[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Swanman

I just checked out the St. Louis Post Dispatch website. Not that this means anything concrete, but the comments attached to the article were slamming Albert more than they were slamming the ballclub. That doesn't really surprise me, given many midwesterners have a hard time feeling sorry for an athlete that is being paid more money in a year than they will make in their lifetime.

I think there are ways to structure the deal to not kill either side, but both sides are being dickheads.

One of the comments was intersesting, and I think it's being mentioned here, that Albert is taking a HUGE risk by not signing a deal now. If he underperforms or gets hurt (either could happen, he's not a teenager), then he could be leaving many millions on the table. I believe others have mentioned that point in this thread.

Like I said in the spring: if Albert thinks the fans will all back him, he's wrong.

http://www.chiefsplanet.com/BB/showp...&postcount=738

Wait until he takes $30 million and complains that he can't win ballgames while his production declines.

Sure, fans will save the vitriole that would've been directed at Tino Martinez. But when Albert's putting up an OPS in the high 9s and the ballclub is paying him like he's producing at MVP levels, the fans aren't going to have much patience for his complaining. They won't boo him, but they won't put any pressure on ownership either. They'll shrug and they'll move along.

Musial is an icon in St. Louis because of who his was more than what he was. He isn't beloved because he hit the ball far and frequently, he's beloved because he was humble, gracious and unassuming. If Albert chases the last nickle then begins attempting to dictate the direction of the Cardinals while ignoring his own role in whatever predicament they may be facing, the fans will have none of it.

I suppose I was unclear in my terminology. The fans won't take 'ownerships' side, they'll take the Cardinals side. Yeah, they love Albert now. But they loved Ozzie before him. They loved Boyer and Carlton and Brock and Gibson before that. St. Louis loved the Cardinals well before Albert Pujols was here. The city will always put the Cardinals ahead of a player, any player. And if they don't feel that the proper respect is being paid to the Cardinals, they won't stand for it.