I've had a difficult time digesting the news that Albert Pujols signed with the Angels last week. I could feel it in the pit of my stomach for days. I SHOULD be happy right now. The Cardinals just gave us a World Series win, and I got to enjoy Game 6 from the seats of the stadium. But I cannot enjoy that now. Who cares if the Cardinals win 8-10 years from now? The missing piece of my baseball puzzle is watching the greatest player of my generation (I'll ignore Bonds for now) finish his career as a Cardinal and then go on to get the Stan Musial treatment for the rest of his life. I'd have that, those memories, for the rest of my life.

Instead, business has triumphed. I am a businessman. I know it is a horrible contract. I know it may have crippled the franchise. I get why the Cardinals ownership's bid wasn't enough. But now, I see Albert Pujols introduced as an Angel, and I can only ask why did this happen? Is it money? Pride? Is it the team? Was it LaRussa? Matheny? Mozeliak? Arte Moreno? Jerry DiPoto? Dan Lozano or the players union? Was it the weather in California? My only hope was that Pujols might shed some light on it at his introductory press conference so I could get back to sleeping 8 hours per night...and this is what I got:

"I wanted to make sure that it wasn't a decision [I made] because I was feeling hurt."

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=20027675

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The offseason acquisitions of Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum by the Brewers and Matt Garza by the Chicago Cubs have changed the landscape of the NL central division for the 2011 season.  Once a two horse race with the faltering Redbirds and the surprisingly effective Reds, the central now has four teams with a legitimate shot at the division.  This poses an interesting question for the Cardinals regarding one of their aces: Should the Cardinals do the opposite and trade Chris Carpenter?

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