Manny," Pujols says of the New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez and the Los Angeles Dodgers' Manny Ramirez, who have been ensnared in performance-enhancing drug controversies this year. "But just because Manny made a mistake, now I have to pay? Just because A-Rod made a mistake, now I have to pay? Oh, guilt by association? That's wrong.<O:p</O:p
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"For people to be suspicious of me because of the year I'm having and for people to say I just haven't been caught, that makes me angry and disappointed.<O:p</O:p
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"I would never do any of that crap. You think I'm going to ruin my relationship with God just because I want to get better in this game? You think I'm going to ruin everything because of steroids?

<O:p</O:pPujols, who fell .012 points short in batting average of becoming the first player since Hank Aaron in 1957 to hold the Triple Crown at the All-Star break, has spent most of his 8½-year career putting up MVP numbers and building an impeccable reputation. But he has become more outspoken, talking about baseball's drug problem, players who don't respect the game and his future in <ST1:p<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:City w:st="on">St. Louis.</st1:City>
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Pujols, 29, says he was tested six times last year as part of MLB's drug policy. But if that's not good enough, Pujols vows to take a test every day and, if he is caught using performance-enhancing drugs, he says, he will pay back the Cardinals every penny he has earned.

Frazod

07-13-2009, 08:47 AM

[begin Hoottierant]No! No! He's guity! He must be! Nobody can hit like that! Except Barry Bonds! Barry Bonds rules! I know everything! Cubs have no weaknesses! You hate everybody! WAAAAAAAAAA[end Hootierant]

Hootie

07-13-2009, 08:48 AM

heard it all before, BRC...

heard it with Sosa...

heard it with Arod...

Sosa got called out by Rick Reilly...ARod lied on 60 minutes...

If they ever release that list from 2003 and Pujols isn't listed...then maybe I'll start considering him innocent until proven guilty rather than vice versa...

Just my opinion on the matter, though...no one really knows.

BigRedChief

07-13-2009, 08:50 AM

Hootie

07-13-2009, 08:53 AM

Meh. I feel sorry for you, Frazod...all of the anger you have...you must have lived a pretty rough life...only explanation for the way you present yourself.

Pujols is CLEARLY the best hitter in baseball, has been since Bonds was blacklisted...no doubts. This year, Pujols is almost approaching the respect level of Bonds his last few years in my eyes...although I don't see him ever achieving a 61% OBP...

I said it before the season even started...people taking Hanley Ramirez over Albert Pujols in fantasy drafts were fuggin' nuts. Of course I drafted 2nd to last in both of my leagues...

Either way...PEDs don't really mean shit to me...Barry Bonds gave me a lot of "wow" moments...and I've seen a lot of epic at bats from Albert Pujols.

Shit, I was just watching a re-run of last years HR derby when Hamilton tore up the first round and it gave me chills...

Baseball is and will continued to be powered by the long ball if you ask me...which makes me miss the steroid era a little bit...back when Sosa and McGwire were hitting bombs left and right...that shit is exciting.

Not my body...better entertainment...more exciting fantasy box scores...

Hootie

07-13-2009, 08:55 AM

Did they say that if caught they would return every single penny?

That's just shock value talk...

That's like me saying...

"If Priest Holmes has 20 carries this season, I'll never post again!"

It's to emphasis a point...if Pujols accidentally took some banned supplement...or did something...or found his name on some banned list...he wouldn't repay a cent...everyone knows that.

Hootie

07-13-2009, 08:59 AM

and all you Cardinals fans think I'm bashing Pujols simply because I don't like the Cardinals...

I think the same thing about Ryan Howard...no doubt.

I mean, the only passes I gave to power hitters from the 90s are Griffey, Jr. and Frank Thomas. Those are the only two guys that would absolutely shock me if they had done steroids...

A guy like Prince Fielder probably gets a pass from me because I remember watching his dad blast HR's when I was a kid...since he was my dad's favorite player and all.

But hey...baseball did it to itself...like it or not, guys like Pujols are going to be looked at as guilty until proven innocent by a lot of fans...and really, how does he prove himself innocent?

