Cardinals Albert Pujols on 60 Minutes last Sunday [Archive]

Kerberos

04-13-2011, 09:41 AM

Anyone else see it?

Now I don't watch baseball (AT ALL) I never have and probably never will.

BUT... Is this guy as good as they make him out to be? On the field AND off?

Off the field they make him out to be the Tim Tebow of baseball in his charity work with his home in the Dominian Republic as well as the things he does in the US as well.

They also say he is one of the top 10 best players EVER to play baseball?

Just thought I would ask as I have no clue. Dude could hit the crap out of a ball from what I watched.

Anyway it was a really good piece on him that 60 minutes had Sunday and it really shows how what drives him was the fact that he was snubbed in the draft when he didn't get taken till the 13 round?

It still pisses him off till this day in his words.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504803_162-20052250-10391709.html

HemiEd

04-13-2011, 09:43 AM

Yeah, it gave me a lot of respect for the guy. Mistakenly, I had assumed he was just another roided up baseball player.

doomy3

04-13-2011, 09:43 AM

Yeah, he's pretty good.

Skyy God

04-13-2011, 09:46 AM

So Pujols' PR campaign is working, I see....

BigRedChief

04-13-2011, 09:57 AM

Repost :p

60 minutes piece on Albert. A superstar on and off the field:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/04/07/60minutes/main20051808.shtml (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/04/07/60minutes/main20051808.shtml)

On the road with Pujols:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504803_162-20052250-10391709.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504803_162-20052250-10391709.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody)

What makes Pujols a great player?
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7362346n&tag=related;photovideo (http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7362346n&tag=related;photovideo)

Pujols stay with the Cardinals?
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7362344n&tag=related;photovideo (http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7362344n&tag=related;photovideo)

Last line in the story:
Albert has shown us many great things since coming to America. Being a great baseball player is only one of them.

Saulbadguy

04-13-2011, 09:58 AM

He is a piece of shit. Human garbage.

seclark

04-13-2011, 10:00 AM

he and his wife are both very involved in down syndrome ass. of greater st. louis. i also know he's visited the down syndrome center at st. louis children's hospital, where i was lucky enough to meet him once. imo, he's the real deal.

baseball wise, i'm a big fan of pujols, although i have some mixed feelings as to whether the cardinals should pay whatever he's asking for.

person wise, i'm a big fan of he and his family. if he ever leaves st. louis, i'll still be a fan.

sec

mlyonsd

04-13-2011, 10:20 AM

Saw it and was very impressed. Seemed genuine and isn't taking his abilities for granted.

Stinger

04-13-2011, 10:32 AM

He is a piece of shit. Human garbage.

Haters gonna Hate.....

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

Stanley Nickels

04-13-2011, 11:38 AM

My wife and I are friends with a close family member of Pujols'. He has played pool with us a couple times, sober drove my wife and her friends, and is one of the most genuinely nice people, let alone athletes, I have met in a while. Just a very nice guy.

phisherman

04-13-2011, 11:39 AM

pujols played for fort osage in high school and was a few years behind me. he seemed like a nice guy back then, though he didn't speak very good english.

i remember thinking that there was no way this guy was only 16, he was a monster already and was working on a full beard at "16" as a sophomore in high school. there were a lot of rumors going around Independence, even back then, that he was older than they said he was.

that being said, I have some very close family friends from my youth that are now related to him through marriage, and they all say that he is a real "give you the shirt off his back" kind of guy and that he is very family oriented.

KCUnited

04-13-2011, 11:41 AM

After further review, it was discovered that it was more like 90 Minutes.

notorious

04-13-2011, 11:41 AM

he and his wife are both very involved in down syndrome ass.... sec

Sorry Sec, but waaaaa?

seclark

04-13-2011, 11:42 AM

Sorry Sec, but waaaaa?

association
sec

BigRedChief

04-13-2011, 11:46 AM

pujols played for fort osage in high school and was a few years behind me. he seemed like a nice guy back then, though he didn't speak very good english.

i remember thinking that there was no way this guy was only 16, he was a monster already and was working on a full beard at "16" as a sophomore in high school. there were a lot of rumors going around Independence, even back then, that he was older than they said he was.welll now you know the rumors of steriods were BS. No increase in hat size, shoe size. No change in body type over the years. no matter how much research has been done, nada a single piece of evidence linking him to the steriods BS. He's the most consistent player evah.

