Skip to main content

5 Thoughts on Pujols Hitting 700

It almost feels like the negative vitriol that surrounded Major League Baseball and its labor issues have dissipated into an air of forgetfulness and forgiveness. A season that has brought us old-school lore with the chasing of historical numbers by way of Aaron Judge and Albert Pujols, and the likes of a modern-day Babe Ruth, in another dominant season by Shohei Ohtani, would ultimately do that. Sprinkle in some amazing rookies on the rise, and all of sudden it's, what did I say about baseball's treatment of fans?

It's been some season...

In this post, I want to focus on Albert Pujols...the "King", the "Machine", one of the greatest ever. After hitting a historic 700th Home Run (by the way, I definitely predicted that back in March - just humble-bragging a bit), I wanted to drop five (fitting, yeah?) thoughts on Albert Pujols: 

  1. GREATEST EVER?! - Pujols' career often feels like the Angels' years were some sort of nightmare or a bad edition in a franchise film series that we've all agreed to acknowledge comprehensively, but, ignore individual contribution. It's the weirdest kind of dichotomy I've ever experienced in sports. The thought of Pujols, the Angel, still feels, well, weird, even after 10 years of it. But I think those years cloud our heightening of Pujols in the GOAT argument. After all, with 700 home runs, 3000+ hits, and 2000+ RBIs among other super nerdy analytical arguments, it's only he and Hank Aaron that sit in this extremely rarified air of the game's history. And even at 42, just from the eye test on homerun 699 and 700, there is a HIGH-level of hitting mastery on display. Soooo, for reals, for reals - is Pujols the greatest hitter of all time? I honestly haven't been able to completely dismiss that thought reasonably. 
  2. CARDINAL GLORY - This thought touches on those weird 10 years in Anahe...Los Angeles with the Angels. Even that one year in Dodger Blue which has all sorts of sacrilegious imagery - Pujols in...blue?! Pujols in Cardinal Red, with that bat and birds going across his chest...there's just magic there. Just, magic. It's the only time where, as a fan, things just felt right for Pujols. 
  3. LONGEVITY - This adds to thought #1, however, I also think we've lost sight of the longevity of Pujol's career - he's playing at 42! In an analytically driven world, post-thirty is scoffed at, and post-forty is a bigger red flag than a PED suspension. Pujols has found ways to stay in the league with productivity well into an age forty-two season done by only a handful of athletes in their sport and with the kind of grace known by other athletic legends and marvels such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. If Pujols wanted to return for an age 43 season, I'm confident someone (probably the Cardinals) would take a flyer on him. He's been that productive. 
  4. CLASSY GUY - Unfortunately, there are always going to be skeptics, because that's the world we live in. Due to experience, and yes, the world of "hot takes", skepticism, portrayals, and misdirections that we see flooding the sports world on a daily basis, the same rings true with PED speculation for Pujols. However, he's never failed a test. And nothing has been tied to him - at least at the time of this writing (gotta cover myself). What he has been, is super generous and the utmost classiest of ambassadors for the game, specifically for Dominicans. And if there is anything that says everything there is about Pujols, here are his comments regarding the 700th ball: "Souvenirs are for the fans. I don't have any problem if they want to keep it. If they want to give it back, that's great. But at the end of the day, I don't focus on material stuff." Just top guy kind of stuff there. This has been the ultimate swan song for his final year. 
  5. MEMORIES - My favorite memories of Pujols are a co-placeholder in my mind starting with that absolute moonshot of a homerun he hit off of Brad Lidge in Game 3 of the 2005 NLCS in Houston. That ball went somewhere over the train tracks, likely exiting the stadium. The other is his three-homerun performance against the Texas Rangers in the 2011 World Series. That was some Reggie Jackson, Mr.October-level performance. 

Labels:

Recent Favorites

Wanting the Alternate Route For Bronny James

Welcome to the NBA, Bronny James!  In what was the worst-kept novelty of a storyline in the sports world in LeBron and Bronny one day gracing the NBA together, we're finally here!  First, congrats to Bronny! Entering the NBA is incredibly difficult, especially more than ever considering its global reach. Regardless, he is now part of the fraternity and amongst the elite in the game. Haters will say what they want, but he's there.  And second, congratulations to LeBron and Savannah James. What will be lost in all of this is that they raised a strong young man who yes, took advantage of his access and genetics, and is now at this point in his life - his ultimate goal. Bronny at the core, had no reason to want this - none. He easily could have rested, relaxed, and enjoyed the spoils of this birth lottery. Instead, he wanted what h knew would be the shadow of a massive legacy - and still did the work. That takes guts.  I commend the kid for not resting on Dad's name and wealth.
Read more

Thoughts on First 2024 Presidential Debate

It’s the most unwanted rematch likely in history. Biden vs. Trump What we saw tonight was exactly what many moderates expected and solidified what we didn’t want to say out loud - we have to have better options than these two, no? There isn’t much to say about this debate, especially from this debate nerd. This was the absolute shits in regards to inspiring a nation for an upcoming election season, which in many ways, still resonates with political fatigue from 2020. But you know that, already. You knew that ten minutes into the debate. The two best quotes I’ve come across to wrap up my overall feeling are the following: On one side it’s hell no, and on the other, it’s oh no. It’s who we shouldn’t have be President vs. who we can’t let be President A few more quick thoughts on last night 1st Presidential Debate:  - For me, this format was the biggest positive of the night and a very good baseline for where future political debates need to go. In a world of “takes” and who shouts the lo
Read more

2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs Keeps Me Casual on Hockey

It's been a long time since I've talked hockey on this.  Wait! Huh? Come again? Yes, hockey. In fact, the last time I posted anything, I was mesmerized by the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals between the Los Angeles Kings and the New York Rangers.  Fast forward to 2024, and my hockey fandom took another step forward. For years I've been the admitted casual. And you know what, I'm okay with that. Unfortunately, my unconditional love fandom for my New York Knicks presents a conflict that will forever curtail anything serious from happening between hockey and myself.  Nonetheless, I felt like this post-season heightened my hockey fandom to another level. Hockey is amazingly awesome. I very much enjoyed the Stanley Cup Playoffs, caught myself choosing Rangers games over early April Yankees baseball, and overall, found myself playing NHL 24 on the ol' Playstation 4.  Yeah, I fell hard. But before I shelf my spring fling with hockey until April 2025, here are just a few quick pon
Read more