Pujols signs w Angels

[Willie Lanier]

per Dan Patrick Show

wow

[eazyb81]

10 years, $250-260MM.

Full no trade clause.

:eek:

[Mi_chief_fan]

10 years, $250 Million +? He'd have to have his head examined NOT to take that. Love you Albert, enjoy California, thanks for all you've done.

[SnakeXJones]

That contract is fucking insane lmao

[Nightfyre]

R

[Saul Good]

Wow. Good deal for Albert. Stupid move by the Angels. Works well for the Cardinals. They don't have to fork over $200MM, and they won't be blamed for not matching the huge offer.

[Dr. Johnny Fever]

morans

[Blindside58]

American League - he can finish out his playing days as a DH.
....But 12/20/2012 is coming up as well...the Royals should have offered 1 bazillion $'s over 40 years...

[siberian khatru]

They did Cards a favor.

[jd1020]

So when Pujols is inducted into the Hall of Fame... Will it be in a Cardinals uniform or an Angels uniform?

[King_Chief_Fan]

good riddance.....he has maybe 3 good years left

[epitome1170]

Very glad the Cards didnt do something stupid like match this contract.

Perhaps, I am just bitter now, but I hope his career goes to shit real soon.

[Frazod]

Happy trails, you greedy bastard.

I am glad he went to an American League team.

[seclark]

Happy trails, you greedy bastard.

I am glad he went to an American League team.

hey...he wanted to be a cardinal his entire career, just like stan the man.;)
sec

[DJ's left nut]

Good for him, but the Cardinals would've been absolutely insane to match that.

Go after Fielder or just sit on the money. There's nobody else out there with spending significant coin on and there's always a new class of free agents.

Here's hoping they don't do anything stupid with Jimmy Rollins. They dodged a bullet on Buerhle.

[vailpass]

250 million. How can you guys be mad at him?

[jd1020]

In before LeBron James.

[King_Chief_Fan]

time to go out and sign Prince Fielder...still in his 20's.

[Gonzo]

Very glad the Cards didnt do something stupid like match this contract.

Perhaps, I am just bitter now, but I hope his career goes to shit real soon.

I doubt he'd be really torn up about it if it did. Can't blame the guy, I'm sure those lovely St. Louis summers of 100 degrees and 90% humidity might have something to do with his decision.
Sucks for the Royals that he went to the AL.
Posted via Mobile Device

[DJ's left nut]

Damn - in even shitter news, Jeff Luhnow has left the Cardinals to take the Astros GM job.

Well that just about sucks right there; Luhnow's been largely responsible for rebuilding the farm system so we can handle the Pujols departure.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Pathetic. Like I said in the other thread, he's just another mercenary.

They should have tried to re-up him when he approached them three years ago, but a 9 year deal for a 32 year old player is more than fair.

It's sickening to see someone throw away a legacy for money.

[jd1020]

time to go out and sign Prince Fielder...still in his 20's.

Haven't the Cards come out and say that they intend to keep their salary right around $110mil? I doubt they go after Fielder.

[Dr. Johnny Fever]

So when Pujols is inducted into the Hall of Fame... Will it be in a Cardinals uniform or an Angels uniform?

Might see how the Angels part of his career goes first.

[vailpass]

Pathetic. Like I said in the other thread, he's just another mercenary.

They should have tried to re-up him when he approached them three years ago, but a 9 year deal for a 32 year old player is more than fair.

It's sickening to see someone throw away a legacy for money.

It is a job, grow up.

[Frazod]

hey...he wanted to be a cardinal his entire career, just like stan the man.;)
sec

Much like Tony Gonzalez, I appreciate his time on my team, but now he's dead to me. Unlike Tony Gonzalez, I got a couple of championships out of him.

Perhaps he can afford English lessons now.

[luv]

Thank God he's not a Cub.

[jd1020]

Might see how the Angels part of his career goes first.

He won a couple of Championships in Stl and became the best player in baseball, but unless his arm's fall off he'll be breaking records in LA.

[L.A. Chieffan]

haha

[DJ's left nut]

250 million. How can you guys be mad at him?

You really can't be mad at him, but I can't get myself to root for his success either.

If the Cardinals were just laundry and a paycheck, then he's just the guy that filled that laundry. When he leaves, he becomes just like every other overpaid superstar that I get a little bit of a kick out of seeing fail.

But the bottom line is the same as it ever was - when they say it's not about the money, it's always about the money.

I don't fault him for it, but I sure hate having it waived out in front of my face like that all the time. Sports get less fun to follow every year.

[Frazod]

Thank God he's not a Cub.

This. That was the one thing I couldn't have taken.

[Willie Lanier]

This will make the Angels scary for a few years, but wow, they better hope he can sustain some level of productivity. They already have Vernon Wells making 26 mil, not sure when that contract ends, but that's 40 percent of their team salary in two guys... And I think Torri Hunter is around 20 mil as well...

[DJ's left nut]

Pathetic. Like I said in the other thread, he's just another mercenary.

They should have tried to re-up him when he approached them three years ago, but a 9 year deal for a 32 year old player is more than fair.

It's sickening to see someone throw away a legacy for money.

I pointed this out to a friend of mine, but the Cardinals evidently tried several times over the last 3 years to re-sign him and every time he said he wouldn't sign for less than A-Rod got.

Well if you sign him to that deal three years ago, you take an extra $9 million/season and apply it to him. What did Berkman make this year? Exactly - $9 million. Do we make the playoffs, let alone win the WS, without Lance Berkman? No, not even close.

So you can argue that we should've extended him 3 years ago if you'd like, but you have to also recognize that we probably don't win the World Series this year if we did.

The Cardinals did the right thing here, IMO. They extracted maximum value from his prime years and made a damn reasonable offer.

He took the money. They always take the money.

[jd1020]

This will make the Angels scary for a few years, but wow, they better hope he can sustain some level of productivity. They already have Vernon Wells making 26 mil, not sure when that contract ends, but that's 40 percent of their team salary in two guys... And I think Torri Hunter is around 20 mil as well...

Wells is signed through 2014 at 21mil

This is Hunters final year at 18mil.

[luv]

Didn't he always say how much he liked St. Louis because it was very community-based? Welcome to LA. LMAO

[L.A. Chieffan]

maybe he just thought st louis was a shit town. even winning world series wasnt enough to keep him around that hellhole

[L.A. Chieffan]

no shit frazhole, i just think its funny. he couldve signed with the mariners and i wouldve thought it was funny dumbass

[Frazod]

maybe he just thought st louis was a shit town. even winning world series wasnt enough to keep him around that hellhole

The first lowlife troll to crawl out of the muck - not surprising that it's you.

Let's see....

1. Angels are not the Dodgers.

2. We got his best years, including two more championships. Two in the last five years.

3. Dodgers suck cock, haven't won anything in decades. Don't see that changing anytime soon.

4. You're still a loser douche.

Have a nice day!

['Hamas' Jenkins]

I hope he enjoys LA. I also hope that the Cardinals never do anything for him once his career is over. No jersey retirement, no Pujols day, no statue. That's the cost of selling out.

[vailpass]

You really can't be mad at him, but I can't get myself to root for his success either.

If the Cardinals were just laundry and a paycheck, then he's just the guy that filled that laundry. When he leaves, he becomes just like every other overpaid superstar that I get a little bit of a kick out of seeing fail.

But the bottom line is the same as it ever was - when they say it's not about the money, it's always about the money.

I don't fault him for it, but I sure hate having it waived out in front of my face like that all the time. Sports get less fun to follow every year.

I see your point. But just because he leaves after fulfilling his contract does that have to mean it was "just laundry and a paycheck"?

[DJ's left nut]

I see your point. But just because he leaves after fulfilling his contract does that have to mean it was "just laundry and a paycheck"?

Not if they offered him the league minimum, no.

But by all accounts the Cardinals offered him a hell of a reasonable deal, one that trumped the Marlins deal anyway. All he did was use that to drive up the Angels.

He took the highest bid and left a city that would've revered the man in his wake. And why? So he can pass $150 million onto his children instead of $120 million.

He'll say it was about respect and wanting to feel appreciated - they always do. But in the end, the man that said he wanted to retire a Cardinal chased the money. He was given a reasonable offer and he still spit on it.

The Cardinals, despite all his words, amounted to little more than laundry and a paycheck. The Angels offered a bigger one, so he took it.

[L.A. Chieffan]

Really the angels arent the dodgers? You figure that out all by yourself there sparky?

[jd1020]

Not if they offered him the league minimum, no.

But by all accounts the Cardinals offered him a hell of a reasonable deal, one that trumped the Marlins deal anyway. All he did was use that to drive up the Angels.

He took the highest bid and left a city that would've revered the man in his wake. And why? So he can pass $150 million onto his children instead of $120 million.

He'll say it was about respect and wanting to feel appreciated - they always do. But in the end, the man that said he wanted to retire a Cardinal chased the money. He was given a reasonable offer and he still spit on it.

The Cardinals, despite all his words, amounted to little more than laundry and a paycheck. The Angels offered a bigger one, so he took it.

The Cardinals offered him 9 years...

"Sources" say the only reason Pujols eliminated the Marlins was because they would not offer a NTC.

[DJ's left nut]

The Cardinals offered him 9 years...

"Sources" say the only reason Pujols eliminated the Marlins was because they would not offer a NTC.

The number of years is ultimately trivial except for the fact that it ups the amount of guaranteed dollars.

'Years' has become agent-speak for dollars.

[L.A. Chieffan]

I think pujols was just done being there. Those annoying ass fans finally probably got to him. Even if the cards offered the same amount off money he would've told them Fuck you

[Bewbies]

The butthurt is strong in here.

[Skyy God]

Well, bye.

[Frazod]

The butthurt is strong in here.

So is the penis envy.

[tk13]

I just knew someone would fold eventually and give him an A-Rod contract. This is exactly how the Angels got Torii Hunter. Swooped in last minute and spent way more than anyone else would.
Posted via Mobile Device

[Great Expectations]

Do you know what California Angel fans and homosexuals have in common?

[Swanman]

In the big picture, he took $4 million more per year and at the same time took a nice steamy dump on his legacy in the process. It's not like the Cards offered him $10 million per year, their latest offer was reportedly $22 million per year.

With all that said, I am glad the Cards aren't tying up 1/4 of their payroll on a guy in his declining years. Thanks for the memories Albert, now good riddance.

[Swanman]

Do you know what California Angel fans and homosexuals have in common?

Everything?

[Demonpenz]

It's like the reverse Mcgwire. Mcgwire wins the Title and does steriods in cali then goes to ST LOUIS to win jack shit but break records Pujols does the steriods and wins WS then goes to cali to break records.

[L.A. Chieffan]

In the big picture, he took $4 million more per year and at the same time took a nice steamy dump on his legacy in the process. It's not like the Cards offered him $10 million per year, their latest offer was reportedly $22 million per year.

With all that said, I am glad the Cards aren't tying up 1/4 of their payroll on a guy in his declining years. Thanks for the memories Albert, now good riddance.

wow greatest player in your lifetime and you say good riddance.

HAHA, he chose a better lifestyle over shit louis and its ridiculous pathetic fan base!!!

