Another night much like Tuesday, except this time I was expecting it. Just for variety I ran the first 2.4 miles with The Wife and then continued on by myself to complete a 6-mile run. She apologized that the initial part was slower, but that was okay because I like her. Then I cranked it up to a 9-minute/mile pace for most of the rest of the run. I started feeling like that was a little fast when I'm trying to keep myself from getting injured, so the last mile I slowed down and tried my best to keep it a minute slower than before.
This was one of those crisp evenings where I have to get outside to run even though it's cold. The Wife even said it wasn't so bad, and I agreed that when the temperature is hovering around freezing and the wind stays relatively calm it's actually a good time for running.
The second half of the run when I wasn't talking or being talked at, I pondered how Albert Pujols betrayed a legion of fans by accepting a contract from the Angels. I've come to several conclusions that lead me to use the word "betrayal," and I don't use the word lightly. I'm not a naive person and I certainly understand the economics of the baseball world. First, I classify this as a betrayal because of what the man has been saying the past several years. I'm amazed that a person can invest so much of himself into his community, into probably tens of thousands of people in that community, and into all the personal relationships that come from being in the same place for a decade - and then walk away from all of that in the blink of an eye. In the past he has said too many times the right things, such as wanting to be a Cardinal for life. Or that this is the best place in the world to play baseball. Or this is the team with the best fans. That it's not about the money. All of the things a player who believes in his heart that he has a great deal and is happy where he is. When you say those things and invest in so many people and they invest in you, you don't just walk away. You don't do it unless you're just spouting what you think people want to hear. Plenty of baseball players do so, but when you're the face of a franchise and you keep repeating those things, people tend to believe you. Shame on us for believing.
Don't get me wrong - I would have taken the extra $30 million or so, too. But I wouldn't have spent several years saying I was above the money and that it wasn't the deciding factor. A-Rod still has the biggest baseball contract ever, and everyone knew that was his goal I don't recall him wasting time saying he loved the fans and wanted to do the best by them. It was all about the money. Contrast that with the former Cardinals first baseman, who spent plenty of time giving us all warm fuzzies about his motives but today turned out to be a liar. Which would you rather have? A greedy, money-grubbing jerk who is after the money and is honest about it, or a greedy, money-grubbing jerk who is after the money but who turns out to be completely dishonest about his true motives? Well?
Second, Albert (I call him that because that's how he's known to his former fans) has repeatedly invoked the name of our Lord in his career. He's thankful for the abilities God has given him, as well he should be. And he's said that his career is in God's hands, and I'm sure he and his wife prayed about this and where the Lord was leading them. But isn't it funny how with people like this that the "will" of God always seems to lead them to dollar signs?
Finally, we have a player who has acted different with his alleged motives and his Christianity. In the end, though, he's no different from any other athlete. That's what's disappointing. And sadly, this betrayal is what will make it that much tougher on the next guy who comes along. Albert has his money, an obscene amount of money that makes all of us wonder what is really the difference between $220 million and $254 million? Either way you can't spend it all in this lifetime unless you buy your own country. He said himself in 2009 (I believe) that $3-4 million a year wasn't a big enough difference to go somewhere else. Sadly, in the end it wasn't about the people who believed him, the kids he helped through his foundation who believed the things he said, or the fans who thought this guy was different from the rest. It was always about him. We just didn't recognize it.
To Albert: Thanks for your time as a Cardinal and all the thrills you gave us. I was at plenty of games where you made us jump to our feet and scream like crazy little kids. Good times, but they're over. So go to the Angels. Play your ten years and take your $254 million. And I hope you suck. I don't say that because I'm angry or vindictive. I say it because I say that about any player on any of the other 29 teams. Now you're just a player on one of those teams, not a player on my team. I'm a Cardinals fan. And I'll be a Cardinals fan after you retire, but you won't be a part of it like all the other legends who are darn near worshipped every time they appear at Busch Stadium - Stan, Red, Ozzie, Gibby, and Lou. You'll never have a statue there, either. What a legacy you threw away. How sad.
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