If he was 2 years older than he says he should be declining in production but last year he won 2 out of the 3 triple crown races. Not exactly the stats of an old washed up player.

notorious

04-13-2011, 11:46 AM

association
sec

Just breaking balls. :D

Demonpenz

04-13-2011, 11:47 AM

seclark

04-13-2011, 11:48 AM

Just breaking balls. :D

kinda figured either that, or you were on your 4th vodka tampon already.:thumb:
sec

BigRedChief

04-13-2011, 11:49 AM

He is a piece of shit. Human garbage.Because?:hmmm:

phisherman

04-13-2011, 11:50 AM

BigRedChief

04-13-2011, 11:56 AM

i never really heard a lot of steroid chatter, no more than any kid that was crushing the ball 500 feet in high school. most of the rumors were about his age. when i was 18, they said he was 15 or 16 and he looked older than pretty much everyone. IF his age is false, the oldest he would be is probably 33-34. noone really ever cared much about it around here, since he was a good kid and kept his nose clean.34 year old baseball players don't compete for triple crowns.

I don't understand this....are we so jaded thats its inconcievable that a baseball player may want to go visit sick kids in a hospital than go out drinking after the game? Worry more about giving a kid with no hope a bed to sleep on more than refurbishing the summer home?

DJ's left nut

04-13-2011, 12:15 PM

welll now you know the rumors of steriods were BS. No increase in hat size, shoe size. No change in body type over the years. no matter how much research has been done, nada a single piece of evidence linking him to the steriods BS. He's the most consistent player evah.

If he was 2 years older than he says he should be declining in production but last year he won 2 out of the 3 triple crown races. Not exactly the stats of an old washed up player.

Depends.

Last year was the lowest BA of his career and recall when folks like Frank Thomas declined (a very similar style of hitter), it was his ability to keep his BA high while still hitting for power that went first. He needed to cheat a little bit to keep up on the hard stuff and that made him less capable of keeping his hands back in the zone to drive through the off-speed stuff.

Albert was listed at 30 last season - let's say he was actually 32. That's not exactly 40, but it certainly isn't 27. Power is one of the last things to go for that kind of hitter so it's not at all unreasonable that he could've still had a very nice power season. Also, the batting eye remains sharp until pitchers realize they don't have to nibble anymore once the power starts to wane. Granted, BA can be erratic based on BABIP, etc..., but there was nothing in Albert's outlying stats to suggest he was unlucky - he simply didn't have the plate coverage or the thump to all fields he used to have last season.

And this season he has looked completely lost. 92 mph fastballs are being thrown by him. He's lunging at breaking balls (trying to adjust to fastballs that are getting by him, IMO). He looks a hell of a lot more like a 33 yr old hitter than he does a 31 yr old hitter.

I'm not saying it's likely, but I'm not willing to dismiss the possibility. Then again, you know I view Albert as little more than a commodity so I'm going to take a pretty clinical look at his performance.

Frazod

04-13-2011, 12:18 PM

34 year old baseball players don't compete for triple crowns.

George Brett did.

phisherman

04-13-2011, 12:18 PM

34 year old baseball players don't compete for triple crowns.

I don't understand this....are we so jaded thats its inconcievable that a baseball player may want to go visit sick kids in a hospital than go out drinking after the game? Worry more about giving a kid with no hope a bed to sleep on more than refurbishing the summer home?

dude, step back and take a breath. nowhere in my original post that you quoted, did i say that he was a bad guy. quite to the contrary in fact.

saying that there's a possibility that a guy is two years older than reported is a lot different than being out in strip clubs "makin' it rain" or boozing down at the clubs in the city every night.

BigRedChief

04-13-2011, 12:20 PM

dude, step back and take a breath. nowhere in my original post that you quoted, did i say that he was a bad guy. quite to the contrary in fact.

saying that there's a possibility that a guy is two years older than reported is a lot different than being out in strip clubs "makin' it rain" or boozing down at the clubs in the city every night.I wasn't really talking to you with the 2nd part. More to the haters. Sorry, not directed at you or your previous comments.

phisherman

04-13-2011, 12:34 PM

right on. no worries. unfortunately, nowadays, the "good people" type of athlete seems to be the exception, rather than the norm.