[L.A. Chieffan]

angels will make all the money back guaranteed, moreno isnt a dumbass

[Swanman]

wow greatest player in your lifetime and you say good riddance.

HAHA, he chose a better lifestyle over shit louis and its ridiculous pathetic fan base!!!

For the price he was demanding, hell yes good riddance. Southern California douchenozzles should never, ever, ever talk shit about fanbases.

[DJ's left nut]

angels will make all the money back guaranteed, moreno isnt a dumbass

Moreno traded Mike Napoli for the right to give Vernon Wells $100 million.

Moreno gave Torii Hunter way more than anyone else was asking.

Arte Moreno is a dumbass.

[Bewbies]

So is the penis envy.

You should keep that admission to yourself.

What cracks me up is all the people who act line they wouldn't take the money. Sorry, another company offered me way more money but I will stay here.

Besides, 5 years from now this contract could be the baseball version of Joe Johnson here in Atlanta...a frachise crippling albatross.

[DJ's left nut]

I would love to see him retire here, but remember folks:

The Angels just gave a quarter of a billion to a guy that hit .299 with 99 RBI last year while hitting 3rd for the most potent offense in the NL. It was the 4th consecutive year that his offense had declined.

He'll still be a hell of a player for the next several years, but that decline phase everyone was wondering about started 2 years ago.

We got his best years and the Angels will be the ones that pay for them.

Now spend your money wisely, Mo. Fielder would be one hell of a good place to start.

[L.A. Chieffan]

Moreno traded Mike Napoli for the right to give Vernon Wells $100 million.

Moreno gave Torii Hunter way more than anyone else was asking.

Arte Moreno is a dumbass.

really, that 250 mil he just invested will probably return him 500 to a billion.

you know how much he bought the entire franchise for? peanuts.

[jd1020]

This just in. The Angels have just paid for Pujols' first year salary in jersey sales.

[L.A. Chieffan]

For the price he was demanding, hell yes good riddance. Southern California douchenozzles should never, ever, ever talk shit about fanbases.

the cardinals couldve matched it and it wouldnt even mattered

[jd1020]

Angels To Sign C.J. Wilson
By Tim Dierkes [December 8 at 9:56am CST]

Lefty C.J. Wilson will join Albert Pujols in Los Angeles, as the Angels continue a surprising free agent spending spree. The Halos completed a deal with Wilson today, an executive who spoke to the team told Joel Sherman of the New York Post. It's a five-year, $75MM deal, tweets Jon Heyman of MLB Network.

Wilson, a 31-year-old Fountain Valley, California native, posted a 2.94 ERA, 8.3 K/9, 3.0 BB/9, 0.64 HR/9, and 49.3% groundball rate in 223 1/3 innings this year. He added another 28 innings in the postseason. Including the playoffs, Wilson has tallied a massive 479 2/3 innings over 76 starts since being converted back to a starter in 2010. Wilson joins a stellar Angels rotation that includes Dan Haren, Jered Weaver, and Ervin Santana.

[sedated]

I hope he enjoys LA. I also hope that the Cardinals never do anything for him once his career is over. No jersey retirement, no Pujols day, no statue. That's the cost of selling out.

pretty sure that's not going to happen. a few years after he retires, everyone will welcome him back with open arms.

[L.A. Chieffan]

This just in. The Angels have just paid for Pujols' first year salary in jersey sales.

no shit.

those OC yuppies will sell out angel stadium and the luxury boxes will probably be the most expensive in MLB next to NY and it wont even matter. the money flows down there

[sedated]

Angels To Sign C.J. Wilson
By Tim Dierkes [December 8 at 9:56am CST]

Lefty C.J. Wilson will join Albert Pujols in Los Angeles, as the Angels continue a surprising free agent spending spree. The Halos completed a deal with Wilson today, an executive who spoke to the team told Joel Sherman of the New York Post. It's a five-year, $75MM deal, tweets Jon Heyman of MLB Network.

Wilson, a 31-year-old Fountain Valley, California native, posted a 2.94 ERA, 8.3 K/9, 3.0 BB/9, 0.64 HR/9, and 49.3% groundball rate in 223 1/3 innings this year. He added another 28 innings in the postseason. Including the playoffs, Wilson has tallied a massive 479 2/3 innings over 76 starts since being converted back to a starter in 2010. Wilson joins a stellar Angels rotation that includes Dan Haren, Jered Weaver, and Ervin Santana.

That's a lot of jack for a guy as overrated as Wilson, but for some reason I'm actually surprised he didn't get more.

[L.A. Chieffan]

honestly after reading the responses by these cards fans im completely not surprised why he left.

you guys might be worse than cleveland cavs fans

[DJ's left nut]

really, that 250 mil he just invested will probably return him 500 to a billion.

you know how much he bought the entire franchise for? peanuts.

$183 million.

He bought it at an incredible time, right before revenues really took off. He made a great purchase there.

Now tell me - did getting Vernon Wells increase the value of the Angels? No, no it did not. Torii Hunter? Nope. The value of the Angles increased as a product of excellent timing and little else.

If Pujols is the player he was last year, there's no way that contract will ever pay for itself. Fans, especially fans in LA, have the attention span of a rodent. If he's not winning MVPs and driving championship runs, the contract will be a bust.

Granted - there's a chance that he feels slighted and this contract drives him to kick ass. It could pay off for him. Then again, every other big-money purchase that Moreno has made over the last 5 years has blown up on him, so I see no reason to see why this would be much different.

[jd1020]

That's a lot of jack for a guy as overrated as Wilson, but for some reason I'm actually surprised he didn't get more.

:spock:

2.94 ERA in the AL is not something to laugh at.

[DJ's left nut]

This just in. The Angels have just paid for Pujols' first year salary in jersey sales.

That's all well and good - but how does it apply to STL's ability to extend him?

The Cardinals have already sold their Pujols jerseys. They've already built their brand. Re-signing Albert does nothing but maintain the status quo; not create an influx of revenue.

Perhaps the Angels will be able to recoup the investment. Maybe they'll be able to raise ticket prices to compensate for this contract. But that absolutely doesn't mean the Cardinals would have been able to do the same.

St. Louis isn't LA. The Cardinals have won by being smarter than the big-market teams with how they spend their money. It looks like that's how they'll have to keep winning. Such is life in a mid-market city.

[Valiant]

Not if they offered him the league minimum, no.

But by all accounts the Cardinals offered him a hell of a reasonable deal, one that trumped the Marlins deal anyway. All he did was use that to drive up the Angels.

He took the highest bid and left a city that would've revered the man in his wake. And why? So he can pass $150 million onto his children instead of $120 million.

He'll say it was about respect and wanting to feel appreciated - they always do. But in the end, the man that said he wanted to retire a Cardinal chased the money. He was given a reasonable offer and he still spit on it.

The Cardinals, despite all his words, amounted to little more than laundry and a paycheck. The Angels offered a bigger one, so he took it.

Did albert live in stl? Where did he spend all his time?
Not taking about the cards or most of their fans, but stl is a shit city with shit citizens. I can see multiple reasons to leave. He won them titles and dominance. Now hegets to be happy in great weather away from the midwest. Also prolong his career in the al.

Again not talking about the cards, but the town itself.

[Valiant]

honestly after reading the responses by these cards fans im completely not surprised why he left.

you guys might be worse than cleveland cavs fans

Cleveland fans had a reason to hate.

Albert never did any of the shit lebron pulled.

[DJ's left nut]

Did al live in stl? Where did he spend all his time.
Not taking about the cards or most of their fans, but stl is a shit city with shit citizens. I can see multiple reasons to leave. He won them titles and dominance. Now hegets to be happy in great weather away from the midwest. Also prolong his career in the al.

He lived outside of St. Louis, I believe it was Bellville, Illinois.

But here's the problem - I agree that STL is a shit city. I pretty much hate it there. At the same time, Albert has always crowed about his Midwestern roots and how much he loves STL. He's always given the same song about how he's a Midwestern guy with quiet Christian values and Midwestern sensibilities.

He's essentially spent a decade telling us all about how much he loves the history of the Cardinals and the low key nature of the city.

And then he gives it all the bird for more money.

If this is Matt Holliday, there's no resentment. If it's Prince Fielder, there's no resentment. But this is a guy that's always sworn that he's 'better' than your rank and file money-grabbing superstar.

The bottom line is that he isn't. It was essentially all a lie. It's that sense of betrayal more than anything that has Cards fans a little somber today.

Again - this is a guy that hit .299 with 99 RBI last year. A guy who's defense is slipping a bit and who's legs have been fighting him for 2 or 3 years now. From a purely baseball standpoint, this is a GREAT thing for the Cardinals. At the same time, there's an emotional element there. Albert told the fans of St. Louis that he was someone he clearly isn't and the fans are fairly upset upon learning the truth about him.

He's just another ballplayer.

[L.A. Chieffan]

$183 million.

He bought it at an incredible time, right before revenues really took off. He made a great purchase there.

Now tell me - did getting Vernon Wells increase the value of the Angels? No, no it did not. Torii Hunter? Nope. The value of the Angles increased as a product of excellent timing and little else.

If Pujols is the player he was last year, there's no way that contract will ever pay for itself. Fans, especially fans in LA, have the attention span of a rodent. If he's not winning MVPs and driving championship runs, the contract will be a bust.

Granted - there's a chance that he feels slighted and this contract drives him to kick ass. It could pay off for him. Then again, every other big-money purchase that Moreno has made over the last 5 years has blown up on him, so I see no reason to see why this would be much different.

look im not an angel fan but that guy isnt a dumbass. hes an extremely smart businessman that deals in financial numbers that you or i just wont ever experience.

strictly from a baseball point of view vernon wells was stupid, yes. i agree that they shouldnt have gotten rid of napoli. i always wondered why they never gave him more of a chance behind the dish because of his offensive numbers were always better than the other catchers but i think scioscia values pitching and defense far more than how much a catcher will give you with the stick.

but he signed vladimir that was a great move that completely changed the face of the team and showed that the angels werent the dodgers little kid brother and theyre here to play with the big boys. you can say its way too money but hes already got it figured out. even if pujols sucks in five years that contract will have already been paid. guaranteed

[Marcellus]

:spock:

2.94 ERA in the AL is not something to laugh at.

His career ERA is 3.6 which isn't bad but he really is just above average and getting paid start $.

The Angels have way overpaid 2 players now. They will be fucked and its going to be funny.

[jd1020]

His career ERA is 3.6 which isn't bad but he really is just above average and getting paid start $.

The Angels have way overpaid 2 players now. They will be ****ed and its going to be funny.

You know he is now a starter right?

4.57 ERA as a reliever.

3.14 ERA as a starter.

[Micjones]

Good for him.

[L.A. Chieffan]

lol, wilson has been a full time starter for over two seasons now. gtfo out of here with that shit

[DJ's left nut]

You know he is now a starter right?

I think he meant 'star' money.

Sorry, but I watched Wilson come unglued under the pressure of the World Series. He doesn't strike me as a 'money' pitcher.

The Pujols deal is defensible from a business standpoint because that money can be recovered to a large extent through jersey sales, sponsorship deals, etc...

