Some interesting trivia regarding Albert Pujols and some of the all-time greatest MLB players.  Take a quick glance at the stats comparisons below.  Sorry for the jumbled numbers, but you can dump them into excel if you’d like  :)

Player AB Runs Hits 2B’s 3B’s HR’s RBI’s SB’s BB’s SO’s AVG SLG TB RP

Pujols 571 119 191 43 2 41 124 7 90 63 .344 .628 361 202

Rodriguez 597 127 127 33 2 45 129 20 79 123 .311 .601 358 211

Aaron 597 113 190 31 7 40 121 13 62 71 .318 .594 354 194

Mays 583 121 186 30 9 42 112 20 75 68 .320 .615 358 191

Mantle 518 117 161 23 6 38 102 11 111 107 .311 .598 309 180

Griffey 553 104 167 31 3 42 118 14 74 98 .301 .595 329 180

RP (Runs produced = runs + rbi’s – hr’s)

Albert Pujols stats listed above are his 9 year average.  The other players stats include their best 10 year average.  Enough said.  ALBERT PUJOLS IS THE GREATEST BASEBALL PLAYER EVER!

p.s. – Thanks to Jason for sending us this info!

Albert Pujols finally spoke to the media the other day about his “future” in St. Louis.  Did he give us any answers?  No.  But he said some very interesting things.  Albert is a very smart guy and he covers all his bases.  As some put it, you can pretty much hear what you want to hear.  But all in all, Albert didn’t give us much to go with.  The one thing he was confident about was that he wasn’t going to discuss his contract situation during the upcoming season.  Pujols is the definition of focus and attention to detail.  As Cardinal fans, we should be pumped that Albert wants to focus on the season and not on his contract.

So here were a few quotes from the evening.  This media discussion was from the Winter Warmup.

“When that time comes, if it’s taking a discount to make this organization better, I want to have a great organization to be in the playoffs every year if we can,” he said.

“Right now I still have a couple of years,” he said. “That’s something that I don’t need to worry about right now. When my time comes, I’ll deal with that. Right now, my job is to let my agent do the talking and I’ll go and prepare for baseball. We’re open. We’re open to talk about it. I can tell you one thing, when the season starts we ain’t talking anything about it. Because my focus is to help this organization to win, and that’s it.

“If it comes to that [free agency], then that’s fine. That’s the decision that they decide to make, and that’s it. Do I want to become a free agent? No, but if it happens, then I have to deal with it. I want to play baseball, so I have to deal with my free agency and go play either here or somewhere else.”

So what do you guys think?  With the addition of Matt Holliday to the Redbirds lineup for years to come, I have got to think El Hombre wants to stay a Cardinal for life.  He may take a small discount but the Cardinals have to know they can’t go small on Albert.  GO LARGE or GO HOME.  Hopefully the Cardinals will step up to the plate and give Albert Pujols the lifetime largest contract he deserves.

Be sure you grab a copy of the latest Sporting News and keep it around in your “Pujols” or Cardinal collection  :)  I know you have one!

Wow, I haven’t been so excited about a single event, since 2006 when I went to game five of the World Series. The All Star Game is coming to St. Louis. This should be a great time for any fans, especially those of the host St. Louis Cardinals. St. Louis will be buzzing, and I fully expect to take part in all of the action. Here is the game plan:

Friday July 10 – Tuesday July 14th: All Star Game Fan Fest at America’s Center. This is pretty fun. I had the pleasure of seeing this when Chicago hosted several years back. Great chances for autographs and a ton of fun interactive games. Look for me to enjoy this like a little kid throughout the weekend.

Saturday July 11- All Star concert featuring Sheryl Crow. Whether you like Sheryl Crow or not, this will be a fun event to kick-off the big weekend.

Sunday July 12 – All Star Game 5k race – as a runner, I do plan to take part in this great event. There is supposed to be legends along the running route and possibly mascots along the route as well. Should be a good time. I just hope I can survive the St. Louis heat and finish the 3.1 mile course that starts at beautiful Busch Stadium.

Sunday July 12 – Futures Game and Celebrity Softball Game – the futures game always provides some of the best upcoming talent into the Major Leagues. The Celebrity Softball game is just that. A game where celebrities look to try to show off on the softball field. This will be worth a laugh a minute. This will take place on the Busch Stadium field on Sunday.