Titty Meat

04-13-2011, 12:53 PM

Pujols is one of the best to ever player the game. I remember going to a Royals/Cardinals game dude hit 3 homeruns in one game.

chiefsnorth

04-13-2011, 12:54 PM

Good player and good person.

Will be a shame when STL fans turn on him.

DJ's left nut

04-13-2011, 12:58 PM

Good player and good person.

Will be a shame when STL fans turn on him.

I don't blame him for wanting as much as he can get and I won't blame him if the Cardinals re-sign him.

But if they do, they'll struggle to field a team around him. And if that's the case, I'll blame ownership for not making the commitment and I'll blame Mozeliak for not realizing that a team with a $100 million payroll cannot win games when $30 million goes to one guy.

Albert will be an anchor on the franchise if they re-sign him. It's not his fault, but it is what it is.

Titty Meat

04-13-2011, 01:02 PM

I don't blame him for wanting as much as he can get and I won't blame him if the Cardinals re-sign him.

But if they do, they'll struggle to field a team around him. And if that's the case, I'll blame ownership for not making the commitment and I'll blame Mozeliak for not realizing that a team with a $100 million payroll cannot win games when $30 million goes to one guy.

Albert will be an anchor on the franchise if they re-sign him. It's not his fault, but it is what it is.

You pretty much explain in your post why baseball sucks.

lcarus

04-13-2011, 01:05 PM

Because?:hmmm:

The same reason Shanahan and Elway are human garbage to us.

Baby Lee

04-13-2011, 01:46 PM

My favorite player in all of baseball since George retired.

Deberg_1990

04-13-2011, 01:50 PM

Reaper16

04-13-2011, 02:00 PM

Love Pujols.

BigRedChief

04-13-2011, 02:10 PM

Stanley Nickels

04-14-2011, 06:37 AM

Hootie

04-14-2011, 06:40 AM

I guarantee he's done PEDs...guarantee

Kerberos

04-14-2011, 07:19 AM

I guarantee he's done PEDs...guarantee

Were you there when he shot up?

BigRedChief

04-14-2011, 07:28 AM

I guarantee he's done PEDs...guaranteeYour evidence?

phisherman

04-14-2011, 07:51 AM

When I was in seventh or eighth grade, Pujols hit a homerun that landed on the roof of the Liberty High School cafeteria. That was about 100 feet past the home-run wall. Just incredible power. I wasn't there to see it, but the older kids in my neighborhood were talking about it, and it's almost an urban legend to this day.

i saw something similiar. chrysler stadium in indep, probably 1995. summer kiwanis ball, i think. he crushed a homer over the left field wall that ended up in a church parking lot about 200 feet beyond the wall. it was a bomb.

BigRedChief

04-14-2011, 08:00 AM

i saw something similiar. chrysler stadium in indep, probably 1995. summer kiwanis ball, i think. he crushed a homer over the left field wall that ended up in a church parking lot about 200 feet beyond the wall. it was a bomb.I still can't understand how MLB thought there were 402 better players that draft year better than Pujols?

Deberg_1990

04-14-2011, 08:26 AM

I still can't understand how MLB thought there were 402 better players that draft year better than Pujols?

My guess is that he was sooo far off the radar he slipped through the cracks.

Maple Woods Community College??

Frazod

04-14-2011, 08:29 AM

Your evidence?

He overheard some butthurt Cub fan talking about it while he was serving him a Shirley Temple.

mikey23545

04-14-2011, 08:35 AM

He overheard some butthurt Cub fan talking about it while he was <strike>serving him a Shirley Temple</strike> giving him a blow job behind the restaurant.

FYP.

DJ's left nut

04-14-2011, 08:41 AM

My guess is that he was sooo far off the radar he slipped through the cracks.

Maple Woods Community College??

Maple Woods has one of the premier baseball programs in the Community College ranks. It sounds odd to say, but Weeds is most assuredly not 'off the radar'.