The Wilson deal, OTOH, is a strange one. Wilson doesn't sell jerseys and he doesn't really qualify as a legitimate ace. With Weaver and Haren already in the fold, it seems like they needed Wilson about like they needed a third tit.

I wonder if this was more of a defensive move - getting him out of Texas - than it was one designed to help them out. I also wonder if the Rangers won't feel a push to pursue Fielder in response now. I know they like Moreland a lot, but Moreland's not a star. He's a complimentary player. He's probably not enough to keep the Rangers ahead of the Angels.

[jd1020]

I wonder if this was more of a defensive move - getting him out of Texas - than it was one designed to help them out. I also wonder if the Rangers won't feel a push to pursue Fielder in response now. I know they like Moreland a lot, but Moreland's not a star. He's a complimentary player. He's probably not enough to keep the Rangers ahead of the Angels.

Rangers are talking with the Cubs for Garza now.

[L.A. Chieffan]

its almost the same amount per year miami payed for buerhle.

would you rather have buerhle for the next 4 or wilson for the next five for the same price?

[DJ's left nut]

Rangers are talking with the Cubs for Garza now.

Not sure that helps them much. They have some spectacular arms in the high minors; Perez is no joke. Worse still, Garza is an extreme fly-ball pitcher; Arlington in the summer would eat him alive. With Feliz making a move to the rotation as well, it seems like they probably need to answer with a little more firepower in the order.

Napoli really proved himself to be a hell of a receiver. Make him the catcher for 115 games instead of the DH and put Fielder at 1b. At that point their worst hitter would be Elvis Andrus.

[OnTheWarpath15]

Fine by me.

We got his best years while underpaying him, Anaheim will get his worst years while overpaying him. Glad Mo didn't do something stupid and match.

Now use the money you had earmarked for Albert and go get Fielder, MIF or OF depth.

[Buehler445]

I have a dumb question. Does FULL no trade clause mean that the no trade clause is effective for the entirety of the contract?

[Rausch]

I have a dumb question. Does FULL no trade clause mean that the no trade clause is effective for the entirety of the contract?

Yes.

[Buehler445]

Yes.

Wow. Terrible move for the angels. He's 32 right?

[jd1020]

Wow. Terrible move for the angels. He's 32 right?

They'll just pay him to DH. It's really not as bad as Cards fans are trying to make it out to be.

In reality... Pujols will likely being paying himself with all the money he's going to bring in with records being broken, etc...

[Buehler445]

They'll just pay him to DH. It's really not as bad as Cards fans are trying to make it out to be.

In reality... Pujols will likely being paying himself with all the money he's going to bring in with records being broken, etc...

Hell, I forgot about the DH thing. I'm a tard. But locking yourself into that kind of money for such a long period of time is still an epic risk. Particularly if revenues decline. Maybe in 10 years, $25M a year might be farm league pay, it's hard to tell, but they are certainly putting themselves out there for a long time.

[Skyy God]

Wow. Terrible move for the angels. He's 32 right?

31, theoretically.

[DJ's left nut]

31, theoretically.

32 when the contract starts; that's why you keep seeing that thrown around.

Again - he just hit .299 w/ 99 RBI while batting 3rd in the order of the most potent offensive team in the NL.

Emotionally, this sucks pretty bad. From a baseball standpoint, it was the right decision.

Since baseball is a game and nothing but entertainment, the emotion does matter. But if the Cardinals go out there and win ballgames, all will be forgiven.

[Buehler445]

Dude. Superturtle. Party foul.

[Sassy Squatch]

Dude. Superturtle. Party foul.
Sorry =(

[sedated]

I have a dumb question. Does FULL no trade clause mean that the no trade clause is effective for the entirety of the contract?

I'm pretty sure they can still trade him, but he'd have to agree to the deal, so they don't have much leverage if it came to that.

[teedubya]

There are a ton of Mexicans there in L.A., they will buy shitloads of Pujols jerseys, I'd imagine.

[Bambi]

Wow. Terrible move for the angels. He's 32 right?

LMAO

[WV]

Can't blame him for taking it, but sure tarnishes his image in my mind.

[Buehler445]

I'm pretty sure they can still trade him, but he'd have to agree to the deal, so they don't have much leverage if it came to that.

That's better than not being able to trade him at all.

[Bambi]

There are a ton of Mexicans there in L.A., they will buy shitloads of Pujols jerseys, I'd imagine.

Pujols is Mexican?

[L.A. Chieffan]

Pujols is Mexican?

well he speaks mexican

[teedubya]

Pujols is Mexican?

Nah, I think he's French.

[BigCatDaddy]

Pujols is Mexican?

Alberto Delpujolso!

[Sassy Squatch]

Dominican-American

[FRCDFED]

They'll just pay him to DH. It's really not as bad as Cards fans are trying to make it out to be.

In reality... Pujols will likely being paying himself with all the money he's going to bring in with records being broken, etc... His decline is pretty evident. You keep mentioning all these records that are going to be broken. Which records are you referring to? The ML homerun record? That is many years away. The DH designation will help but he will have to play out that entire contract to even come close at the pace he is on.

[BigMeatballDave]

Angels = Dumb

[Deberg_1990]

Wow. Terrible move for the angels. He's 32 right?

Hes 31, can probably add 2 or 3 years on to that.

[Mama Hip Rockets]

honestly after reading the responses by these cards fans im completely not surprised why he left.

you guys might be worse than cleveland cavs fans

As a third-party observer who is a Royals fan, it's very clear that you are by far the douchiest person in this thread.

[L.A. Chieffan]

The only bad thing I can see happening for the angels is if they find out pujols had been roiding all these years, like Manny.

[L.A. Chieffan]

As a third-party observer who is a Royals fan, it's very clear that you are by far the douchiest person in this thread.

haha ok, i tell it like it is and shit louis fans pussies are hurt and now a royals fan has come to their defense.

[epitome1170]

The only bad thing I can see happening for the angels is if they find out pujols had been roiding all these years, like Manny.

Or he keeps have declining years? Or his wrist starts bothering him again so he has to go on a prolonged DL? Or his heel requires surgery?

All of those risks would make this questionable signing (in terms of years and amount) look even worse.

[L.A. Chieffan]

Or he keeps have declining years? Or his wrist starts bothering him again so he has to go on a prolonged DL? Or his heel requires surgery?

All of those risks would make this questionable signing (in terms of years and amount) look even worse.

if he can give them 4 to 5 really good years then that contract wont mean shit. sure he could get completely injured and be fucked but if he gets suspended and disgraced thats a different story.

not to mention the two titles shit louis won would be tarnished forever

[jd1020]

His decline is pretty evident. You keep mentioning all these records that are going to be broken. Which records are you referring to? The ML homerun record? That is many years away. The DH designation will help but he will have to play out that entire contract to even come close at the pace he is on.

Ya... No.

Pujols is averaging 44.5 HR's a season right now.

To finish out this contract he would only need to average 31.7 a year to tie, 31.8 to hit 763. Pujols has never hit less than 32 HR's in a year.

Thats a pretty heavy decline while still ending up as the home run king.

[Pasta Little Brioni]

I see LA Queeffan's still taking out his "doyer :whackit:" frustration out on us poor Cardinal fans. Must suck to be a fan of a pathetic organization.

[FRCDFED]

Ya... No.

Pujols is averaging 44.5 HR's a season right now.

To finish out this contract he would only need to average 31.7 a year to tie, 31.8 to hit 763. Pujols has never hit less than 32 HR's in a year.

Thats a pretty heavy decline while still ending up as the home run king. I would be very surprised to see him last more than 3 years as an active player and 2 more as a DH.

[L.A. Chieffan]

I see LA Queeffan's still taking out his "doyer :whackit:" frustration out on us poor Cardinal fans. Must suck to be a fan of a pathetic organization.

Dont worry dude it wont be that hard to watch maybe the greatest player since babe Ruth leave your pathetic city and play for another team

[FRCDFED]

Pujols also led the league in being thrown out on double plays last season IIRC. That stat was shown during the World Series. You know.....the 7 game series where he only hit in one game. The new contract may motivate him but up to this point there is no denying the decline in his physical abilities.

[DeezNutz]

If I were a Cards fan, I wouldn't have a big issue with letting Pujols go under these circumstances. However, I would be pissed if the team didn't make a major push for Fielder.

[Pasta Little Brioni]

Dont worry dude it wont be that hard to watch maybe the greatest player since babe Ruth leave your pathetic city and play for another team

:hmmm: Too bad we don't have a recent World Series win or 2 to hold us over

[Marcellus]

If I were a Cards fan, I wouldn't have a big issue with letting Pujols go under these circumstances. However, I would be pissed if the team didn't make a major push for Fielder.

You nailed it.

[McWickedson]

Dark times are ahead. It's going to be years before we even sniff the playoffs again.

[dirk digler]

wow didn't see this coming. I feel bad for you Cardinal fans. The team made a very fair offer and he decided instead of being a Cardinal legend he took the easy way out. He already would have made enough money to take care of 4-5 generations of his family how much more does he need?

Also don't let LA Chieffan fool you if Kobe Bryant left the Lakers for another team he would be crying all over the place.

[McWickedson]

Dont worry dude it wont be that hard to watch maybe the greatest player since babe Ruth leave your pathetic city and play for another team

Ruth didn't end his career with NY.

[DJ's left nut]

Ya... No.

Pujols is averaging 44.5 HR's a season right now.

To finish out this contract he would only need to average 31.7 a year to tie, 31.8 to hit 763. Pujols has never hit less than 32 HR's in a year.

Thats a pretty heavy decline while still ending up as the home run king.

Unless you peg his baseline at 37, which is what he hit last year.

Based on the history of baseball as well as Pujols performance over the last 4 years, there's an excellent chance that he peaked 3 seasons ago and the 'average' of 44.5 is long gone.

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/how-do-star-hitters-age/

Worse, most guys will tell you that players will decline about 5% in overall production from years 31-34. Starting at about age 35, players start a precipitous decline; generally about 15-20% less than their previous year's performance.

For the last 3 years, Albert's followed a pretty standard curve. If he continues to follow it over the next 10, he won't get that record. He'd hit 35,33,32,27,22,20,17,14,11,10 for a total of 221. The decline models account for injuries, so I don't believe Albert will ever hit 10 HRs over a 600 AB season, but by the time the man is 39 years old, he's not going to be coming back from injuries like he used to. He's not going to have those 600 AB seasons anymore.

Hell, even assuming a 'young' decline curve of 5% annually over every year of that 10 year contract (even though he's declined by 10% annually over the last 3), he'll hit 35,33,32,30,29,27,26,25,23 and 22; or 282 total. He'd still come up short.

I think he'll get it, personally. I think he'll have a couple of years in there where his pride takes over and he explodes (maybe even next season). So I'm not sure the standard curve is fair to apply to him at all. Aaron had the best season of his career at 37; Musial had one of his best at 36. Proud men are wired differently.

That said, his health issues are well known. He has heavy legs that are constantly nagging at him. His heel is an issue on and off every year. Nobody really knows what kind of shape his elbow is in. While I think he's a very different breed of cat, there are also signs that suggest he could be slowing down just as many players before him have.

[L.A. Chieffan]

wow didn't see this coming. I feel bad for you Cardinal fans. The team made a very fair offer and he decided instead of being a Cardinal legend he took the easy way out. He already would have made enough money to take care of 4-5 generations of his family how much more does he need?

Also don't let LA Chieffan fool you if Kobe Bryant left the Lakers for another team he would be crying all over the place.

Just goes to show that even for almost the same amount he'd rather play some where else.

And Kobe gave la five titles and alot of good years I wouldnt be hating on him. His Jersey will be hung on the wall next to all the other great lakers. Meanwhile you have cards fans saying "good riddance". Stay classy shit louis

[DJ's left nut]

If I were a Cards fan, I wouldn't have a big issue with letting Pujols go under these circumstances. However, I would be pissed if the team didn't make a major push for Fielder.

By all accounts, we won't.

And yeah, I'm kinda pissed about that.

We're going to do a really really stupid thing and throw a bunch of money at Jimmy !@#$ing Rollins.

Albert could've at least done this 2 weeks ago so we could have Reyes instead. Ugh, I'm already preparing myself for the Rollins deal and I'm not happy about it. I'm thinking we'll see 4 years/$64 million.

{sigh}

[L.A. Chieffan]

Ruth didn't end his career with NY.

No shit. Whats your point

[vailpass]

No shit. Whats your point

The point is that this board, this country and anyone that has ever met you would be much better off if you had died yesterday. The next best would be if you were to off yourself today, if it wouldn't be too terribly much trouble.

[Alton deFlat]

My thoughts and points to ponder.

As much as I enjoyed Albert's time as a Cardinal, I am very glad they didn't match this offer. It would have handicapped the team for years to come.

I'm damn glad he's not Cub.... or any other club in the NL.

Does Berkman take over at 1st base, and do they try to sign another outfielder.... or do they make a push for Fielder?

I now have a new team to hate in the American League, but still probably not as much as the Yankees.

What the hell do I do with the print on my office wall, that has Musial, McGwire, and Pujols in it?

[DJ's left nut]

Dark times are ahead. It's going to be years before we even sniff the playoffs again.

We'll still be the best team in the division next season. Alan Craig is no slouch himself and we're going to get the best pitcher on the staff back next season.

We won't be as good as we were last season, but neither will the Brewers. Marcum might be toast and Fielder is gone. The Cubs are the Cubs and the Pirates are the Pirates. I don't think the Reds have the arms to rebound either.

The Cards have just as good a shot as anyone to win the division next season. And in 2 or 3 years, we'll have Miller and Martinez getting ready to take on the NL, not to mention Jenkins. Oh, and we're about to get 6 picks in the first 75 or so picks of the MLB draft due to the loss of Jackson, Dotel and Pujols.

The Cardinals will be just fine. The only time the franchise has ever struggled is when the Brewery didn't show a commitment to winning in the early 70s and again in the early 90's. I see nothing to suggest that the DeWitt group plans to walk that path.

[vailpass]

My thoughts and points to ponder.

As much as I enjoyed Albert's time as a Cardinal, I am very glad they didn't match this offer. It would have handicapped the team for years to come.

I'm damn glad he's not Cub.... or any other club in the NL.

Does Berkman take over at 1st base, and do they try to sign another outfielder.... or do they make a push for Fielder?

I now have a new team to hate in the American League, but still probably not as much as the Yankees.

What the hell do I do with the print on my office wall, that has Musial, McGwire, and Pujols in it?

Why do you have to do anything with your print?

[seclark]

The point is that this board, this country and anyone that has ever met you would be much better off if you had died yesterday. The next best would be if you were to off yourself today, if it wouldn't be too terribly much trouble.

LMAO
who is this chick anyway? i'm thinking she must have lost her quarter in a kotex machine at busch stadium at one time.
sec

[L.A. Chieffan]

The point is that this board, this country and anyone that has ever met you would be much better off if you had died yesterday. The next best would be if you were to off yourself today, if it wouldn't be too terribly much trouble.

stop sounding so fucking sad failpass, jesus

[vailpass]

LMAO
who is this chick anyway? i'm thinking she must have lost her quarter in a kotex machine at busch stadium at one time.
sec

LMAO

[DJ's left nut]

What the hell do I do with the print on my office wall, that has Musial, McGwire, and Pujols in it?

"Kings and their Castles"?

Burn that bitch...Mac's a disgrace and Albert's a ghost. Get yourself some powder blues and get ready for Spring.

No LaRussa, no Albert; it's a whole new era. Nothing says it has to be a disaster so lets get ready for it.

[McWickedson]

We'll see, DJ. right now, i'm not optimistic. we had a rare chance to repeat as champions.

[Swanman]

Dont worry dude it wont be that hard to watch maybe the greatest player since babe Ruth leave your pathetic city and play for another team

Did a Cardinals player Sandusky you in your formative years? Your irrational hatred of the Cardinals is astounding.

[Jim Jones]

I don't get the sour grapes here. This isn't a LeBron situation - the guy brought you two World Series championships. He's done what he was supposed to do and he deserves to be able to chase the money.

All this sour grapes over the contract is ridiculous. If he brings the Angels a championship or two it's all worth it. And if he's approaching the HR record in a few years, the TV ratings/attendance/merchandise sales, etc. will be so far through the roof that it will make $250 mil look like a bargain.

[Frazod]

Did a Cardinals player Sandusky you in your formative years? Your irrational hatred of the Cardinals is astounding.

He's a butthurt lowlife dumbfuck loser. A fan of a big market team that hasn't won dick since the 80s. Envious of anything successful. I'll bet the only thing he hates worse than St. Louis is the guy who gets to drive the garbage truck while he gets stuck loading the trash cans.

[Swanman]

I don't get the sour grapes here. This isn't a LeBron situation - the guy brought you two World Series championships. He's done what he was supposed to do and he deserves to be able to chase the money.

All this sour grapes over the contract is ridiculous. If he brings the Angels a championship or two it's all worth it. And if he's approaching the HR record in a few years, the TV ratings/attendance/merchandise sales, etc. will be so far through the roof that it will make $250 mil look like a bargain.

If there are any sour grapes, it is because of Albert's neverending lip service the last few years about loving the midwest and wanting to retire a Cardinal.

From a practical standpoint, as many others have said, that contract would have been an anchor on the organization. Given the ownership is planning to keep the salaries capped at around $110 million, it limits the ability of the club to fill holes during that contract. It would have been nice to keep him, but I also want the team to stay competitive long-term, and paying a 40 year old Pujols about 20% of the team's salary was going to hurt the chances of that.

[L.A. Chieffan]

Did a Cardinals player Sandusky you in your formative years? Your irrational hatred of the Cardinals is astounding.

90% of cardinal fans probably dont even live in shit louis and other than maybe busch stadium wouldn't even think about going there, so in a way they are the midwestern version of a bandwagon pussy fan.

not to mention, ironically, they think for some reason that they are the small town underdogs that always overcome the odds to win even though their payrolls are usually in the top 5 to 10 every year consistently. and they bitch and whine about everything. case in point the player who delivered 2 WS titles and 10 years of great baseball being attacked and criticized they way lebron was

[L.A. Chieffan]

He's a butthurt lowlife dumbfuck loser. A fan of a big market team that hasn't won dick since the 80s. Envious of anything successful. I'll bet the only thing he hates worse than St. Louis is the guy who gets to drive the garbage truck while he gets stuck loading the trash cans.

this post is a perfect example of a bitch cardinal fan. lives somewhere else and thinks the cardinals are a "small market" team

[Frazod]

90% of cardinal fans probably dont even live in shit louis and other than maybe busch stadium wouldn't even think about going there, so in a way they are the midwestern version of a bandwagon pussy fan.

not to mention, ironically, they think for some reason that they are the small town underdogs that always overcome the odds to win even though their payrolls are usually in the top 5 to 10 every year consistently. and they bitch and whine about everything. case in point the player who delivered 2 WS titles and 10 years of great baseball being attacked and criticized they way lebron was

Hey dumbfuck, tell me again how the 2011 Cardinals are only going to play three more games than your sorry ass broke dick Doyers. LMAO

I guess your mom and Hootie's mom fucked the same wino.

[whoman69]

The only bad thing I can see happening for the angels is if they find out pujols had been roiding all these years, like Manny.

Still an ID10T

[Carlota69]

This will make the Angels scary for a few years, but wow, they better hope he can sustain some level of productivity. They already have Vernon Wells making 26 mil, not sure when that contract ends, but that's 40 percent of their team salary in two guys... And I think Torri Hunter is around 20 mil as well...

Angels fan here....

First, Torii is off the books next year, Vernon sucks but will be gone in 2? The best we can hope for is he does better than last year, and how could you suck more?

But this is beyond contracts and yearly payroll. This is about OWNING the LA market. The Angels are predicting about $100 mil more a year just in TV revenues. The Marketing campaign is going to HUGE in media market #2. Fernando Mania revisited. Angels had to do this to cement themselves in Big Boy Baseball.

Im glad they did obviously. o:-)

[L.A. Chieffan]

Angels fan here....

First, Torii is off the books next year, Vernon sucks but will be gone in 2? The best we can hope for is he does better than last year, and how could you suck more?

But this is beyond contracts and yearly payroll. This is about OWNING the LA market. The Angels are predicting about $100 mil more a year just in TV revenues. The Marketing campaign is going to HUGE in media market #2. Fernando Mania revisited. Angels had to do this to cement themselves in Big Boy Baseball.

Im glad they did obviously. o:-)

no no carlota your an idiot. that contract was fucking stupid! its an albatross. the angels will be banrupt by august! dont you know anything?

[Frazod]

this post is a perfect example of a bitch cardinal fan. lives somewhere else and thinks the cardinals are a "small market" team

Tell me, genious, what's the population of the Los Angeles metropolitan area compared to the population of the St. Louis metropolitan area? Even if you cut it in half and don't count the illegals, I think we're talking a fairly wide gap there.

And it seems like I live a lot closer to St. Louis than you do to Kansas City, you window-licking retard. Got anything else?

[whoman69]

Unless you peg his baseline at 37, which is what he hit last year.

Based on the history of baseball as well as Pujols performance over the last 4 years, there's an excellent chance that he peaked 3 seasons ago and the 'average' of 44.5 is long gone.

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/how-do-star-hitters-age/

Worse, most guys will tell you that players will decline about 5% in overall production from years 31-34. Starting at about age 35, players start a precipitous decline; generally about 15-20% less than their previous year's performance.

For the last 3 years, Albert's followed a pretty standard curve. If he continues to follow it over the next 10, he won't get that record. He'd hit 35,33,32,27,22,20,17,14,11,10 for a total of 221. The decline models account for injuries, so I don't believe Albert will ever hit 10 HRs over a 600 AB season, but by the time the man is 39 years old, he's not going to be coming back from injuries like he used to. He's not going to have those 600 AB seasons anymore.

Hell, even assuming a 'young' decline curve of 5% annually over every year of that 10 year contract (even though he's declined by 10% annually over the last 3), he'll hit 35,33,32,30,29,27,26,25,23 and 22; or 282 total. He'd still come up short.

