A player like Albert Pujols only comes along once every generation or two! The Cardinals were fortunate to have drafted him and had him shine for 11 glorious seasons, but it is how they handle him as a free agent that will be remembered by Redbird fans and historians alike!

Put yourself in Albert’s shoes. If you had been the catalyst for your team for your entire career, had carried your team’s offense on too many occasions to count, has been selected the Most Valuable Player for the National League three times, had the highest lifetime batting average among active players, and had done everything humanly possible to endear yourself to the local fans and the city your team represents, would you expect your team’s General Manager and Ownership Group to do everything possible to re-sign you, or would you want them to wait until other teams made you an offer and then try to beat or maybe just match it?

As a lifelong fan of the Cardinals, I am absolutely APPALLED at the tactics being employed by Sr. V.P. and General Manager, John Mozeliak! He is negotiating like a penny pinching weakling! If this is an example of the true colors of Cardinal Management, I definitely would not blame Albert for signing elsewhere! Let’s remember that this franchise just won its 11th World Series Championship! Let’s let Albert know how very much we appreciate his excellent performance over the first 11 years of this career, and how much we want him to finish his illustrious career as a Cardinal!

Albert realizes that the Cardinals do not have unlimited resources. He wants the team to be able to afford to place the cast of talented teammates around him that is necessary to continue to be highly competitive and win more championships. Mr. Mozeliak and Mr. Dewitt, PLEASE make the best offer you can to keep Albert, and HAVE FAITH IN HIS INTEGRITY AND HIS LOVE FOR THE TEAM!!! I know deep in my heart that he will not disappoint you!

As a lifelong fan of the Cardinals, who absolutely loves Albert Pujols, both as a baseball player and a tremendous human being, I have given quite a bit of thought to what I think Albert should do now that he is a Free Agent. Simply put, I want all my friends, family, and fellow Cardinal fans to know that I really truly want Albert to do WHATEVER he thinks is best for him and his family, period! I will be quite sad if he leaves the Redbirds, but I will continue to follow his career and wish him all the success possible! I will be unbelievably happy if he plays out the rest of his storied career with the Cardinals and will continue to follow his career and wish him all the success possible!

I’M WITH YOU, ALBERT, WHATEVER YOU DECIDE!!!!