Sunday July 12- Cardinals/Cubs doubleheader in Chicago. WOW! What a weekend, Cardinals and Cubs. Both teams are at or near the top in the National League Central. My plan is to hit up the great Pujols5 resturant and kick back and watch these two baseball games. Go Cardinals!

Monday July 13- All Star game workout and Homerun Derby. Who DOESN’T think our man Albert Pujols will NOT win the homerun derby? All you people that are going to be standing outside the stadium for this event. WATCH OUT! Ryan Howard and Albert Pujols are the two front runners to win this baby. Bombs away in STL!

Tuesday July 14- THE ALL STAR GAME. The event that counts. The NL v. the AL. President Obama will throw out the first pitch, so look for massive security in STL. But, before the game, check out the wonderful red carpet show, where all the players and coaches will greet the fans before entering the ball park.

I personally will be staying in OFallon IL and have a group going with. Contact me at rodneyknuppel@hotmail.com if you have any other great events that you know of, or extra Tickets to the events.

1. http://www.vivaelbirdos.com

This site is an excellent website that seems to be full of fresh, and valuable information pertaining to our Cardinals. This is a great blog, that seems to have material that any Cardinal, and even Baseball fan would find interesting. The Webmaster of this site should be given some kind of award for his contribution to the game of baseball!

2. http://www.cardinalsgm.com

This website talks about all the things this individual, or group of individuals would do as General Manager of the Cardinals. Now, we understand some readers and writers out there haven’t a clue what goes on inside the life of a General Manager, but this site seems to be pretty accurate on all things pertaining to the Cardinals.

3. http://www.pujolsfans.com

You cannot get enough Albert Pujols. This is a great site for more information regarding Albert!

4. http://www.birdsonthebat.com

Now beware, some of the folks here at BOTB are kind of brutal. Sometimes, you wouldn’t think you were dealing with Cardinals fans when you are here. But, rest assured, they are all Cardinal fans, just some of different views on the team and the players. If you can survive the heat some of the posters put on, you will love this site!

5. http://cardinal70.com/

Another excellent St. Louis Cardinal blog. Not all Pujols, but could the Cardinals win games with only Albert? Check out this sites latest on the Cardinals Winter Warm up. Good Recap of the WW.

6-10 (in no order):

www.stlouissportsforum.com

www.pitchershiteighth.com

www.redbirdblog.com

www.perfectknight.blogspot.com

http://509bleachers.wordpress.com

Monday brought one more accolade for the Cardinals superstar, who was chosen as the 2008 Hitter of the Year in MLB.com’s annual This Year in Baseball Awards presented by State Farm. The award was voted on by fans, and a record 12 million ballots were cast — eclipsing last year’s total of 9.6 million.

Pujols beat out nine other contenders, taking 19 percent of the votes to claim his second career win in the Hitter category (2003). Dustin Pedroia of the Red Sox came in second, with 16.4 percent, followed by the Twins’ Justin Morneau, at 14.5 percent, and the Phillies’ Ryan Howard, at 13.1 percent. Farther down the ballot were Chipper Jones, Manny Ramirez, Ryan Braun, Carlos Delgado, Josh Hamilton and Mark Teixeira.

“I would say this year was [my] best because of the consistency that I had from Day 1, all the way to the end of the season,” Pujols said recently. “I was really patient at the plate.”

The selection of Pujols ended a trend in the balloting for Hitter of the Year. Each of the previous four winners hailed from the American League East, with Alex Rodriguez winning in 2007, Derek Jeter in 2006, and David Ortiz in 2004 and ‘05. Pujols’ performance, however, was so spectacular as to overcome even Pedroia’s huge built-in fan base.

It made for what was pretty much a clean sweep for the St. Louis slugger. Pujols was named the National League’s Most Valuable Player by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, and he won the Roberto Clemente Award for excellence on and off the field. He was also named the NL or Major League Player of the Year by the Sporting News, the MLB Players Association and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, and was also the NL MVP in Baseball Prospectus’ Internet Baseball Awards.

There was virtually no debate.

And why should there be? Pujols batted .357, second in the NL and the second-highest mark of his career. He finished second in the league with a career-best .462 on-base percentage and led the NL with a .653 slugging percentage that was 18 points off his career high.