I think he'll get it, personally. I think he'll have a couple of years in there where his pride takes over and he explodes (maybe even next season). So I'm not sure the standard curve is fair to apply to him at all. Aaron had the best season of his career at 37; Musial had one of his best at 36. Proud men are wired differently.

That said, his health issues are well known. He has heavy legs that are constantly nagging at him. His heel is an issue on and off every year. Nobody really knows what kind of shape his elbow is in. While I think he's a very different breed of cat, there are also signs that suggest he could be slowing down just as many players before him have.

Which is perhaps why its better he's now in the AL with the DH so he can rest more. Nobody has a better work ethic than Albert. The only way I see that he doesn't get the record is if ARoid sets the bar too high when he breaks it.

[L.A. Chieffan]

Tell me, genious, what's the population of the Los Angeles metropolitan area compared to the population of the St. Louis metropolitan area? Even if you cut it in half and don't count the illegals, I think we're talking a fairly wide gap there.

And it seems like I live a lot closer to St. Louis than you do to Kansas City, you window-licking retard. Got anything else?

your making my point for me. even though the "size" of your city is smaller the amount the cardinals spend on payroll is even higher which makes your argument even stupider. goddamn man how fucking dumb are you?

[L.A. Chieffan]

let me ask you frazhole, did you used to live in shit louis?

[Alton deFlat]

"Kings and their Castles"?

Burn that bitch...Mac's a disgrace and Albert's a ghost. Get yourself some powder blues and get ready for Spring.

No LaRussa, no Albert; it's a whole new era. Nothing says it has to be a disaster so lets get ready for it.

That's the one.

[L.A. Chieffan]

oh wait let me guess, your one of those old timey fans that used to listen to jack buck on the radio and the only station you could pick up was the cards game right? gimmie a break

[Frazod]

your making my point for me. even though the "size" of your city is smaller the amount the cardinals spend on payroll is even higher which makes your argument even stupider. goddamn man how fucking dumb are you?

Yeah, I guess I'm so dumb that I think $104,000,000 (Cardinals 2011 payroll) is less than $138,000,000 (LAA 2011 payroll). LMAO

What else you got, cockchugger?

[whoman69]

Short term there is no doubt this hurts the Cardinals. I think the last two years were off years as he was pushing, not the old Albert. I expect him to come back and be that dominant player for a few more years. That said, not signing him opens the Cardinals to be able to afford another pitcher and outfielder. It probably allows them to re-sign Furcal at a lower price than the $12million they did not excercise on him.

[DeezNutz]

By all accounts, we won't.

And yeah, I'm kinda pissed about that.

We're going to do a really really stupid thing and throw a bunch of money at Jimmy !@#$ing Rollins.

Albert could've at least done this 2 weeks ago so we could have Reyes instead. Ugh, I'm already preparing myself for the Rollins deal and I'm not happy about it. I'm thinking we'll see 4 years/$64 million.

{sigh}

Really? Ugh. Not a back-breaking contract, but it's also far from great.

We'll have to see what he ends up signing for, but I honestly believe that Fielder is getting undervalued in a lot of discussions amongst fans because of his body type. Though he looks the part of the fat slob, his performance, athleticism, and longevity argue otherwise.

He's one of the few FA whom I believe could actually earn the type of FA dollars that he's going to see.

[L.A. Chieffan]

Yeah, I guess I'm so dumb that I think $104,000,000 (Cardinals 2011 payroll) is less than $138,000,000 (LAA 2011 payroll). LMAO

What else you got, cockchugger?

i thought we were talking about the broke dick dodgers you dumbfuck?

if you compared dollars spent on payroll to actual size of population i bet shit louis is right up there with ny and boston

[Swanman]

Short term there is no doubt this hurts the Cardinals. I think the last two years were off years as he was pushing, not the old Albert. I expect him to come back and be that dominant player for a few more years. That said, not signing him opens the Cardinals to be able to afford another pitcher and outfielder. It probably allows them to re-sign Furcal at a lower price than the $12million they did not excercise on him.

Losing Albert (unless they sign someone like Fielder) gives the Cardinals the ability to get Allen Craig's bat in the lineup every day, either at first or in right field if Berkman plays first. While he wouldn't put up typical Pujols numbers, if he picks up from last year's postseason, they won't be too far off, especially given Craig basically makes minimum wage. And he hopefully won't ground into 3,925 double plays like Albert did.

[L.A. Chieffan]

oh and i like how you completely ignore your origins of being a cardinal fan. maybe because your a pussy bandwagon fan? HMMM??

dont worry you still have time to come up with story about how your great grandpappy took you to go see bob gibson or some shit

['Hamas' Jenkins]

I pointed this out to a friend of mine, but the Cardinals evidently tried several times over the last 3 years to re-sign him and every time he said he wouldn't sign for less than A-Rod got.

Well if you sign him to that deal three years ago, you take an extra $9 million/season and apply it to him. What did Berkman make this year? Exactly - $9 million. Do we make the playoffs, let alone win the WS, without Lance Berkman? No, not even close.

So you can argue that we should've extended him 3 years ago if you'd like, but you have to also recognize that we probably don't win the World Series this year if we did.

The Cardinals did the right thing here, IMO. They extracted maximum value from his prime years and made a damn reasonable offer.

He took the money. They always take the money.

This assumes an absolute cap on the payroll this year.

[kcpasco]

Been to LA once, hated it

garbage and illegals everywhere

[L.A. Chieffan]

Been to LA once, hated it

garbage and illegals everywhere

how insightful

['Hamas' Jenkins]

pretty sure that's not going to happen. a few years after he retires, everyone will welcome him back with open arms.

Fuck him. He's an entire tier below Bronco Neil. At least Bronco Neil was chasing a title.

[Frazod]

i thought we were talking about the broke dick dodgers you dumbfuck?

if you compared dollars spent on payroll to actual size of population i bet shit louis is right up there with ny and boston

I'm sorry, but last time I checked it was the Angles that signed Pujols, not the Dodgers.

And while the Dodgers have the lowest payroll of the "big market" teams, they also had a moron owner who bankrupted the organization. I don't think you can pin that one on St. Louis.

What else?

[Frazod]

oh and i like how you completely ignore your origins of being a cardinal fan. maybe because your a pussy bandwagon fan? HMMM??

dont worry you still have time to come up with story about how your great grandpappy took you to go see bob gibson or some shit

LMAO

Grew up in central Missouri, rooted for them all my life.

You've now officially passed Hootie stupid and are threatening to pass even Wickedson stupid.

Anything else?

['Hamas' Jenkins]

DJ is right. The sense of betrayal doesn't come from him leaving, it comes from him leaving after the ten years of shit he's shoveled about his values and the city.

Just another mercenary, but one without the gumption to admit what he really is. If you're gonna be a greedy bastard, just say it, don't be a fucking coward and hide behind values for 10 years.

[Carlota69]

Not if they offered him the league minimum, no.

But by all accounts the Cardinals offered him a hell of a reasonable deal, one that trumped the Marlins deal anyway. All he did was use that to drive up the Angels.

He took the highest bid and left a city that would've revered the man in his wake. And why? So he can pass $150 million onto his children instead of $120 million.

He'll say it was about respect and wanting to feel appreciated - they always do. But in the end, the man that said he wanted to retire a Cardinal chased the money. He was given a reasonable offer and he still spit on it.

The Cardinals, despite all his words, amounted to little more than laundry and a paycheck. The Angels offered a bigger one, so he took it.

Of course take this with a grain of salt, but I read he was offered 10/275 by the Marlins, but the NTC was a deal breaker..STL offered less than Then the Angels, something like 9/198 vs 10/25-260.

[Frazod]

Fuck him. He's an entire tier below Bronco Neil. At least Bronco Neil was chasing a title.

Dude, it's not like he went to the Cubs or the Reds.

I mean, if he had to go anywhere, better he goes to a team nobody gives a shit about in another league.

[Carlota69]

This just in. The Angels have just paid for Pujols' first year salary in jersey sales.

LMAO Thats probably close to true.

[Carlota69]

$183 million.

He bought it at an incredible time, right before revenues really took off. He made a great purchase there.

Now tell me - did getting Vernon Wells increase the value of the Angels? No, no it did not. Torii Hunter? Nope. The value of the Angles increased as a product of excellent timing and little else.

If Pujols is the player he was last year, there's no way that contract will ever pay for itself. Fans, especially fans in LA, have the attention span of a rodent. If he's not winning MVPs and driving championship runs, the contract will be a bust.

Granted - there's a chance that he feels slighted and this contract drives him to kick ass. It could pay off for him. Then again, every other big-money purchase that Moreno has made over the last 5 years has blown up on him, so I see no reason to see why this would be much different.

Sorry, but thats pretty short-sighted of you. While LA may not be a huge football market, we are a baseball market. And based on the TV deal already being projected becasue of Pujols, his contract will be paid for in 3 years. I understand its too much money for anyone, but in this case, it makes a ton of sense for The Angels and their needs beyond the lineup.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Dude, it's not like he went to the Cubs or the Reds.

I mean, if he had to go anywhere, better he goes to a team nobody gives a shit about in another league.

There is that, but again, if you're gonna leave, just have the guts to admit that you're the same kind of greedy scumbag like the other 750 guys in the league. Don't separate yourself as being above the fray.

That's why people revel in the falls from grace of assbags like Haggard, Jimmy Swaggert, etc. They couch themselves as holier than thou only to be the same kind of lecherous cocksucker as all the rest.

[kcpasco]

how insightful

I grew up 2 hours west of St. Louis dickbag. Calling people in here bandwagon fans makes you look like a retard.

[Rausch]

Sorry, but thats pretty short-sighted of you. While LA may not be a huge football market, we are a baseball market. And based on the TV deal already being projected becasue of Pujols, his contract will be paid for in 3 years. I understand its too much money for anyone, but in this case, it makes a ton of sense for The Angels and their needs beyond the lineup.

Plus they've won a championship in recent memory and this might be construed as a push to......

........win another.

[DJ's left nut]

Really? Ugh. Not a back-breaking contract, but it's also far from great.

We'll have to see what he ends up signing for, but I honestly believe that Fielder is getting undervalued in a lot of discussions amongst fans because of his body type. Though he looks the part of the fat slob, his performance, athleticism, and longevity argue otherwise.

He's one of the few FA whom I believe could actually earn the type of FA dollars that he's going to see.

I agree.

I'd go to 6 years/$144 million; maybe even an extra year if necessary. That takes you through his age 34 season. The last 2 years of that may be a little ugly, but his batting eye and his power will still be there even when his quick twitch muscles start to fail him.

Then again...he could just be Mo Vaughn all over again.

It's hard to say, but I think the Cardinals owe it to their fans to take that chance. Matt Holliday's a nice player, but he's not a franchise cornerstone. Lance Berkman was, but he's aging rapidly. The Cardinals are the crown jewel of the National League (scoreboard, shithead Dodger fans). They owe their fans a legitimate contender.

It's hard to compete without a cleanup hitter - go get him, DeWitt.

[Carlota69]

Plus they've won a championship in recent memory and this might be construed as a push to......

........win another.

Exactly. Like someone mentioned he didnt go to a losing team. The Angels contend for the playoffs year in and year out and we contended for the division til the last week of the season in '11. Granted the Card won the WS and they are a great team--still.

The difference is the DH factor, and this is just my opinion. In 4-5 years he can DH if he cant play 1st anymore. IN STlL he'd be a pinch hitter and maybe bat once a game. In the AL he can still play everyday and bat 3-4 times a game and this gives him the best shot at the HR title.

[Frazod]

There is that, but again, if you're gonna leave, just have the guts to admit that you're the same kind of greedy scumbag like the other 750 guys in the league. Don't separate yourself as being above the fray.

That's why people revel in the falls from grace of assbags like Haggard, Jimmy Swaggert, etc. They couch themselves as holier than thou only to be the same kind of lecherous cocksucker as all the rest.

Can't argue with that, and I'll definitely chuckle a bit if he ends up being a total bust out there, but he's better off on an American League team with a DH, and at the end of the day I think that's why he made this move. Five years from now he's a light-hitting, injury prone liability on an NL squad, but has a chance to be a still-productive DH on an AL squad. Too bad we couldn't have squeezed two more years out of him, but it is what it is. Unless we end up playing the Angels in the World Series, this won't come back to haunt us.

Like I said earlier, he's dead to me now, and by that I mean I don't give a shit whether he succeeds or fails, lives or dies. Much like Tony Gonzalez, it's over. But I don't have to hate him now, since him being in the AL West means absolutely nothing to me, just like Tony playing for the Falcons means nothing to me.

To pull a Bronco Neil, he'd have to (a) go the Cubs, (b) immediately disrespect the entire Cardinal fanbase, (c) continue to deliberately mock the fans with his actions on the field, (d) be part of a Cubs team that actively cheated to knock us out of the playoffs, (e) win a championship with the Cubs, and then (f) after all that, come crawling back and try to act like he's always been Mr. Cardinal. None of those things will happen here.

[Carlota69]

I agree.

I'd go to 6 years/$144 million; maybe even an extra year if necessary. That takes you through his age 34 season. The last 2 years of that may be a little ugly, but his batting eye and his power will still be there even when his quick twitch muscles start to fail him.

Then again...he could just be Mo Vaughn all over again.

It's hard to say, but I think the Cardinals owe it to their fans to take that chance. Matt Holliday's a nice player, but he's not a franchise cornerstone. Lance Berkman was, but he's aging rapidly. The Cardinals are the crown jewel of the National League (scoreboard, shithead Dodger fans). They owe their fans a legitimate contender.

It's hard to compete without a cleanup hitter - go get him, DeWitt.

Fielder?? I hope you guys get him. He would be perfect for you guys.

[doomy3]

Fielder?? I hope you guys get him. He would be perfect for you guys.

I'm sure you do, since there's a decent chance the Rangers could make a run at him.
Posted via Mobile Device

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Can't argue with that, and I'll definitely chuckle a bit if he ends up being a total bust out there, but he's better off on an American League team with a DH, and at the end of the day I think that's why he made this move. Five years from now he's a light-hitting, injury prone liability on an NL squad, but has a chance to be a still-productive DH on an AL squad. Too bad we couldn't have squeezed two more years out of him, but it is what it is. Unless we end up playing the Angels in the World Series, this won't come back to haunt us.

Like I said earlier, he's dead to me now, and by that I mean I don't give a shit whether he succeeds or fails, lives or dies. Much like Tony Gonzalez, it's over. But I don't have to hate him now, since him being in the AL West means absolutely nothing to me, just like Tony playing for the Falcons means nothing to me.

To pull a Bronco Neil, he'd have to (a) go the Cubs, (b) immediately disrespect the entire Cardinal fanbase, (c) continue to deliberately mock the fans with his actions on the field, (d) be part of a Cubs team that actively cheated to knock us out of the playoffs, (e) win a championship with the Cubs, and then (f) after all that, come crawling back and try to act like he's always been Mr. Cardinal. None of those things will happen here.

All good points.

I can't really think of a corollary for this. The closest I could is a hypothetical. Imagine if the Chiefs had drafted Marino over Blackledge, they won two SBs with him, and then Marino, after professing himself as a blue collar Midwestern/Rust Belt guy the whole time, left in 1993 to go play for the LA Rams.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Give Fielder 6 years and 151 million. That will make him a higher paid player than Pujols.

[DJ's left nut]

Sorry, but thats pretty short-sighted of you. While LA may not be a huge football market, we are a baseball market. And based on the TV deal already being projected becasue of Pujols, his contract will be paid for in 3 years. I understand its too much money for anyone, but in this case, it makes a ton of sense for The Angels and their needs beyond the lineup.

I'll believe it when I see it. LA is a Laker's market first, anyway. If Howard gets traded to LA, Pujols will be the 3rd dog in that town immediately, maybe even 4th behind Griffin. And if the Dodgers were worth a damn, he would possibly slip to 5th behind Kemp.

If Angels fans are really sprinting to the ballpark to see a declining .299 hitter, I'll be shocked. He hasn't built up the goodwill in the LA area that he has in STL. If he doesn't come out and live up to that contract, they simply aren't going to care. They're going to spend their money on Kobe and Griffin. If the Dodgers come back strong, they'll spend it there. And the California economy is going to crater; it really doesn't have a choice with the deficits you fellas run out there.

If he comes out there and plays like he played during his prime, you're absolutely right - the fans will come; I've conceded as such. However, if he plays like he played in 2011 - i.e about as well as Kendry Morales did in 2009 - the shine will come off that contract in a hurry.

You can cite 'Fernandomania' all you want - as long as you admit that it lasted all of one season. By 1983 he was just another pitcher and Dodger fans went right back to showing up in the 3rd inning. In 2003, the year after they won the WS, the Angels drew about 85% of their capacity, (the Cardinals, OTOH, put over 2K per game over their stated capacity of 46,000 in 2007).

The LA area fans have no attention span to speak of. Every season, Moreno has to get the Angels fans a shiny new bauble to convince them to come out to the park. In 2004, it was Guerrerro, in 2005 it was Colon, in 2006 it was Jeff Weaver, in 2007 it was Gary Mathews, in 2008 it was Torii Hunter, in 2009 it was Bobby Abreu, in 2010 it was Vernon Wells.

Really? Baseball town? Every season your owner has to go out there and throw a bunch of money at a declining player to keep you folks involved. The year after the Angels won the World Series, they had the audacity to only win 77 games and suddenly you people couldn't get 38,000 people to come to the ballpark.

Spare me - if he's great and the Angels win, fans will come out. If he sucks, Angels fans will do what Angels fans have always done - they'll find something else to do.

[Frazod]

All good points.

I can't really think of a corollary for this. The closest I could is a hypothetical. Imagine if the Chiefs had drafted Marino over Blackledge, they won two SBs with him, and then Marino, after professing himself as a blue collar Midwestern/Rust Belt guy the whole time, left in 1993 to go play for the LA Rams.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not happy about this. Having Albert go from my favorite player to fucking zero stinks. It's going to suck seeing him play for another team, and suck even more listening to ESPrickN endlessly ballwash him because he's playing in a major market now. It also takes a bit of luster off what should have been a very enjoyable celebrating-the-World-Series off season.

But his last game for us was a Game 7 World Series win. We rode him to two World Championships, three pennants, and more division wins that I can remember at the moment. We got his best years. Would have liked more, but I'll take what he's done over what he will do, because I think it's a safe bet he won't match those accomplishments again.

[Carlota69]

I'm sure you do, since there's a decent chance the Rangers could make a run at him.
Posted via Mobile Device

Yep, keep him in the NL please. But also, it is a good fit for you guys.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Don't get me wrong - I'm not happy about this. Having Albert go from my favorite player to fucking zero stinks. It's going to suck seeing him play for another team, and suck even more listening to ESPrickN endlessly ballwash him because he's playing in a major market now. It also takes a bit of luster off what should have been a very enjoyable celebrating-the-World-Series off season.

But his last game for us was a Game 7 World Series win. We rode him to two World Championships, three pennants, and more division wins that I can remember at the moment. We got his best years. Would have liked more, but I'll take what he's done over what he will do, because I think it's a safe bet he won't match those accomplishments again.

You're absolutely right. When looking at it from a purely logical, value-driven standpoint the Cardinals got every possible ounce of surplus value out of him, and reaped the rewards in financial and competitive success. The only refrain I have is a tired one, and that's I wish his legacy meant more to him than the difference between 22 million dollars a year and 25 million dollars a year.

A man who is going to make well over 360 million dollars playing baseball completely tarnished his legacy in a town where he would have been the God of gods.

$30 million bucks is a shitload of money to 99.999 percent of the population, but for someone like Pujols, it's a drop in the bucket compared to what he would have been in St. Louis.

I will say this: I'm now ecstatic that Mike Adams made an ass of him in his last AB in a Cardinal uniform.

[Carlota69]

I'll believe it when I see it. LA is a Laker's market first, anyway. If Howard gets traded to LA, Pujols will be the 3rd dog in that town immediately, maybe even 4th behind Griffin. And if the Dodgers were worth a damn, he would possibly slip to 5th behind Kemp.

If Angels fans are really sprinting to the ballpark to see a declining .299 hitter, I'll be shocked. He hasn't built up the goodwill in the LA area that he has in STL. If he doesn't come out and live up to that contract, they simply aren't going to care. They're going to spend their money on Kobe and Griffin. If the Dodgers come back strong, they'll spend it there. And the California economy is going to crater; it really doesn't have a choice with the deficits you fellas run out there.

If he comes out there and plays like he played during his prime, you're absolutely right - the fans will come; I've conceded as such. However, if he plays like he played in 2011 - i.e about as well as Kendry Morales did in 2009 - the shine will come off that contract in a hurry.

You can cite 'Fernandomania' all you want - as long as you admit that it lasted all of one season. By 1983 he was just another pitcher and Dodger fans went right back to showing up in the 3rd inning. In 2003, the year after they won the WS, the Angels drew about 85% of their capacity, (the Cardinals, OTOH, put over 2K per game over their stated capacity of 46,000 in 2007).

The LA area fans have no attention span to speak of. Every season, Moreno has to get the Angels fans a shiny new bauble to convince them to come out to the park. In 2004, it was Guerrerro, in 2005 it was Colon, in 2006 it was Jeff Weaver, in 2007 it was Gary Mathews, in 2008 it was Torii Hunter, in 2009 it was Bobby Abreu, in 2010 it was Vernon Wells.

Really? Baseball town? Every season your owner has to go out there and throw a bunch of money at a declining player to keep you folks involved. The year after the Angels won the World Series, they had the audacity to only win 77 games and suddenly you people couldn't get 38,000 people to come to the ballpark.

Spare me - if he's great and the Angels win, fans will come out. If he sucks, Angels fans will do what Angels fans have always done - they'll find something else to do.

Wow you sure are angry and spewing shit about a city you know nothing of really. Its a town that can have 2 baseball teams within an hour of each other in MARKET #2. Angel stadium has 43k every home game, 3 mil every year the last 10 years or so. The bad players, Vernon in paticular have more to do with idiot GM and he has been wiped out. I get that you are unhappy with losing Albert, but being a fucking asshole about it is unbelievable, especailly since I was being respectful and civil...but now--GO FUCK YOURSELF!