My friends and I really have the same opinion about that, though...we don't give a flying fuck...which is why we all loved watching Barry Bonds...I don't think steroids had anything to do with the fact he only swung at strikes and was rarely, if ever, fooled by a pitch. Pujols is the closest thing I've seen to that...but he still can't hold Bonds jock...and that's not even close to a diss.

Saulbadguy

07-13-2009, 08:59 AM

Yes, he's great.

Take it to the Lambs board.

Frazod

07-13-2009, 09:13 AM

Yes, he's great.

Take it to the Lambs board.

No problem.

Be sure to keep all that Kansas State horseshit off the board as well, because we only allow talk about PROFESSIONAL football here.

Does that work for you?

Saulbadguy

07-13-2009, 09:26 AM

No problem.

Be sure to keep all that Kansas State horseshit off the board as well, because we only allow talk about PROFESSIONAL football here.

Does that work for you?

Until we take the U$C route i'll keep it off the board. When we start paying our players then can we be considered professional?

Frazod

07-13-2009, 09:32 AM

Until we take the U$C route i'll keep it off the board. When we start paying our players then can we be considered professional?

Sure, why not?

WilliamTheIrish

07-13-2009, 10:28 AM

Pujols has a few things going for him that, while superficial, go a long way toward steering the issue of PED's away from him.

1) Pujols is not a surly, arrogant cocksucking prick. Bonds was/is.

2) Pujols doesn't shit upon baseball history.

3) Pujols plays in a city where the media wouldn't dare criticize their "boy". The fans and media loved McJuicer during his run, but now call him a hired a gun. Horseshit.

4) He is not a surly, arrogant cocksucking prick. Bonds was/is.

5) Rinse and repeat 1 and 4.

Frazod

07-13-2009, 10:31 AM

WilliamTheIrish

07-13-2009, 10:40 AM

Careful. Hootie will get his punk friends to kick your ass.

hoots better bring the crew.

07-13-2009, 10:54 AM

BigRedChief

07-13-2009, 11:03 AM

Who needs Pujols when you have Mike Sweeney?
I give the Royals a pass on passing on Pujols. Was it 300 or 400 players that were picked in front of Pujols? A lot of teams whiffed.

Ultra Peanut

07-13-2009, 08:33 PM

I still think him a butt.

BigRedChief

09-04-2009, 01:46 PM

Blyleven: Meet Albert Pujols, the modern-day Babe
Through first nine seasons, Cardinals star stacks up with anyone
OPINION
By Bert Blyleven
updated 5:50 p.m. CT, Thurs., Sept . 3, 2009
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In his first eight-plus seasons at the Major League level, what Albert Pujols has been able to accomplish is simply amazing.

This year has been no exception. Through Tuesday’s games, he remained in the middle of the triple crown race, ranking fifth in the NL in batting average (.320), first in home runs (42) and third in RBIs (111). And this season has been right in line with most of the other seasons of his career.
He has four seasons with at least 40 homers, 35 doubles and 110 RBIs. Only Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig have accomplished that, and Pujols can stand alone with one more such season.

It might seem like it’s early in his career to compare Pujols to the all-time greats, but it really isn’t. This is his ninth season, and after 10 you are eligible for the Hall of Fame. Furthermore, Pujols is smack in the middle of his prime at 29 years old. There is no reason to think he can’t continue at a similar pace for years to come.

He's the best hitter of his era, and among the best who ever put on a major league uniform.

With that in mind, I compared Pujols to other great sluggers who I thought fit his success over the first nine full seasons of their careers. But of the current so-called steroid era, I only compared him to Ken Griffey, Jr. The others big sluggers from this era — Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, etc. — I won’t include in this discussion. (More on that below).

MORE THAN JUST A HITTER
As a former pitcher, you face guys who are good hitters who can hit .333. But what you look at is what they do with that .333 average. Not all of them are created equal. When you’re facing Pujols, it’s not like you’re facing a Wade Boggs or a Rod Carew, a Pete Rose or a Ty Cobb. What you’re facing is a guy who not only has a lot of hits, but they’re big hits. They’re doubles and home runs. They’re producing the most important part of the game, and that’s RBIs.