And the counting stats weren’t bad, either. Pujols racked up 37 home runs, drove in 116 runs, scored 100 runs, laced 44 doubles and drew 104 walks against 54 strikeouts.

“You have to consider everything. You have to put all the numbers together,” the St. Louis star said Monday after powering past Philadelphia slugger Ryan Howard to win the award for the second time.

Pujols won despite the Cardinals finishing in fourth place, the lowest spot for an NL MVP winner since Andre Dawson and Chicago Cubs wound up sixth in 1987. Howard led the majors in home runs and RBIs for the World Series champs.

The result surely will renew a debate that Pujols once raised himself: What qualifies as “most valuable”?

In 2006, a month after leading the Cardinals to the World Series crown, Pujols carped when Howard—whose Phillies missed the playoffs—captured the coveted award.

“I see it this way: Someone who doesn’t take his team to the playoffs doesn’t deserve to win the MVP,” Pujols said at that time.

Shortly thereafter, Pujols clarified his remarks and said Howard certainly was worthy of the award.

“I think the writers made the right choice in 2006,” Pujols reiterated Monday. “He did deserve it.”

Just as Pujols believed he earned it this year.

“I wasn’t surprised at all,” he said.

Pujols hit .357 with 37 home runs and 116 RBIs while playing with a sore right elbow that required surgery. Howard hit 48 homers with 146 RBIs for the Phillies.

Voting was completed before the playoffs began.

“I’m happy I didn’t have to make that decision,” Pujols said on a conference call from his St. Louis home. “What you do for your team. The players who take their teams to the playoffs should have some consideration.”

Los Angeles outfielder Manny Ramirez and Milwaukee pitcher CC Sabathia, who both led postseason pushes after being traded by AL teams in July, also drew strong support.

Pujols got 18 of the 32 first-place votes in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America and had 369 points. Howard drew 12 first-place votes and 308 points.

Pujols added to the MVP award he won in 2005, and was the only player listed on every ballot. The All-Star first baseman became the 25th multiple MVP winner in either league.

Milwaukee outfielder Ryan Braun was third with 139 points, with Ramirez fourth at 138. Houston’s Lance Berkman was fifth and Sabathia sixth.

Brad Lidge, perfect on 41 save chances for the Phillies during the regular season, drew the other two first-place votes and came in eighth.

Pujols was remarkably consistent all year—a trait he’s demonstrated throughout his career. He is the only big leaguer to hit at least 30 home runs in his first eight seasons in the majors, and has finished in the top 10 of the NL MVP voting each year.

Pujols led the league in slugging percentage and intentional walks. He drew 104 walks while striking out only 54 times, and was second in the NL with a .462 on-base percentage.

Almost single-handedly, when the Cardinals’ rotation was depleted by injuries, he kept St. Louis in contention while batting .398 in the month of August. The Cardinals finished 86-76, 11 1/2 games behind the Central champion Cubs.

In mid-October, Pujols had surgery for nerve irritation in his right elbow, an ailment that caused numbness, tingling in his ring finger and pinkie, a weak grip and pain inside his forearm. He hopes to resume weight training after Thanksgiving and is expected to be ready for spring training.

“I had some pain,” he said. “The worst part was the last two months.”

Pujols said there was still a slight chance he might need Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery.

“I’m crossing my fingers,” he said.

Howard was hitting under .200 toward the end of May. His slow starts have cost him—this year, he was the first player since Cincinnati’s Hank Sauer in 1948 to be left off the All-Star team despite leading his league in homers and RBIs at the break.

Howard’s best month came in September, when he set a team record with 32 RBIs and helped the Phillies rally to the NL East title. He hit .251 overall.

Ramirez had 138 points. He hit .396 with 17 home runs and 53 RBIs after the Dodgers got him from Boston on July 31, and led Los Angeles’ push to the NL West title.

Sabathia got 121 points. He was 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA after Milwaukee acquired him from Cleveland on July 6, and helped the Brewers win the wild-card spot.

Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins, who won the NL MVP last season, did not receive a single vote this year.

Pujols earned a $200,000 bonus for winning the award. Ramirez got $75,000 and Braun got $50,000.

The AL MVP will be announced Tuesday. A close vote is anticipated, with Minnesota’s Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau among the top contenders along with Boston’s Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis.