Darn! We've Lost Albert

I'll miss seeing him in the Cards uniform like a bum tooth at an ice cream social.

This is coming from a Reds fan, BTW, the real "Big Red machine". :thumbs:

 

Nah nah nah nah,
nah nah nah nah,
hey, hey, hey, goodbye!!!!!

 

I don't know, Tom------ole whats his face over in Hotlanta is still making an appearance----and he's how old now????

Skipper Jones----ain't that his name??? Plays Base #3!!!!

 

As a life long Cards fan I'm sad to see him go, but I have mixed feelings. I don't blame the Cards for not spending more than 250M for a guy who I think has his best days behind him. I also can't really blame Albert for taking the money, but I am a little ticked off because all last year Albert said he wanted to stay a Cardinal and that the money wasn't an issue. He even kind of held them hostage to sign Holiday to get him to stay or at least that was reported and now he does this. I think the Cards are in better shape as long as they go get a big bat to replace him, and the Angels just maybe will hate paying 25M per year in just a few years, remember Albert hit into a league leading double plays last year and he was limping a lot at the end of the season. Time will tell.

 

I figure with the DH he's got more than five good years in him. Maybe seven years. But once he hits 40 he will become like Jim Thome, probably a pinch hitter and very occasionally a DH.

Signing Pujols was a masterstroke for the Angels. The Angels saw their opportunity to surpass the Dodgers as southern California's favorite team. The Dodgers are in bankruptcy and a lousy team to boot. Pujols will win over millions of fans.

With the signing of Pujols and C.J. Wilson, I guarantee that the Angels will win at least one World Series in the next 10 years. That alone will justify signing Pujols.

The Angels spending $125M on him in the last five years of the contract is unknown. Who knows how the contract was structured. It could be front-loaded. Whatever the actual number, it's a lot of money to pay to someone over 37 years old.

 

Okay, a couple of things.

First, there is no way in the world that Fat Albert is 32. No way. Add 3 to that total.

Second, Prince Fielder is a fat man who can hit the ball a long, long way right now. But fat men don't have long careers. (Case in point, another fat 1st baseman named "Fielder." And his dad was a good half a foot taller). He'll hit for a few more years before he needs vaseline and a shoehorn to get in the batting cage.

I pity the fool who signs him to 7 years.

 

Both Prince Albert and Prince Fielder are way over rated, I agrre with the last post, Fielder will have difficulty staying away from injury with carrying all his weight and Albert has already shown wear and tear and looking at his numbers over the last 2 years, I would never sign a guy like that to 10 years. At least it makes more sense in the AL.

 

You're funny.

 

Fat Albert is not overrated. He is the greatest player of his generation. That being said, I'm guessing the Angels just signed a 35-year-old to a 10-year deal.

Prince isn't overrated either. He's a very dangerous hitter. But he's a fat guy who doesn't have that long left.

 

What do you base this statement on?

 

Latin players regularly shave years off their age. Some are later found out (like Tejada when ESPN ambushed him during an interview and the Astros found out their 32-year-old shortstop was actually a 34-year-old waterbuffalo) but most aren't, at least during their playing days. It's lying, of course, but many do it because they see baseball as their only way out of poverty, so being 18 with 21-year-old skills would be a big advantage.

There's no way Fat Albert was 21 during his rookie season, as I see it. He had to have been at least 23 or 24.

 

Here's another case:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wandy_Rodr%C3%ADguez

 

Of course, when a business entity is paying someone $254M over the next 10 years they do not require a valid birth certificate or proof of age.

 

Seriously, this wouldn't be the first time. Look it up. Latin birth certificates are, let's say, not always reliable.

 

Sure, it happens now and then. MLB teams employ private detectives that go into these countries to ballplayer's hometowns, ask a lot of questions, and wave around money. How do you think these other discrepancies were discovered?

However, I'm pretty sure that the Cardinals and the Angels are satisfied that the age that Albert claims is his real age. Do you think the Angels would shell out $254M over TEN YEARS if there was a slight chance that he was presently 35 years old?

 

It happens more than we think.

Probably not, but they're nuts for shelling out that kind of money for a 32-year-old, too.

 

Orange County, Calif. churches are scrambling to land the Pujols as congregants:

Will Saddleback Church Snap Up Albert Pujols, Christianity's Biggest Free Agent?