I've said it before, I'll say it again - it's completely inexcusable that this guy didn't end up in Kansas City. The Royals had a member of their stadium staff as his roommate at Maple Woods. I knew about the kid when I was a SR in High School.

The excuses come fast and furious regarding his 'bad body' and folks will claim he was a soft kid, but that kind of batspeed doesn't just appear. That kind of hitting approach should've been noticed.

If you're the LA Dodgers, I don't exactly fault you for not having a scout see this kid and give a long writeup on him. But if he's literally in your own back yard, well that's just a monumental clusterfuck.

BigRedChief

04-14-2011, 08:45 AM

Maple Woods has one of the premier baseball programs in the Community College ranks. It sounds odd to say, but Weeds is most assuredly not 'off the radar'.

I've said it before, I'll say it again - it's completely inexcusable that this guy didn't end up in Kansas City. The Royals had a member of their stadium staff as his roommate at Maple Woods. I knew about the kid when I was a SR in High School.

The excuses come fast and furious regarding his 'bad body' and folks will claim he was a soft kid, but that kind of batspeed doesn't just appear. That kind of hitting approach should've been noticed.

If you're the LA Dodgers, I don't exactly fault you for not having a scout see this kid and give a long writeup on him. But if he's literally in your own back yard, well that's just a monumental clusterfuck.And didn't a Royals scout advocate for him pretty strongly? Pujols himself sent a video to the Royals saying he would like to play for them, didn't he?

Chief Henry

04-14-2011, 08:47 AM

baseball wise, i'm a big fan of pujols, although i have some mixed feelings as to whether the cardinals should pay whatever he's asking for.

person wise, i'm a big fan of he and his family. if he ever leaves st. louis, i'll still be a fan.

sec

This sums it up for me also. Of course I'm a huge STL. Cardinals fan too.

BigRedChief

04-14-2011, 08:48 AM

Saw some of the story the other night..He seemed geniune to me. Mainly because he didnt get the press involved when he went to visit that kid in Houston.

How did his family end up in KC area from Domincan Republic?
http://www.jockbio.com/Bios/Pujols/Pujols_bio.html

In the early 1990s, members of the Pujols family began migrating to the U.S. Their first stop was New York City, where they hoped a better life awaited. When Albert turned 16, he and his father packed their bags and headed north to join the family. But the Big Apple was more expensive and violent than expected. One day, while running an errand, Albert saw a man shot to death. His grandmother demanded the Pujolses find a safer place to live.

The family settled on Independence, Missouri. On the surface, America’s heartland appeared to be a strange choice for a Spanish-speaking family. But Independence—best known as the birthplace of Harry Truman—was home to an enclave of Dominican immigrants, and its Midwestern values suited the Pujolses perfectly. They took up residence in a small house that seemed like a mansion compared to their Santo Domingo digs. Albert attended his first big-league game not long after, watching the Kansas City Royals host the then California Angels.

DJ's left nut

04-14-2011, 08:51 AM

And didn't a Royals scout advocate for him pretty strongly? Pujols himself sent a video to the Royals saying he would like to play for them, didn't he?

I don't recall anything like that.

I know the D-Rays had a scout that pulled hard for him, gave him a first round grade even. He threw a fit on draft day when they wouldn't take him in the top 10 and quit the organization shortly thereafter. That's probably who you're thinking of. He still has a close relationship with Pujols.

BigRedChief

04-14-2011, 08:52 AM

This is comedy gold......

At the end of the summer, the Cardinals began to appreciate what they had in Albert and upped their offer to $60,000. He accepted, then flew to Arizona for instructional fall ball. There, he batted .323 and began learning a new position, third base. The Cardinals already had a young, powerful third baseman named Fernando Tatis, and the team figured Albert would be major-league ready by the time Tatis was in his late 20s.

BigRedChief

04-14-2011, 08:53 AM

I don't recall anything like that.

I know the D-Rays had a scout that pulled hard for him, gave him a first round grade even. He threw a fit on draft day when they wouldn't take him in the top 10 and quit the organization shortly thereafter. That's probably who you're thinking of. He still has a close relationship with Pujols.Just something I thought I had read somewhere.