So when you’re comparing Pujols, you must compare him to the great sluggers who could also hit for average, Hall of Famers like Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig and Mickey Mantle. And dare I say, Babe Ruth?

In St. Louis, Cardinals fans will naturally compare Pujols to their last great player, Musial. Musial won three MVP awards, and Pujols is about to also win his third. But the two are different players. While Musial hit .347 in his first nine full seasons, 14 points higher than Pujols, Albert has far more home runs than Musial during that span. (See chart).
Ted Williams was a great hitter who also hit for power. But as good as he was, hitting .344 in his first nine full seasons (including .406 in 1941), he wasn’t quite the home run threat the Pujols is.

Frank Robinson’s numbers are not even close to Albert Pujols in his first nine years, and he was one of the best clutch hitters in baseball. And Griffey had dangerous power, but not the RBI total or the batting average.

Statistically, the closest to Pujols might be Jimmie Foxx, who saw his first action in the majors at the age of 17 and became a regular at 20. In his first nine full seasons, Foxx had 21 fewer homers than Pujols, yet more RBIs and a slightly better average. Gehrig is also a close match.

But I don’t think anyone has been more consistent than Pujols. It is difficult to compare numbers from one era to the other. The ballparks are different, the pitchers are different, the mounds are different, but when you come right down to it, Albert Pujols really is the modern day Babe Ruth.

STANDING ALONE IN HIS ERA
I don’t know Albert personally, but from what I’ve heard he’s very much a family-oriented, and very dedicated to the game of baseball. He’s there to play, and very seldom will he miss a game.

If Pujols stays healthy, and continues to average 150-155 games a year, he could even surpass Hank Aaron in the home run department.
I know Barry Bonds is the all-time home run leader, but I’m not including guys like that who tarnished the game of baseball by using steroids.
What impresses me about Pujols is the type of man that he is. He showed his personality at the All-Star Game. He represented St. Louis and took a lot of pride in that. He came out and said ‘I’m here representing the Cardinals, and I want everyone to have a great time.’ He’s a great spokesperson, a great example of what the young players should live up to. Everything a father would want his son to grow up to be like.
He has spoken out against steroids, and I commend him for that. You hope and pray that he’s telling the truth, and I have a feeling that he is. If anything, he would deface everything that he stands for if he ever came back testing positive for steroids. That would be a shame for everything that he represents.

He has so many followers because of his attitude. He has spoken out against steroids and thinks that it’s not right. He thinks steroids have tarnished the game. In the end, it will be up to the writers to determine whether those caught using steroids go into the Hall of Fame or not. You can see that Pujols respects the game. I don’t think he’s cheated the game of baseball at all.

If it turned out that he did, that would be the saddest day in the game of baseball.

Bert Blyleven writes regularly for NBCSports.com, and is a former two-time All-Star who won 287 games during his 22 seasons in the major leagues. He is currently a broadcaster for the Minnesota Twins.
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BigRedChief

09-04-2009, 02:23 PM

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/A34B97533108A7C786257627000A2C90?OpenDocument (http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/A34B97533108A7C786257627000A2C90?OpenDocument)

St. Louis Cardinals fan feels uplifted after fall

AUG. 7, 2009 -- Pittsburgh Pirates first base coach Perry Hill (8) and Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols (left) come to the aid of a fan who tried to retrieve a foul ball during the seventh inning of a game in Pittsburgh. (AP)By Todd C. Frankel
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
09/04/2009

He lay on his back in the dirt of the Pittsburgh ballpark. His neck hurt. Striking his face on the crushed rock along the first-base side felt like breaking through glass. He was bloodied. And the foul ball was gone. He had missed it, missed his one chance to grab a game ball for his son on the boy's 21st birthday.

Tim Tepas, a retired schoolteacher, wanted only to climb over the short railing and sit back down next to his son. Disappear. Forget the whole thing. But the television cameras were on him. The stadium seemed to gasp in unison at his fall along the sidelines of that Pirates-Cardinals game in early August.

Tepas struggled to stand. He heard a voice behind him, felt hands on his back.

