A-Rod youngest ever to 500

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by Brainiac

The sad thing is that because of the era Pujols plays in, we'll always wonder if he also indulged but just never got caught.

http://jay-mariotti.fanhouse.com/200...albert-pujols/

ST. LOUIS -- Why are we not surprised that President Obama, wearing a black glove with "Obama #44" scrawled into the leather, will throw/bounce/airmail Tuesday night's ceremonial first pitch to a designated catcher named Albert Pujols? The All-Star Game isn't simply a showcase for baseball's greatest treasure, whose ascent as a legitimate Triple Crown candidate conveniently converges with a Pujols-palooza setting in his home ballpark.

No, this is a presidential reminder that El Hombre, assuming he isn't living a lie like many in the Steroids Era, might be the only man alive who can save a too-toxic, too-slow, too-bureaucratic sport from itself.

And you know what? I'm going to pledge my heart and believe in Pujols' long-term innocence. That may be naive and silly, recalling how we wanted to embrace similar hopes about Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez after Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire and Roger Clemens and all the others let us down with performance-enhancement scandals. But I like how Pujols has spent his finest personal hour on a proactive mission to shoot down the reckless but unavoidable innuendo. Better than that, I believe him.

His training regimen is too dedicated. His past is too humble. His soul, on and off the field, is too grounded. His diet involves too much chicken and rice. His monstrous numbers haven't wavered since testing kicked in six years ago. And his words are too powerful -- attacking suspicious whisperers and bloggers the way he crushes pitches, volunteering that he passed six drug tests last year and vowing to take a test every day if necessary. If he fails, he says he'll return the entirety of his career earnings with the Cardinals, tens of millions of dollars over nine seasons. Not only is he putting his money where his mouth is, he's putting his fist in the face of every user who has dragged him down via guilt by association.

"My house is always open," Pujols said during a crowded media session. "They can come anytime to do all the tests they want during the offseason. I challenge them to try training with me for 3 1/2 months. They can come and check every place in my house, they can even come with me in my bathtub. I have nothing to hide."

The challenge came on the same day that a compelling piece appeared in USA Today, quoting Pujols as lashing out at those who doubt his integrity. His problem: Why assume he's guilty because the others were? "I can understand people being disappointed with A-Rod and Manny. But just because Manny made a mistake, now I have to pay? Just because A-Rod made a mistake, now I have to pay?" he said. "Oh, guilt by association? That's wrong. For people to be suspicious of me because of the year I'm having and for people to say I just haven't been caught, that makes me angry and disappointed. I would never do any of that crap. You think I'm going to ruin my relationship with God just because I want to get better in this game? You think I'm going to ruin everything because of steroids?

"I can understand why people don't know who they can trust or their hero was caught. I want to be the guy people look up to. But I want to be the person who represents God, represents my family and represents the Cardinals the right way. So many people can't wait until I do something negative. I can't understand it. That's sad, because I want to be that poster boy in baseball. Just give me the chance."