[Frazod]

DJ's a little high strung. However, I like it. And besides, it's not often I get to be the voice of reason. :D

['Hamas' Jenkins]

I wonder if he'll have the fucking guts and class to do what he should do: take out a full page ad thanking the fans in St. Louis.

[Swanman]

DJ's a little high strung. However, I like it. And besides, it's not often I get to be the voice of reason. :D

At least until the next post from L.A. ShitDick, that is.

[Frazod]

At least until the next post from L.A. ShitDick, that is.

Good point. LMAO

[DJ's left nut]

Wow you sure are angry and spewing shit about a city you know nothing of really. Its a town that can have 2 baseball teams within an hour of each other in MARKET #2. Angel stadium has 43k every home game, 3 mil every year the last 10 years or so. The bad players, Vernon in paticular have more to do with idiot GM and he has been wiped out. I get that you are unhappy with losing Albert, but being a fucking asshole about it is unbelievable, especailly since I was being respectful and civil...but now--GO FUCK YOURSELF!

Was anything I said inaccurate?

You put 37,000/gm in your stadium the year after you won the World Series. The Angels have never put 43k/game in their stadium and last year put in just a hair over 40K/gm.

Did I lie about a single one of those signings? As to your assertion that all those bad signings were the result of 1 bad GM - try again, sport. Most of those signings were made by Bill Stoneman, the same 'idiot' GM that showed up in 1999 and built that Angels roster into a Champion. Stoneman is a very respected baseball man operating at the behest of Arte Moreno. Tony Reagins, the 'Idiot GM' of whom you speak, is only responsible for a couple of them. And Jerry DiPoto probably just got some blood on his hands through CJ Wilson, if nothing else.

Is LA not a Lakers town first? Do Dodgers fans not show up in the 3rd inning? Was Valenzuela not fairly irrelevant starting in 1983?

Go ahead and refute any of these points. I've done my homework on it - have you?

I was extremely civil in my response. I presented you with fact after fact after fact. Your response is both fictional (43K/game, 1 GM screwed us up, blah blah blah) and hysterical.

Enjoy your new shiny baubles.

[Omaha]

The best part of the story: The word "angles" is now a trending US topic on Twitter because there are too many morons in this country who can't spell.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

If I'm DeWitt, this is what I do:

Wait until Pujols retires, then call him back the next year for an unveiling of his statue in front of Busch. Right after unveiling it, to a lusty press corps and scattered applause, you pull the motherfucker over like the statue of Saddam and let Cards fans take their turns with a plasma cutter and sledgehammers.

[DJ's left nut]

If I'm DeWitt, this is what I do:

Wait until Pujols retires, then call him back the next year for an unveiling of his statue in front of Busch. Right after unveiling it, to a lusty press corps and scattered applause, you pull the motherfucker over like the statue of Saddam and let Cards fans take their turns with a plasma cutter and sledgehammers.

Pujols made DeWitt a LOT of money. Then he ended up making DeWitt look like the good guy when he bolted.

DeWitt has no reason at all to hold a grudge against Albert Pujols. Remember, DeWitt and crew bought the franchise for less than they sold the parking garages that came with it for. They got the Cardinals essentially for free.

They've turned an operating profit all but something like 3 years during his tenure and the merchandise sales alone of the playoff, pennant and WS runs are astounding.

And Pujols did all this at a well below market rate.

Pujols is probably still one of Dollar Bill's favorite people in the world. At the very least, he should be.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Pujols made DeWitt a LOT of money. Then he ended up making DeWitt look like the good guy when he bolted.

DeWitt has no reason at all to hold a grudge against Albert Pujols. Remember, DeWitt and crew bought the franchise for less than they sold the parking garages that came with it for. They got the Cardinals essentially for free.

They've turned an operating profit all but something like 3 years during his tenure and the merchandise sales alone of the playoff, pennant and WS runs are astounding.

And Pujols did all this at a well below market rate.

Pujols is probably still one of Dollar Bill's favorite people in the world. At the very least, he should be.

I'm not saying DeWitt should be doing it for himself, I think he should do it for the fans who were patronized and lied to for 11 years.

Pujols owes the organization essentially nothing. He owes the fans a damned good explanation for why he ended up being such a duplicitous cocksucker.

[Frazod]

One of the stltoday columnists raised a good point - considering the much higher tax rate and cost of living are in Los Angeles, Pujols probably won't be bringing home much more cash than he would have had he stayed in St. Louis.

Another thing, for a rich and famous multi-millionaire parent - he may regret moving his kids to a place where they'll be BFFs with the next generation of Lohans and Cyruses.

[Rams Fan]

I'm not mad.

I would have loved for him to spend the rest of his career in St. Louis, but it isn't going to happen.

This also frees up $20 million in payroll over the next 10 years, which can help the Cards in the long run.

Short term, they should be okay.

[Rams Fan]

Wow you sure are angry and spewing shit about a city you know nothing of really. Its a town that can have 2 baseball teams within an hour of each other in MARKET #2. Angel stadium has 43k every home game, 3 mil every year the last 10 years or so. The bad players, Vernon in paticular have more to do with idiot GM and he has been wiped out. I get that you are unhappy with losing Albert, but being a ****ing asshole about it is unbelievable, especailly since I was being respectful and civil...but now--GO **** YOURSELF!

The Angels haven't put 43k in the stadium for quite a while.

[Rams Fan]

Mozeliak is on now.

[Jewish Rabbi]

Hate to see the guy go, and quite frankly feel a little betrayed.

The same way Packers fans felt when Favre gave way to Rodgers, I'm sure.

Just goes to show you never know.

[whoman69]

Losing Albert (unless they sign someone like Fielder) gives the Cardinals the ability to get Allen Craig's bat in the lineup every day, either at first or in right field if Berkman plays first. While he wouldn't put up typical Pujols numbers, if he picks up from last year's postseason, they won't be too far off, especially given Craig basically makes minimum wage. And he hopefully won't ground into 3,925 double plays like Albert did.

The Cardinals may be able to make up his bat in multiple ways. They may be more agressive on the basepaths. They hopefully will have Freese available for the whole year. Wainwright coming back helps but he may not be full strength. They should use some of the money they are saving with Albert to improve starting pitching.

[Rams Fan]

Hate to see the guy go, and quite frankly feel a little betrayed.

The same way Packers fans felt when Favre gave way to Rodgers, I'm sure.

Just goes to show you never know.

Eh, I wouldn't say that.

Favre held the Packers hostage for a few seasons. Saying he would or wouldn't retire, then came out of retirement.

[Rams Fan]

The butthurt is strong in here.

The troll is strong.

[McWickedson]

totally disagree

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20111208&content_id=26128588&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb

[Demonpenz]

With Pujols getting a billion dollars over in California, I think it is a good time to talk about what Pujols does that sticks out to me. I first saw Pujols back as a rookie, where he hit one into the Royal Bullpen. Deep into the bullpen. I am talking Tim Salmon Territory. That was of course only the beginning. Pujols balance is what sticks out first and foremost. He has the ability to generate insane bat speed while not seeming to over swing. He has a great eye, he hits the ball to all fields, and he hits the ball to all fields with IRON MAIDEN type of awesomeness. His homerun off of Brad Lidge has made for many of internet MEME's. He worked hard on his fielding skills and has played LF, 3rd, and of course 1B. He has put up eye popping numbers year after year and he is a tought guy to hate. I remember Buddy Bell talking about how the most important thing in the upcoming series is to "keep Pujols in the ballpark" Albert hit three homeruns, one on a slider low and away where he seemed to poke it over the right field fence. Where Belly Butler seems to throw all his grits and tits into a swing only to have the ball come up 20 feet short. Pujols nice easy swing seems to always have the ball go 100 feet over the wall.

Demonpenz@atchisontimes.com

[whoman69]

The Angels haven't put 43k in the stadium for quite a while.

Fairness, the Angels are 5th in attendance the last two years.

http://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/20102011Attendance.htm

[oldandslow]

Fairness, the Angels are 5th in attendance the last two years.

http://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/20102011Attendance.htm

They will prolly be first next year...

[Swanman]

One of the stltoday columnists raised a good point - considering the much higher tax rate and cost of living are in Los Angeles, Pujols probably won't be bringing home much more cash than he would have had he stayed in St. Louis.

Another thing, for a rich and famous multi-millionaire parent - he may regret moving his kids to a place where they'll be BFFs with the next generation of Lohans and Cyruses.

The state income tax rates are different by 4-5%, as Cali has a 10% rate for rich folks. That eats away 10-12 million of the salary bump. As far as cost of living, that really doesn't matter when you are making retarded amounts of money. Once he buys his house (which will be much more expensive in Cali), the living expenses, unless he lives like Mike Tyson or MC Hammer, will be such a small percentage of his overall income that it doesn't really matter if he is in the midwest or Cali.

Big picture, with either contract he was making enough money to set up generations upon generations of the Pujols clan. Christ, he already has that amount of money after being "underpaid" for the last ten years.

[chefsos]

What do you think, Cards fans? Do you issue #5 to someone on the team, or to someone you bring in, right away?

[DJ's left nut]

What do you think, Cards fans? Do you issue #5 to someone on the team, or to someone you bring in, right away?

I do the same thing they did with Rolen's number after they unceremoniously dumped him:

Issue it to a castaway LH reliever.

I'll never really forgive the front office for giving #27 to Ron !@#$ing Villone.

[seclark]

What do you think, Cards fans? Do you issue #5 to someone on the team, or to someone you bring in, right away?

i don't see why they shouldn't/wouldn't give it to someone else.
sec

[Frazod]

What do you think, Cards fans? Do you issue #5 to someone on the team, or to someone you bring in, right away?

I would, but they probably won't.

Another thing that just occurred to me - now the fucking Angels have him AND Haren. :#

[seclark]

anyone know if ap has made any public statements yet? i haven't seen anything.
sec

[Frazod]

anyone know if ap has made any public statements yet? i haven't seen anything.
sec

Not yet, but who cares? Bullshit excuses from a greedy liar. I'd personally prefer it if he just left and that was the end of it.

[chefsos]

I would, but they probably won't.

Another thing that just occurred to me - now the fucking Angels have him AND Haren. :#Just where is Mark Mulder these days?


*ducks*

[Chiefaholic]

I hope he enjoys LA. I also hope that the Cardinals never do anything for him once his career is over. No jersey retirement, no Pujols day, no statue. That's the cost of selling out.

Agree 100%

[Frazod]

Just where is Mark Mulder these days?


*ducks*

:cuss:

['Hamas' Jenkins]

I'd give #5 to the bat boy in perpetuity.

[DJ's left nut]

anyone know if ap has made any public statements yet? i haven't seen anything.
sec

I'll be honest - unless it's a live simulcast of him choking on a chicken bone, I don't have any interest in hearing from him right now.

Frazod's right; it's going to be nothing but platitudes towards his new employer and utter bullshit towards his former fans.

(Oh, and Mulder can be found on the 18th green somewhere...fuck that guy)

['Hamas' Jenkins]

I'll be honest - unless it's a live simulcast of him choking on a chicken bone, I don't have any interest in hearing from him right now.

Frazod's right; it's going to be nothing but platitudes towards his new employer and utter bullshit towards his former fans.

(Oh, and Mulder can be found on the 18th green somewhere...fuck that guy)

Mulder making it to the 18th green would indicate that he's capable of finishing something he's started.

[Frazod]

There's a chain of sporting goods stores in St. Louis that gave away every bit of Pujols merchandise today (story on the stltoday site). Obviously they don't lose much, since it wouldn't have sold for jackshit anyway, but I like the gesture.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

There's a chain of sporting goods stores in St. Louis that gave away every bit of Pujols merchandise today (story on the stltoday site). Obviously they don't lose much, since it wouldn't have sold for jackshit anyway, but I like the gesture.

Those jerseys would look excellent as torn up rags acting as the fuse for a sea of Molotovs careening through the windows of 5 Restaurant.

[DJ's left nut]

Those jerseys would look excellent as torn up rags acting as the fuse for a sea of Molotovs careening through the windows of 5 Restaurant.

Did you hear what those dickchuggers did?

Free angel food cake with any meal.

Seriously, fuck the manager at 5...

[DJ's left nut]

Mulder making it to the 18th green would indicate that he's capable of finishing something he's started.

Well of course he is. Just as long as it's his short game.

Dude actually gave a shit about his golf game.

[Swanman]

Did you hear what those dickchuggers did?

Free angel food cake with any meal.

Seriously, **** the manager at 5...

That restaurant will survive for approximately 4.3 more days pulling that horseshit.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Did you hear what those dickchuggers did?

Free angel food cake with any meal.

Seriously, fuck the manager at 5...

I'll take "Reasonable Exemptions for Lynching" for $800.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Why doesn't Pujols come out and drop a leg on Macho Man's throat while he's at it?

[DJ's left nut]

I'll take "Reasonable Exemptions for Lynching" for $800.

It's times like this that I wish I had a WW-II era bomber or something.

Carpet-bombing that entire facility would be pretty sweet.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

It's times like this that I wish I had a WW-II era bomber or something.

Carpet-bombing that entire facility would be pretty sweet.

You could probably scrounge up an old Soviet Tupolev bomber for a reasonable price. That would give you a payload of about 40 tons of bombs. Should be enough to turn the Pujols statue into tailings.

[Chiefaholic]

Give Fielder 6 years and 151 million. That will make him a higher paid player than Pujols.


:hmmm: LMAO

[Rudy tossed tigger's salad]

Pujols to be back in the Astros' division in 2013. Wooooo!

[Frazod]

Those jerseys would look excellent as torn up rags acting as the fuse for a sea of Molotovs careening through the windows of 5 Restaurant.

Mine just found their way into the garbage.

[KC_Connection]

The Cardinals should have made sure to lock him up last spring. Huge mistake in not getting it done then. Hard to believe he took the money and left the Cards, though. I don't think anybody saw this coming...I sure didn't. I'd be interested to know what kind of legacy he'll have with Cards fans now.

Contracts like this, by the way, make me appreciate Roy Halladay even more...that guy has willingly accepted three bargain contracts in a row to stay with the team he wanted to play on (including the most recent 3 year/60M extension in 2009). Plus those decisions have kept him away from the Yankees, which nobody wants to see. It's truly not about maximizing his earning potential with him, it's about winning games. It's rare...but not everybody takes the money.

[KC_Connection]

It's like the reverse Mcgwire. Mcgwire wins the Title and does steriods in cali then goes to ST LOUIS to win jack shit but break records Pujols does the steriods and wins WS then goes to cali to break records.
Haha...you know, I do wonder if anything will come out about Pujols taking PEDs now that he's out of St. Louis.

[evenfall]

Honest question... do you guys think you would have turned down the $40 million more, or whatever the difference was?

I'm sure he made the same statements every athlete's agent tells them to, I love the ____, I want to retire a ____, I love ____ city... but I think he did the same thing anyone would. It's not like he's from St. Louis

[KC_Connection]

Honest question... do you guys think you would have turned down the $40 million more, or whatever the difference was?

I'm sure he made the same statements every athlete's agent tells them to, I love the ____, I want to retire a ____, I love ____ city... but I think he did the same thing anyone would. It's not like he's from St. Louis
I'd like to think I would turn it down to preserve my legacy, but I'm not in the position to say. That's a lot of money.

[Deberg_1990]

Those jerseys would look excellent as torn up rags acting as the fuse for a sea of Molotovs careening through the windows of 5 Restaurant.

Mine just found their way into the garbage.

heh, looks good on him. : )

[jd1020]

They couldn't have found him a more deformed hat.

[BigRedChief]

Did you hear what those dickchuggers did?

Free angel food cake with any meal.

Seriously, fuck the manager at 5...WTF? :facepalm:

[kysirsoze]

I know it's been referenced, but I didn't see this quote in here from a couple years ago:

"People from other teams want to play in St. Louis and they're jealous that we're in St. Louis because the fans are unbelievable. So why would you want to leave a place like St. Louis to go somewhere else and make $3 or $4 more million a year? It's not about the money. I already got my money. It's about winning and that's it. It's about accomplishing my goal and my goal is to try to win. If this organization shifts the other way then I have to go the other way."

Damn

[Dr. Johnny Fever]

This is how we KU fans felt when Roy Williams left after saying he wasn't going to numerous times and even cussed at a reporter for bringing it up. Then he was gone. Stings. Luckily we beat his ass in the final four in '08 en route to a title. Now we're pretty much over it heh.

Roy didn't leave for this kind of money though obviously and I'm not sure which way stings more for the fans. Like KU basketball though, the Cardinals will go on just fine without Pujols.

I know you Cards fans feel slighted and I get that... maybe remember the first half of the season when he sucked... and that he was only really good in one of the World Series games... and you guys still won. What I'm saying is Pujols isn't the be-all, end-all. He's one guy who's now overpaid like many before him and heading into the downside of his career. You guys might even end up with a more overall complete team without one guy making so much.

**** Pujols. He's another money grubbing, no loyalty athelete. Not the first and won't be the last. I have a feeling when his career is over he'll look back on his time in StL and those two rings as the high point of his life.

[Rams Fan]

Nice article by Nightengale detailing the negotiations.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/al/angels/story/2011-12-08/albert-pujols-cj-wilson-sign/51750952/1?AID=4992781&PID=4166869&SID=ane1966aswcs

I'm not pissed at Albert, but I am upset about this(if true):


Los Angeles Dodgers manager Don Mattingly participated in Pujols' charity tournament Saturday. They had become friends over the years and Mattingly sensed something was awry in Pujols' relationship with the Cardinals' front office.
"There was a frustration there," said Mattingly, who grew up a Cardinals' fan in Evansville, Ind. "You could just sense something was wrong. He was getting frustrated by it.
"I hoped he would stay in St. Louis because he's such a legend there. He's like [Derek] Jeter and Cal [Ripken], but I also knew he would go where his heart would take him. People talk about the money, but I knew he would be following his heart."
Pujols' frustration stemmed from two years of not being able to come to an agreement with the Cardinals on a long-term contract extension and sensing the team didn't view him as a priority. He helped the team to the World Series championship this season in the final year of an eight-year, $116 million deal.

[Rams Fan]

I know you Cards fans feel slighted and I get that... maybe remember the first half of the season when he sucked

He was pretty much putting up his career average numbers from May on. He had a terrible April.

[Dr. Johnny Fever]

He was pretty much putting up his career average numbers from May on. He had a terrible April.

It just seemed longer I guess. I remember watching games thinking "this is going to hurt his free agency." Yeah... well... I've been wrong before.

[tk13]

Oh I think it's obvious there was something he was very unhappy with about St. Louis. Whether that was real or imagined in his own head, who knows. But if he really wanted to stay he never would've let it get to this point in the first place. He would've signed last offseason.

[Bearcat]

I get why Cardinals fans would be a little bitter, but it takes a lot of butthurt to put this on the scoreboard... LMAO

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[rtmike]

I don't know. If someone offered me $30k more a year to do the same job I was doing except it was across town I don't have to tell you what I'd do.

More power to ya' Albert. :clap:

[Swanman]

Honest question... do you guys think you would have turned down the $40 million more, or whatever the difference was?

I'm sure he made the same statements every athlete's agent tells them to, I love the ____, I want to retire a ____, I love ____ city... but I think he did the same thing anyone would. It's not like he's from St. Louis

Given his "cheap" contract already paid him $111 million and he was set to get over $200 million in the next contract, I would stay put and retire a legend in St. Louis. Over $300 million is just a retarded amount of money. He has enough money for a thousand lifetimes, taking more money is just saying, "hey, look at me I am the highest paid which means I am the best". If Albert actually meant all the BS he talked about just wanting to win and loving St. Louis and all that, he would have fired his agent and taken a fair deal to stay in St. Louis.

[Marcellus]

Given his "cheap" contract already paid him $111 million and he was set to get over $200 million in the next contract, I would stay put and retire a legend in St. Louis. Over $300 million is just a retarded amount of money. He has enough money for a thousand lifetimes, taking more money is just saying, "hey, look at me I am the highest paid which means I am the best". If Albert actually meant all the BS he talked about just wanting to win and loving St. Louis and all that, he would have fired his agent and taken a fair deal to stay in St. Louis.

Pretty much sums it up. He needed another $40MM? Yea ok.

[Rams Fan]

I get why Cardinals fans would be a little bitter, but it takes a lot of butthurt to put this on the scoreboard... LMAO

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The Blues are fucking geniuses.

[kysirsoze]

I don't know. If someone offered me $30k more a year to do the same job I was doing except it was across town I don't have to tell you what I'd do.

More power to ya' Albert. :clap:

Can we stop acting like sports is exactly the same as every other job in the world?

If Albert just cares about money and could give a shit about his legacy, sure. I think most of the disappointment is from people who believed him when he said it wasn't about money, it was about the fans.

I'm not even an STL fan and I would have liked to see him stay a Cardinal. I just like great franchise players, especially when it's someone as great as Pujols. He went for the money, fine. But it's not like a software developer or something simply changing companies.

[jd1020]

Can we stop acting like sports is exactly the same as every other job in the world?

If Albert just cares about money and could give a shit about his legacy, sure. I think most of the disappointment is from people who believed him when he said it wasn't about money, it was about the fans.

I'm not even an STL fan and I would have liked to see him stay a Cardinal. I just like great franchise players, especially when it's someone as great as Pujols. He went for the money, fine. But it's not like a software developer or something simply changing companies.

We can also stop acting like sports players are living in $100,000 homes. Millionaires have millionaire lifestyles.

[kysirsoze]

We can also stop acting like sports players are living in $100,000 homes. Millionaires have millionaire lifestyles.

Are you implying Albert's lifestyle demanded $25 million/year? $22 million/year wouldn't do it?

[KC_Connection]

We can also stop acting like sports players are living in $100,000 homes. Millionaires have millionaire lifestyles.
Most, not all.

[jd1020]

Are you implying Albert's lifestyle demanded $25 million/year? $22 million/year wouldn't do it?

I have no idea what his lifestyle demands. I guarantee its more than anyone on this board.