Please lie down, sir. Don't try to get up, sir.

The hands, huge meaty mitts, eased him to the ground, held him still.

Don't try to get up, sir. MORE METRO
Get news, columns, photos and multimedia from the St. Louis area

Tepas was struck by the voice, its confidence, its calm, the way he was called "sir" again and again.

He looked up at the sky and struggled to focus on the face above him. He studied the man's ballcap. He could make out the number 5 written under the bill.

Albert Pujols. The father just knew. This is Albert Pujols.

Two strangers, one a fan and the other a superstar athlete, both fathers of children with Down syndrome.

Some say it was coincidence. Others call it fate.

Whatever caused that accidental meeting there along the edges of the ballgame that night outlived anything that happened on the field. During the entire 8½-minute ordeal on the field, Pujols stayed with Tepas. TV and radio announcers were mystified. Fans talked of witnessing a moment of pure concern.

But to truly understand what occurred — to understand what, in some small way, drove Tepas to reach for that foul ball — you have to know about Tepas and his son Keith.

And you have to know about the letter, the one Tepas wrote to Pujols long before the game, but never sent. A letter about doubt and acceptance and the parable of the bumblebee.

When Tepas fell, the letter sat forgotten in a white tote bag under his seat just a few feet away.

-------------

Father and son had driven down from Buffalo, N.Y., in Tepas' Hyundai. They loaded up on Gatorade and music for the 3½-hour trip on Friday, Aug. 7.

They both wore Cardinals T-shirts. Keith wore a red Cardinals cap. He plays on the Cardinals in a softball league for disabled adults. He sleeps on Cardinals bedsheets at home.

The father liked Pujols — more as a person than a player. Tepas recalled reading about Pujols and his 11-year-old daughter, Isabella, who has Down syndrome. She was 3 months old when Pujols met her mom, his future wife. Pujols became an advocate for Down syndrome children with his charitable foundation.

For Keith's birthday, Tepas at first planned to take his son to a minor league game in Buffalo. They have season tickets. Keith can name players who years ago played there. In Pittsburgh, he would point to right field and note that the Cardinals' Ryan Ludwick used to play for the Bisons.

But the Bisons were out of town. So Tepas, an impulsive and gregarious 63-year-old with gray hair and a mustache, aimed for something grander.

Tepas splurged on tickets for the Pirates game — $224 for the pair. Section 7, right along the field.

He figured it was an important milestone for Keith. It was an important milestone for Tepas, too. He had spent years battling his own doubts, worrying about his son, wondering what would become of him as he grew older.

The doctors warned Tepas and his wife there would be delays with Down syndrome, a genetic condition that causes developmental disabilities and distinctive physical features. Keith would lag behind children his age. It wore on the father. Watching other kids walk. Other kids talk. Wondering when it would be Keith's turn.

"During the first three years, you're like, what's wrong with this kid? When is he going to blossom?" Tepas says.

He adds: "It's been challenging, I'll be honest with you. I heard that when you have a special needs child, as many as 90 percent of those parents end up divorced."

Tepas was divorced after one year. His former wife got custody of Keith. But Tepas stayed in the boy's life. Saw him four days a week, sometimes more. Attended his therapy sessions, his sporting events, his Boy Scout meetings.

Tepas remembers when he began to see his son in a new way. Keith was 7. Father and son were running side by side in a county park. They tossed a blue-and-yellow foam football back and forth. It felt so ordinary, so simple, this staple of fathers and sons.

The father told himself: OK, Tim, you can stop worrying.

-------------

"I consider him a real blessing in my life," Tepas says now.

He can rattle off his son's achievements, apologizing as he goes for sounding boastful. Two years ago, Keith became an Eagle Scout. He graduated high school this summer, his father buying him a custom-fit suit for the occasion. He's good at spelling. And miniature golf. He does not talk much, preferring to telegraph his speech through simple words or gestures. But his father can glean more than enough from one of his son's gleeful thumbs-ups.

"It's kind of neat in a way, because of his innocence, I don't think he's ever going to change much," Tepas says. "He'll still hug me when he's 30 or 40 or 50. He's uninhibited that way."

