Cardinals Fans In Mourning

[Zephon]

It's a sad day in Cardinal Nation today.  Albert has decided to sign with the LA Angels for $250 million and 10 years.  I just saw that that works out to about $68,500 a day for the ten years.  Glad he's going to the other league.  Anyway, an era is over...so long Albert.

[rubedugans]

Era over indeed...BUT I believe it was just about money. He said it wasn't, but I have my doubts, seeing that for his "job" he will be paid roughly $15,000 for his playing each game, regardless of win or loss. after 3 games, he would be at my yearly teacher salary (after teaching with a master's for 8 years!). I am disguisted by these numbers in general across major sports. Priorities are out of whack. I am a st louis born and bred guy, love the cards...but this is just outragous when you see the $ differences between these "jobs".

Sorry, I just get fored up about these things...I'll go back to grading papers now during my lunch break.

[sanddunerider]

AGREED!!! Rube,

Thats why you dont see me commenting on any of the Sports related threads!.The money factor is completely out of control!!  And it starts at the high school level if not before!!! Then gets completely out of hand at college level and then............... BANG!!!! Lets go pro!!!!...  Lets not......

People in our country working for a living , braely getting by, and then the people that are looking for work and cant find it... 
meanwhile somebody is making 68,000 dollars a day??  1 player?  really?  1 GUY??!!. 
That should be the payroll for the whole league and coaches!!!... 
ITS JUST WRONG!!!

OK!!  off the soapbox now.. 

[rubedugans]

I am an athlete (well I was in an earlier time!) I was Varisty in high school, moved up to competing on the NCAA level for 4 years and did really well-even winning a few evnts here and there, but then I understood that I needed a job, and I was not quite the Olympic calliber athlete. It is not to say that what I am doing in my daily life is any less taxing on me than 6 innings with a no-hitter for a pitcher, but I digress. I coach athletes to reach their next level, whatever that might be, I have no dillusions that my athletes will all go pro, but it is great to see them move on to compete at the next level. It is not the money, and as a high school coach that puts in 40+ hrs a week all year long to train and coach athletes for what amounts to about 2$ an hour.

Enjoy it Mr Pujols, I will never see a fraction of that.

What will happen to his restaurant in Westport StL? You think the same thing that happened to Jack Buck's, Ozzie Smith's, Jim Edmonds', Charlie Spoonhauer's?

[Junior]

$250 million is just too good to pass up...see ya, Al, and thanks for the memories.

[U Smell Smoke]

I appreciate all that Albert did for the Cardinals during his time in St. Louis.  That being said, I am extremely happy and grateful that ownership did not give in and mortgage the future of the team by signing him to an outrageous contract that would have hamstrung this team for years.  The Angels may get what they want over the next few years, but let's see where they are at five to seven years from now.  Albert had a chance to go down as the all-time greatest Cardinal.  That honor is still safe with Stan Musial. It is about the money and that makes me ill.  The Cardinals will be just fine.  They still have a very good team and can use the money freed up by Albert leaving to sign a couple of quality players.  I wish Pujols the best, but I really believe he is on the down hill side of his career. Had they paid Albert $25 million per year to go along with Holliday's $17 million per year, that would have meant $42 million in payroll tied up in two players.  When the total team payroll is $100 to $110 million per year, that doesn't leave a lot of money to fill out the team with quality players around those two guys.  The Cards won the Series this year because they were a very good team and not just because of Pujols. They will be a very good team next year and will challenge to get in the playoffs.  The Cardinals were a great franchise before Pujols and they will be a great franchise after he's gone.  Thanks ownership for not ruining the future for years to come!  Go Cards!!

[Parson B Ready]

I'm not in mourning just disappointed, mainly in Albert.  I don't begrudge a guy for going after a big payday, but this was more about pride than $$.  It has long been rumored that Albert was seeking a contract that matched his reputation as the "best player in baseball".  Ironically, given the higher taxes and cost of living in LA, he would probably have made more money (net) if he had stayed in STL.  But oh well, thanks for the memories Albert, don't let the door hit you on the way out.

[Gilligan]

I agree with you, Rube.  At a Masters + 16 post grad hrs., it's disheartening to learn he makes my salary in 3 games!!!  And, I guarantee I work as hard as he does!  Yesterday with the Christmas Concert we put on last night I worked a 13 hr. day.  Don't know much about his restaurant, but a store at our local mall is GIVING AWAY all Pujol's merchandise tonight.  I have a stack of papers to grade, a new student that showed up yesterday with an IEP and goals to plan for her, and an RTI document that I need to produce for a meeting after school tomorrow....so, I won't be making a trip to the mall tonight.  Hopefully, his departure will free up some money so the Cards can bring in some other players that will make for a better future.

[tiffanylynnt]

If someone wants to pay me to swing a bat and run in a circle, I'd take it, but I wouldn't need $250 million! That's more than my mom, dad, sister and I all make in a year and we're getting along just fine. Why would one person need that much money?
If you guys were my friends on facebook, you would see all my status updates yesterday were about how disappointing it is and how greedy he's being. I've come to the conclusion that if Albert would rather play for another team to make more money than anybody could ever use and break the hearts of Cardinal Nation members everywhere, well then good riddance. We've been loyal to him for all these years and it seems like he prefers money over the fans. If it was me, my fans would come first. My mom and I were trying to figure out how we would use all that money. We would pay bills, buy nicer things, donate to a bunch of charities, and we would still have more than we could ever use.

[rubedugans]

For his contract...it amounts to
$254,000,000 for 10 years OR
$25,400,000 each year OR
$69,589.04 each day OR
$2,899.54 each hour OR
$48.32 each minute OR
$0.80 each second

Now note that this does not include his endorsements which are millions more each year, nor does it include his finances/ lawyers etc.I adapted this from a MJ document from the late 90's just to illustrate the point for good....

Assuming he sleeps 7 hours a night, he makes $20,000+ every night while visions of sugarplums dance in his head.

If he goes to see a movie, it'll cost him $14.00, but he'll make $5,799.08 while he's there.

If he decides to have a 5 minute egg, he'll make $241.60 while boiling it. He makes $2,892.29/hr more than minimum wage (after the wage hike).

He'll make $1453.95 while watching each episode of Family Guy.

He'll probably pay around $250 for a nice round of golf, but will be reimbursed $20,000+ for that round.

If you were given a tenth of a penny for every dollar he made, you'd be living at $25,000 a year.

Next year, he'll make more than twice as much as all of our past presidents for all of their terms combined. Amazing isn't it?

But:

Pujols will have to save 100% of his income for 200+ years (at this contract rate!) to have a net worth equivalent to that of Bill Gates today.

Nerds win!

[Zephon]

I'm wondering if my Pujols jersey is worthless now, or should I save it for when he's inducted in the Hall of Fame.  I don't think I'll be wearing it to the ballgame anymore in any case.

[oldsdcer]

He keeps saying that it was not about the money. He apparrently felt that the Cardinals didn't care about him personally and that the Angles show him more respect and appreciation, he apparently got  an additional 10 years service contract to follow  the first 10 years and that they  were going to make him part of the family. I think that they really kissed Deidra's back side to get this done and told her how much more she would have being in the SoCal
society then staying in the backward society of STL and KC or MIssouri in general.

[rubedugans]

A church is collecting Pujols jerseys and donating it to needy in LA! so dont destroy...donate!!! I do still have a Pujols Jersey...I'll turn the 5 into a $ and wear it as usual.

[KBCraig]

I've been saying since this time last year, that it would take a lot more money to get Albert away from St. Louis, than it would take to keep him.

Apparently, the magic number was the $34 million that the Angels offered, over the $220 million STL offered (both for 10 years). Both contract offers were among the three richest ever.

I still have the highest respect for Albert as both a player, and a person. If I didn't think he was a genuinely good person, I never would have been a fan. Let's put it this way: my wife, a congenital Cubs fan, loves Albert Pujols. And she still does, even if he's with the Angels.

As a lifelong Cardinals fan, I'm a little hurt personally, but I'll get over it. I hope he does well, and continues to produce record numbers.

Factors many of us don't understand fully:
- Health. I don't know if the Angels will use him for 1B or DH, but he definitely needs some time to lose weight and heal. While he's very fast for a man of his size, and powers through the pain when needed, the last half of the season he was running bases about like Bo Jackson.
- Management. The Cards' decision to start fresh with an untested manager after TLR's retirement threw everything about the upcoming season into question. Albert has a Hall Of Fame legacy, and it would be a shame to limp through the last few years of his career with a club that was struggling.
- Coalition. The Cards still have some great players, but the Angels were putting together a championship bid. They announced Albert and C.J. Wilson the same day... that's a great 1-2 punch.

If Albert had gone to the Brewers, Cubs, or (worse!) Yankees, I wouldn't feel the same way. I can't hate him for going to the Angels, though.

If he needs some rehab time, we might get to see him play in Little Rock! That would be the first time I could call myself a Travelers fan since they left the Cardinals organization.

[rubedugans]

The Bo Jackson of The late 80's? Or the Bo Jackson of today?