DJ's left nut

04-14-2011, 08:57 AM

http://www.jockbio.com/Bios/Pujols/Pujols_bio.html

Albert attended his first big-league game not long after, watching the Kansas City Royals host the then California Angels.[/SIZE][/FONT]

Nice - good job, Kansas City. I mean the Cardinals only got him for about 60% of what he was worth over the last decade+ and we're not even the team he saw his first ballgame with...

The Royals could not have committed a bigger folly than missing on Albert Pujols. He's a hometown kid that would have absolutely taken less to stay there. He's a generational talent that makes the entire history and future of the Royals completely different.

Think about it - the Royals are 2 good picks away from having (at least) one WS title over the last decade, IMO - Albert Pujols and Tim Lincecum.

Frazod

04-14-2011, 09:02 AM

If he'd signed with Kansas City 10 years ago he'd have been a Yankee for the past five.

I realize that the Cardinals are probably going to lose him, but at least we got the best years of his career out of him first.

Chief Henry

04-14-2011, 09:05 AM

I don't blame him for wanting as much as he can get and I won't blame him if the Cardinals re-sign him.

But if they do, they'll struggle to field a team around him. And if that's the case, I'll blame ownership for not making the commitment and I'll blame Mozeliak for not realizing that a team with a $100 million payroll cannot win games when $30 million goes to one guy.

Albert will be an anchor on the franchise if they re-sign him. It's not his fault, but it is what it is.

The Cardinals ownwership are in a jam...maybe they will man up with more $$$ for players around Albert after this season. It will become a soap opera.

Deberg_1990

04-14-2011, 09:05 AM

Chief Henry

04-14-2011, 09:09 AM

BigRedChief

04-14-2011, 09:16 AM

Nice - good job, Kansas City. I mean the Cardinals only got him for about 60% of what he was worth over the last decade+ and we're not even the team he saw his first ballgame with...

The Royals could not have committed a bigger folly than missing on Albert Pujols. He's a hometown kid that would have absolutely taken less to stay there. He's a generational talent that makes the entire history and future of the Royals completely different.

Think about it - the Royals are 2 good picks away from having (at least) one WS title over the last decade, IMO - Albert Pujols and Tim Lincecum.The Royals would not have been able to get the 10 year contract that the Cardinals were able to get done. He would have left.

chiefsnorth

04-14-2011, 09:20 AM

I still can't understand how MLB thought there were 402 better players that draft year better than Pujols?

The volume of players drafted in baseball, the fact that many players are selected several times in different areas of the draft based on age, the lack of ability to scout places like Maple Woods in depth, the fact that there were probably 200 other players drafted who would hit just as well at the community college level but were playing D1, on and on and on. This is not an unusual thing in baseball.

chiefsnorth

04-14-2011, 09:23 AM

Nice - good job, Kansas City. I mean the Cardinals only got him for about 60% of what he was worth over the last decade+ and we're not even the team he saw his first ballgame with...

The Royals could not have committed a bigger folly than missing on Albert Pujols. He's a hometown kid that would have absolutely taken less to stay there. He's a generational talent that makes the entire history and future of the Royals completely different.

Think about it - the Royals are 2 good picks away from having (at least) one WS title over the last decade, IMO - Albert Pujols and Tim Lincecum.

Every team in the majors missed on him, which pretty much inoculates the Royals from any special criticism. They saw exactly the same thing as everyone else did.

Some players genuinely come out of nowhere.

DJ's left nut

04-14-2011, 09:44 AM

LOL

Tatis started off strong, then slowly faded.....

Slowly my ass.

Tatis started out strong then his hamstring !@#$ing exploded when he was running in to bare-hand a dribbler down the 3b line. There were some rumors concerning substance abuse as he missed essentially the entire season recovering from about as bad a hammy rip as you'll see.

From there, he just plummeted. Soon Polanco had his job, then Albert, then Polanco/Rolen.

I'll say this - what could have been is absolutely terrifying. Let's say Tatis never tears the hammy and keeps his nose clean. You end up with Albert in LF until McGwire retires due to suck and then you have an IF of:

Tatis - Renteria - Polanco - Pujols

That's 4 GG caliber defenders and guys who's offensive games compliment each other perfectly. The Cards had Tatis locked up to a very reasonable deal for a fairly long term so they'd have had the money to keep ER around instead of the parade of scrappy (read: shitty) shortstops they've brought in since him. Power, speed and defense - that IF has it all.

The Cardinals managed to salvage the Tatis situation nicely by turning him into Kline, but they also had to give up an ideal 2 hitter and 2b in Polanco in order to secure Rolen's services (and I believe Tatis had a higher ceiling than Rolen if healthy).

DJ's left nut

04-14-2011, 09:46 AM

The Royals would not have been able to get the 10 year contract that the Cardinals were able to get done. He would have left.

I don't see any reason to believe that is true.

Albert could have easily left the Cardinals for more money and as a hometown kid, I don't see why he wouldn't have accepted a similar deal in KC. Glass would've approved that kind of outlay for him as well.

Albert loves STL because that's where he cut his teeth. He'd have loved KC as much if not more. KC is still a good baseball town they just have a shit product. With Albert, they'd have shown the love, they'd have been a hell of a lot more competitive and they'd have absolutely been in a position to keep him around.

DJ's left nut

04-14-2011, 09:50 AM

Every team in the majors missed on him, which pretty much inoculates the Royals from any special criticism. They saw exactly the same thing as everyone else did.

Some players genuinely come out of nowhere.

No, it does not.

Every team in the majors did not have staff living with him. Every team in the majors couldn't have scouted him from the upper facade of their major league stadium.

Baseball teams have limited time and resources so I won't savage a team from the coasts for missing on him - but how the hell could the Royals not say "hey, this guy hits the holy SHIT out of the ball. We're not sure where to play him, but fortunately there's a DH in this league so let's take a stab at the local kid we saw play a bunch...."

No - the Royals do not get a pass for Albert just because the other teams in baseball do.

chiefsnorth

04-14-2011, 10:18 AM

No, it does not.

Every team in the majors did not have staff living with him. Every team in the majors couldn't have scouted him from the upper facade of their major league stadium.

Baseball teams have limited time and resources so I won't savage a team from the coasts for missing on him - but how the hell could the Royals not say "hey, this guy hits the holy SHIT out of the ball. We're not sure where to play him, but fortunately there's a DH in this league so let's take a stab at the local kid we saw play a bunch...."

No - the Royals do not get a pass for Albert just because the other teams in baseball do.

There are a million guys mashing in high school and at the community college level. What you are saying is like lining up a bunch of NBA players, having them play in junior high basketball games, and then deciding on who is the best.

Everyone likes to bash the Royals for "passing on Albert pujols" just because its fun to bash the Royals, but there is no way around the fact that every other team in the league did the exact same thing.

What, are you saying the Royals sucked at talent evaluation in the mid to late 90s? Thanks for the news flash. It doesn't change that every other team had the same read.

Nobody blows up the Lions or the 49ers for passing on Tom Brady even though he spent time in their backyards because every other team did too. Pujols is no different.

DJ's left nut

04-14-2011, 10:28 AM

There are a million guys mashing in high school and at the community college level. What you are saying is like lining up a bunch of NBA players, having them play in junior high basketball games, and then deciding on who is the best.

Everyone likes to bash the Royals for "passing on Albert pujols" just because its fun to bash the Royals, but there is no way around the fact that every other team in the league did the exact same thing.

What, are you saying the Royals sucked at talent evaluation in the mid to late 90s? Thanks for the news flash. It doesn't change that every other team had the same read.

Nobody blows up the Lions or the 49ers for passing on Tom Brady even though he spent time in their backyards because every other team did too. Pujols is no different.

Every other team couldn't go down the hall and ask a member of their stadium staff if his roommate, who just so happens to be the best hitter on the local community college team (and a nationally known one at that) would mind if we came watched him swing the bat a few times.

Every other team in baseball couldn't have sent a local clubhouse staffer to watch him play a few times to get a feel for his swing (and yes, there are legitimately bright baseball guys in those positions; there aren't a lot of baseball jobs around).

You're right - every other team in baseball probably gets a pass for missing on Albert. The Royals, due to their unique circumstances, do not.