The relationship between father and son developed its own routines. Keith loves routine. In recent years, one routine has centered on playing baseball, starting in the spring and lasting until it gets too cold.

Three days a week, Tepas picks up Keith and they head to a little league field. Tepas pitches from a box of old balls. Keith wields the bat. The father keeps stats, tracking the progress of his son like he is a major league prospect. The father notes with precision how many balls Keith hits over the fence, how far they travel. He walks off the distances to be sure.

With the number of home runs, the father can see his son's growth. Keith is not tall, standing just under 5 feet 2. But he has a slugger's swing. Two home runs the first year, eight the next, then 26, 53, 97 and 94 so far into their private season.

And every visit to the ballpark ends the same way. A private celebration modeled on the Friday night fireworks at Bisons games. They huddle together and rest one hand on top of the other in the middle. They shout "1,2,3, fireworks!" Their hands shoot skyward in imitation of the pyrotechnics.

Only then is the game truly over.

-------------

In Pittsburgh, during the middle of the seventh inning, with the game tied 4-4, Tepas considered leaving. They faced a long drive home. Tepas reminded himself to remove the homemade orange-and-white "Happy 21st Keith" sign taped atop the railing.

But they stuck around.

The Pirates were at bat. Chris Carpenter was on the mound. One out. Two runners on base. Garrett Jones, a lefty, at the plate. Carpenter's first pitch was outside. His next pitch was low. But Jones reached for it, striking the ball straight-armed, like he was hitting a sand wedge. The ball spun into foul territory toward the stands.

This is going to be easy, Tepas thought.

The bouncing ball appeared to be headed straight for him. He stood up, reached out with his left hand. He planted his right hand on the railing. But his view changed as he stood. The ball appeared farther off to his left. Difficult to backhand. He extended his right hand. He flipped over the railing. His body launched downward, his arms offering no protection, his legs thrown high above. His face slammed to the ground.

The ball caromed off the railing and scooted into right field.

"Man down," said a Pittsburgh TV announcer.

"Wow," added the play-by-play man.

"Wow. Oh my goodness."

Pujols, playing first base about 40 feet away, reached Tepas first. He knelt beside him. He urged him to lie down.

Pirates first base coach Perry Hill arrived next. He grabbed Tepas' feet. Hill had never seen a fan suffer a fall like that. Stadium staff ran over. Trainers from both teams and paramedics crowded around Tepas. Pujols still knelt by his head.

Hill glanced over his shoulder at Tepas' son. He had noticed the pair earlier in the game. Now he picked up Pujols' mitt and walked over to Keith, still in the stands. He asked Keith whether he would like to touch Pujols' glove. They talked about the handmade "Happy 21st Keith" sign. Hill tried to position himself to block the son's view. Hill looked back at the field, saw Pujols still there.

"The way he landed so awkwardly on his neck," said Cardinals TV play-by-play man Dan McLaughlin, reacting to a replay. "His neck was bent. It's not so much the cut on the forehead that you saw, but I'm sure they're very concerned about his neck area and his back."

Lying on the ground, Tepas was annoyed to hear Pujols tell the trainers he did not like the way he landed on his neck. Tepas felt fine. Woozy, battered, but fine. Yet he was not going to fight them. They asked him to wiggle his fingers and his toes. He did. They asked about tingling, about radiating pain. He felt none.

Minutes ticked by as they strapped Tepas to a board and secured his neck with foam blocks. And still Pujols was there, in the thick of it.

"I'm almost wondering if this is a friend of Albert's," said Al Hrabrosky on the Cardinals TV broadcast.

Mike Shannon, doing the Cardinals radio show, sounded incredulous.

"Look at Albert, he's right in there! He's going to help lift the stretcher. Better get Albert out of there," Shannon said, laughing. "Move him out of there! We know he has a lot of compassion, but we don't need him hurting his back lifting him up."

