Spring Training is starting and that means that America’s favorite past time is about to start it’s season for 2011. It also means that everyone will be watching what happens with the St. Louis Cardinals and arguably the best player in baseball, Albert Pujols. A lot has been said about what the Cardinals should or shouldn’t do with Pujols. To me it’s simple. Keep him. That’s all there is to it. He has to know that you can’t get a 10 year deal from the Cardinals. No one except for the Texas Rangers (back in 2001) have been willing to invest that much in one player. The Cardinals also know that they can’t let who is probably the best player in franchise history leave. I attended a Dodgers game just to see Pujols play. For those of you who know me, I’m an Angels fan. The best case scenario is the Cardinals pay Pujols what he is worth which is somewhere between 25 and 30 million a year. The length would be for five years though. That works for both parties. Pujols gets paid and St. Louis keeps him. It’s hard for me to imagine the Cardinals not being able to afford him. They have one of the most loyal fan bases in baseball and they constantly sell out their home games. They will still be in contention for the foreseeable future and if they blow this, Matt Holliday is their marquee player going forward. Not a good scenario if you’re a Cardinals.
Now onto another team that is counting on their marquee player to perform to his MVP standards. The Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera was charged with a DUI in Florida just a few days before he was to report for Spring Training. The picture above was his mug shot after he was arrested. Pretty disingenuous of him to smile. He’s been in trouble with alcohol before. During the 2009 season, he was arrested for a domestic violence complaint against his wife in which his blood alcohol level was three times the legal limit to drive in Michigan. It wasn’t a DUI, but he was under the influence of alcohol. It seemed to be an awakening for the 27 year old slugger going into the 2010 season in which he finished second in the AL MVP voting and was a force in the middle of the Tigers order all year long. Apparently he and he alone will have to come to grips with appears to be a problem with alcoholism. He denied it before the 2010 season, but it will be hard to deny it now. Too many athletes think they are invincible, but they are people just like you and me. I hope for his sake and his family’s that he gets some actual help and that the Tigers put it ahead of baseball. Someone eventually gets hurt. He needs to get right before he sees a big league fastball.
I have finally had enough of this. And it appears that Carmelo Anthony is too. New Jersey is putting together one final offer before the February 24 deadline. New York is doing the same during the All-Star break. Now it’s up to Anthony. Denver has two pretty good packages to build with from either team and Anthony has to decide if he wants to play in New Jersey/Brooklyn or in Madison Square Garden. Please put this to rest Anthony. I would much rather you be traded than have the speculation continue for another six months. Denver waited too long, but they were handicapped by Anthony’s indecision. The All-Star break is being given some spice with the trade talk of Carmelo and what will become of the labor deal going forward. However, I see this as being a stalemate once again. Carmelo will say no to New Jersey and Denver will reject New York’s proposal to get back at Anthony. The speculation will continue.
I will be the first to say that I’m not a gear head. I have changed the oil in my car. I know all the basics, but when you start talking to me about bump drafting and spoilers, you’ve lost me. I know the personalities and I know that Jimmie Johnson has won the last five Sprint Cup titles. I also know who Dale Earnhardt Sr. was. He is a legend around Nascar and rightfully so. It’s amazing that its been 10 years since his death at the Daytona 500. It was another close race down to the wire when he was going in for the block and was bumped into the wall on the final lap. There was immediate celebration for the winner, Michael Waltrip, but it quickly turned to sadness just a few hours later when it was announced that Dale Sr. had died. Not just the sport, but the entire country was in shock. Nascar has done a great job with safety and protecting its drivers and fans since that tragic day. This Sunday they will mark the 10th anniversary of his death with a moment of silence during the third lap and fans will hold up the number 3, which they’ve routinely done since his death. A fitting tribute for one of the greats in any sport.
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