Albert Pujols, going, going gone, I don’t believe what I just saw, go crazy folks, go crazy!
As you probably have heard by now, Albert Pujols has turned down his hometown team, the St. Louis Cardinals, and their generous 10-year, $220 million contract, and accepted a similar offer from the California Angels: a 10-year, $250- $260 million contract.
Let me be the first to congratulate you, Albert. It appears that Pujols got what he wanted: to be the highest-paid first baseman in the game. Of course, Albert deserves every penny; no one can successfully argue against Albert’s unique baseball skills.
With that in mind, I can’t help but feel sorry for Albert. It appears to me that Albert is a victim of lies and misinformation bestowed upon him by his so-called expert advisers, his agent Dan Lazano, and the Major League Baseball Players’ Association (MLBPA).
Albert’s agent, Dan Lazano, known in the circle as “Lie-Zo”, has both hands in Albert’s pocket and will continue to haunt him for the next ten years. Both Lie-Zo and the MLBPA (socialist) are nothing more than collective-bargaining agents, interested in the group rather than the individual. According to many reports, Albert was pressured by union representatives to go the free-agent route and seek the highest offer, because the other players would feed off this salary level thereafter.
Unionism in this day and age is an unnecessary expense that distorts the value of the individual, who won those MVPs, Albert, other union players, Lie-Zo, or the MLBPA? Had Albert abandoned both of these leeches, he would have found even more, longer-lasting happiness, satisfaction, and yes, money in his pocket. Subtract the agent’s commissions, the union’s dues, and the additional tax liabilities of the California liberals, the cost-of-living difference, and the monetary compensation is a no-brainer that now amounts to less than Albert would have made at home in St. Louis.
My philosophy has always been the same: it’s not how much you make, it’s how much you keep! That should have been the main feature Albert calculated and sought, because he is the only one who really has his best interest and his family’s best interest in mind.
According to cost-of-living statistics, a standard of living for $200 million in Missouri requires $330 million in California.
In addition, Albert’s legacy in St. Louis has already been established; a statue at Busch Stadium will be erected regardless of his decision to leave, and he will always be loved and admired by the St. Louis fans. On the other hand, no such guarantees exist in California. Whether Albert continues his dominance in the game or suffers the usual decline of mere mortals, Albert will have his work cut out for him in California.
Albert will be dreaming about resuming those glory days he enjoyed with the Cardinals, a storybook franchise that is second only to the Yankees in World Series appearances and wins. If these are really the dreams baseball players live for, then it’s obvious that Pujols made a grave mistake. In his eleven years with the Redbirds, Albert appeared in three World Series (2004, 2006, and 2011), winning the last two, which is more World Series involvement than the Angels have had in their entire 40-year history.
Pujols has chosen to give up all these real-life experiences for the make-believe life of a dreamer. To Albert, good luck seeking that fantasy in California, where the state’s bankruptcy appears imminent, taxes are sure to escalate, and crime runs amok, not to mention your new, old Governor, Governor Jerry Brown, who no doubt already has the aroma of your wallet within his scent.
Goodbye, Albert, thanks for the memories, and while you’re dreaming, you might tell Jerry hi for me before reality hits you out of the park.