Pujols let the paramedics wheel Tepas out on a stretcher through the right field fence. Pujols stood, hitched up his pants and walked over to Keith, who now sat on a small ballpark utility vehicle, about to follow his father. Keith sat facing away from the medical drama. He tugged on the bill of his red Cardinals cap as he scanned the diamond. Pujols leaned over and tapped Keith on the shoulder, spoke to him. Pujols smiled. Made sure Keith had gotten the foul ball his father wanted for him.

-------------

Tepas was released from the hospital after midnight. As he left, the hospital staff teased Tepas that he was famous, his fall already appearing on ESPN and YouTube. His neck was sore. His face was bruised. But he had no serious injuries. Tepas wanted only to get home, where in a few days a Pujols autographed baseball would arrive for Keith. They drove through the night. The father asked his son whether he had been scared by what happened on the field. The son said simply, "No."

And in the back of the car sat the tote bag with the letter.

Tepas was not sure why he had written it. Pujols did not need to hear from him. But Tepas needed to share his son's story, wanted another father to know what he knows, what he took so long to learn. About his son. About the bumblebee, too.

The letter, after a short introduction, starts with a note: "According to the laws of aerodynamics, the bumblebee can't fly. But the bumblebee doesn't know that. So it flies." The letter details in numbers and statistics Keith's hitting prowess and his off-the-field achievements.

And it ends like this: "He is a blessing in my life and I thank the Lord for putting him in my life. Like the bumblebee, he doesn't know that he's not supposed to fly."

This weekend, Tepas and Keith are driving back to Pittsburgh for a series with the Cardinals, attending at the Pirates' invitation.

No need to bring the letter. Tepas finally mailed it last week.

And he plans to let others chase the foul balls.

DJ's left nut

09-04-2009, 02:27 PM

Repost.

HURRAY! I finally get to be the re-post douchebag.

(But seriously, I already put this in the Cards thread ;) )

Halfcan

09-04-2009, 02:31 PM

Pujols is the Man!!

BigRedChief

09-04-2009, 06:16 PM

Pujols is the Man!!I sure wish more athletes carried themselfs as well as Pujols.

Frazod

09-04-2009, 07:06 PM

Albert just passed DiMaggio on the all time HR list with his 43rd of the season.

BigRedChief

09-18-2009, 06:47 AM

New POZ article on Pujols from SI:

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=col0>Albert Pujols' latest feat: telling us why he is not a home run hitter

</TD><TD class=col1>Story Highlights
Pujols is hitting home runs at a greater rate than any player in the game

He has 10 multi-homer games, one shy of the major league record

He also leads the NL in RBIs, runs, total bases, OBP and slugging percentage

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=cnnstorycontenttable cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=cnnstorycontentarea><TABLE class=cnninlineright style="WIDTH: 298px" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Albert Pujols was explaining, in no uncertain terms, that he is not a home run hitter. He is a line-drive hitter who happens to be strong enough (thanks to the gifts God gave him) to drive a few pitches over the fence. But he's not a home run hitter. And, it was pretty clear -- from the tenseness in his voice, his glare -- that he resented the insinuation.

The insinuation, in case you are wondering, was made Jeopardy-style, in the form of a question: "Albert, you are hitting home runs every 10 or 11 at-bats, and before this year you were hitting them every 14 or so at-bats. Are you doing anything different?" And I should add here that I did not ask it. The questioner -- the fine and feisty beat writer of the St. Louis Post Dispatch, Joe Strauss -- asked it, and he did so knowing full well that he would get a testy answer. So it goes. Getting testy answers after games from the game's greatest player is part of the job when you cover the Cardinals.

And it's especially true when the game's best player hits two home runs in a game -- something that Pujols does with regularity. On this early September afternoon Pujols hit two home runs against Milwaukee, the 10th time he had hit two homers in a game this year. That tied a team record, and is one behind the major league record. Pujols hits multiple homers in a game so often now that Cardinals' reporters have to find different ways to ask him about it. Strauss decided to go with the homer-per-at-bat theme. The theme did not capture Pujols' interest. Then again, themes rarely do.

