Denial. They say the first stage of grief is denial. Denial that all that took place yesterday actually occured. That this wasn't some elaborate hoax played on us by the unforgiving media. Denial that St. Louis' appointed King of Baseball Heaven had just bolted to the City of Angels. Denial that, after being blessed by 11 seasons of watching Albert do his work, No. 5 will no longer anchor the heart of the Cardinals lineup. I'm still in denial, that's for sure. I simply don't want to believe it. And yet, there it is, plastered across the front of every website, newspaper, TV station and blog. They all bear the same, unfortunate news. It happened. It really, honestly, actually happened. Albert Pujols is no longer a free agent... and no longer a Cardinal. All it took was $254 million dollars from the West Coast.
Those are tough words to swallow. However, I do have some good news for you. The Cardinals will continue to play baseball in St. Louis in 2012 and beyond. Albert Pujols or no Albert Pujols, the reigning World Champs have a tradition of baseball excellence to continue. So, the question arises, "where do we go from here?"
Even without the Best Player in Baseball, the Cardinals are still the favorites to win the NL Central. With a pitching staff headed by two legitiamate aces in Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter, along with a young up-and-comer in Jaime Garcia, the pitching staff is one of the tops in baseball. The lineup, though visibly weakened, is still the best in the National League.
The further I am removed from the news, as far as time goes, the more level-headed I become. I'm not angry at the Cardinals for failing to lock him up. There's no way I would've been happy paying that exorbitant amount of money to him. From ages 38-41 the deal will be paying him over 100 million dollars. Only twice in the history of baseball have players been All-Stars age 38 or older. One of those was, suspiciously, Mr. Barry Bonds. The deal, especially considering that the Cardinals are a mid-market team, would potentially cripple the organization for half of a decade.
I'm not particularly angry at the Angels. On the cusp of signing a gigantic new TV contract, they have money to spend. They felt, even at a astounding cost, that this Pujols deal made sense for their club. No blame can be assessed simply because Pujols is (or possibly, was) a St. Louis icon.
I'm also not particularly angry at Pujols himself. The man owed nothing to the Cardinals organization. He's paid his dues, providing the Cardinals Hall of Fame quality baseball at an exceptionally minuscule price for the last 11 years. The man deserved to be paid and he got what he deserved. However, it still hurts. Hurts deeply. I, like so many others in this great city of St. Louis, had hoped that words like legacy and icon played a little more loudly on the strings of Albert's heart. Apparently they didn't.
Watching Albert Pujols mashing the baseball with an embroidered halo on his head is going to be tough. It won't feel right. Watching Matt Holliday bat in the three hole won't feel right. Watching Lance Berkman dig his cleats into the first base dirt won't feel right. None of this feels right. I'll learn to deal with it eventually... I'll have to. I have no choice. However, right now, I can't seem to get past denial.
Those are tough words to swallow. However, I do have some good news for you. The Cardinals will continue to play baseball in St. Louis in 2012 and beyond. Albert Pujols or no Albert Pujols, the reigning World Champs have a tradition of baseball excellence to continue. So, the question arises, "where do we go from here?"
Even without the Best Player in Baseball, the Cardinals are still the favorites to win the NL Central. With a pitching staff headed by two legitiamate aces in Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter, along with a young up-and-comer in Jaime Garcia, the pitching staff is one of the tops in baseball. The lineup, though visibly weakened, is still the best in the National League.
The further I am removed from the news, as far as time goes, the more level-headed I become. I'm not angry at the Cardinals for failing to lock him up. There's no way I would've been happy paying that exorbitant amount of money to him. From ages 38-41 the deal will be paying him over 100 million dollars. Only twice in the history of baseball have players been All-Stars age 38 or older. One of those was, suspiciously, Mr. Barry Bonds. The deal, especially considering that the Cardinals are a mid-market team, would potentially cripple the organization for half of a decade.
I'm not particularly angry at the Angels. On the cusp of signing a gigantic new TV contract, they have money to spend. They felt, even at a astounding cost, that this Pujols deal made sense for their club. No blame can be assessed simply because Pujols is (or possibly, was) a St. Louis icon.
I'm also not particularly angry at Pujols himself. The man owed nothing to the Cardinals organization. He's paid his dues, providing the Cardinals Hall of Fame quality baseball at an exceptionally minuscule price for the last 11 years. The man deserved to be paid and he got what he deserved. However, it still hurts. Hurts deeply. I, like so many others in this great city of St. Louis, had hoped that words like legacy and icon played a little more loudly on the strings of Albert's heart. Apparently they didn't.
Watching Albert Pujols mashing the baseball with an embroidered halo on his head is going to be tough. It won't feel right. Watching Matt Holliday bat in the three hole won't feel right. Watching Lance Berkman dig his cleats into the first base dirt won't feel right. None of this feels right. I'll learn to deal with it eventually... I'll have to. I have no choice. However, right now, I can't seem to get past denial.
No comments:
Post a Comment