"I'm putting good swings on my at-bats," Pujols said. "That's it. I'm not a home run hitter."*

*I should point out here that Pujols' answers to all the questions asked of him while I was following the team -- Should he be MVP? Does he care about MVP? How good has the Cardinals' starting pitching been? Why are the Cardinals playing so well? What does he think of having Matt Holliday hit behind him? -- were all delivered in the same careful and challenging way. So this wasn't a case of Pujols being hypersensitive to the ramifications of being called a "home run hitter." At least I don't think so, because he answered every other question the same way. This is just Pujols.

I was around the Cardinals for a few days, working on this week's Sports Illustrated story (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1160285/index.htm) that revolves around Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan. But as it always goes when I'm around the Cardinals, I spent a lot of my time observing Albert Pujols. He is endlessly fascinating to me, in large part, I suppose, because there is nothing obviously or markedly fascinating about him. He just plays baseball better than anyone in the world.

He has 47 homers, 127 RBIs, 119 runs, 352 total bases and 42 intentional walks, all MLB-leading totals. His on-base percentage (.449) and slugging percentage (.690) also lead the majors. He's a terrific defensive first baseman. He's a daring base runner -- shockingly so (and, yes, sometimes unfortunately so) for a man without much speed.

He is so good that he overpowers the game. Every St. Louis Cardinals inning begins with a single question: "Will Albert come up?" And if not, will he come up next inning? And if he comes up, will there be men on base? And if there are men on base, will they pitch to him? And if they pitch to him, how will they pitch to him? And -- well, how is Pujols going to help the Cardinals win today?

His is a consistent, daily form of greatness ... this means the more you watch the Cardinals, the more you appreciate Albert Pujols. And I guess that's what fascinates me about him. How can he be this good all the time? How is it that he never has an off season? How can he be so consistent when nothing around him stays the same? Baseball changes. Bats and balls change. His body changes. Pitchers change. Teammates change. Strategies change. And he endures, precisely the same, as if he's preserved inside a glass case -- minimum .320 batting average, minimum .420 on-base percentage, minimum .560 slugging percentage, every single year.

Of course, Pujols deflects such questions or ignores them. He is good, he says, because God made him so. He is good, he says, because he works hard. He is good, he says, because he takes 'em one game at a time, and he doesn't worry about what he can't control, and he doesn't try to do too much. "See the ball, hit the ball," Hall of Famer Tony Perez used to say whenever someone wanted to get to the heart of his excellence, and so it goes with Pujols. In the clubhouse, after games, he tends to avoid reporters. And when his performance is so good that he must speak, he treats each question with suspicion -- as if each question is an attempt to steal a little something from him.

This has left the people who write about Pujols every day ambivalent about him. They admire his brilliance, of course. But they resent the daily grind, every day another day of being ignored or treated dismissively by Pujols. It isn't something that most baseball fans care about -- nobody is all that crazy about sportswriters anyway -- but it's part of the Pujols story, too.

I should point out here that I had a wonderful extended interview with Pujols before the season began -- he was warm and open and thoughtful. But there's no question that Pujols in-season is different. And maybe that's telling. Because it seems to me that what can make Pujols difficult and cantankerous on a daily basis might have something to do with what makes him great.

Take his answer about hitting more home runs: Pujols simply refuses to allow the question to take hold. He denies the whole premise. He's not a home run hitter. He will not allow the question (or the fact that he is hitting home runs at a faster pace than anyone in the game) to define him. He will not allow anything that is distracting to interfere with his singular goal -- to play baseball well.
And so, it seems to me, Pujols doesn't just wield those clich�s for reporters' purposes. No, he lives them. He really does take 'em one game at a time, one at-bat at a time, one pitch at a time. He lives in the moment, and he just tries to hit the ball hard, and he plays always to win. His motivations -- to glorify God, to prove people wrong, to honor the game, whatever you want to believe -- are beside the point. Questions are beside the point. Talk is beside the point. The point for Albert Pujols is to hit the ball hard. Everything else is just noise.
This doesn't make him especially fun to approach after a game, even a two-home run game. But it's part of what makes him the best baseball player on earth. And it's what makes him likely to have many more two-homer games, even if he isn't a home run hitter.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#cccccc></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=font-cn></TD></TR><TR><TD class=font-cn>Find this article at:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/joe_posnanski/09/16/albert.pujols/index.html
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

BigRedChief

11-24-2009, 01:49 PM

Bump for the 2009 MVP

Frazod

11-24-2009, 01:49 PM

Finally, something to feel good about.

raybec 4

11-24-2009, 02:00 PM

The greatest feel good story in baseball.

BigMeatballDave

11-24-2009, 02:27 PM

How many AP fellatio threads do we need?

raybec 4

11-24-2009, 02:45 PM

How many AP fellatio threads do we need?

I guess as many as your willing to post your AP butt hurt in.

Reaper16

11-24-2009, 03:07 PM

Isn't it crazy how the BBWAA got each Cy and MVP winner correct? It seems like that hasn't happened in a long time.

Demonpenz

11-24-2009, 03:12 PM

Terry Pendelton MVP!

BigRedChief

11-24-2009, 03:30 PM

Terry Pendelton MVP!Not my fault your team didn't draft the local kid. :)

Demonpenz

11-24-2009, 03:37 PM

Not my fault your team didn't draft the local kid. :)

no big deal dude is a beast fun watching the guy seems like he respects everyone. It would be nice if he paid for the dents he put in our new hall of fame building.

My Terry pendleton quote was when pendleton batted .315 and hit 15 home runs and Bonds had a 30/30 season and a gold glove and didn't get the award because he wore ear rings and was a dick.

BigRedChief

11-24-2009, 08:02 PM

no big deal dude is a beast fun watching the guy seems like he respects everyone. It would be nice if he paid for the dents he put in our new hall of fame building. Thats gold,jerry, gold.ROFL
http://www.trivia.se/bilder/questions/8127-20071202091231.jpg

BigRedChief

11-25-2009, 02:40 PM

Music to my ears:

By Derrick Goold (DGoold@post-dispatch.com)
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
11/25/2009

With his unanimous selection as the 2009 National League MVP on Tuesday, Albert Pujols joined an exclusive club of three-time MVPs and continued engraving his place in Cardinals history.

He also expressed a wish to secure permanence in the Cardinals' present.<SCRIPT language=javascript type=text/javascript></SCRIPT>

"This is my place. This is where I want to be. I don't hide that," Pujols said at Busch Stadium during a news conference Tuesday. "I'm still going to be a Cardinal for two more years and hopefully 15 more years — if I can play for that long — and retire as a Cardinal."

"There are three things that as a professional athlete you want," he said. "One, to get to the big leagues. ... Two, win a World Series ring, which I got that. And then getting into the Hall of Fame. That's everybody's dream ... (to be) mentioned with the great players to ever play the game."

Pujols also wants to collect championship rings.

"I've got 10 fingers," he said. "I need nine more."

POND_OF_RED

11-25-2009, 04:19 PM

CoMoChief

11-25-2009, 04:23 PM

Too bad Pujols never had to face Greinke this season. Zack would have made Pujols looked retarded.....just like Mike MacDougal did.

Stinger

11-25-2009, 04:36 PM

Too bad Pujols never had to face Greinke this season. Zack would have made Pujols looked retarded.....just like Mike MacDougal did.

Or this could be the result.......

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/209/498667924_f30536c006.jpg?v=0

:D

POND_OF_RED

11-25-2009, 04:47 PM

Or this could be the result.......

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/209/498667924_f30536c006.jpg?v=0

:D

This would be awesome. Just for the fact that it would mean David Eckstein was your starting SS again. LOL

Stinger

11-25-2009, 04:52 PM

This would be awesome. Just for the fact that it would mean David Eckstein was your starting SS again. LOL

Well if he could get another World Series MVP.... PBJ .... I would be all for it :D

POND_OF_RED

11-25-2009, 05:00 PM

Well if he could get another World Series MVP.... PBJ .... I would be all for it :D

I don't think anyone over 50 has ever won a WS MVP so that's highly unlikely.

BigRedChief

11-25-2009, 06:28 PM

I don't think anyone over 50 has ever won a WS MVP so that's highly unlikely.Yeah, he is over the hill. His skills are diminishing.ROFL