Thank God, in just 24 hours the landscape of the country's financial outlook turned 360 degrees and like the song says, "Happy days are here again." It is amazing how the "worm turns" in our country today, how attitudes can change and how hopes can sore from day to day.
What am I talking about, the signing of Albert Pujols by the Los Angeles Angels baseball club of course. If the Angels can afford to pay "Sir Albert" $254 million over the next 10 years, it means that the United States is truly coming out of its financial doldrums, "Thank you Albert."
Pujols is a 1st. baseman by trade, hits lots of home runs, scores his share of runs, and bats in his team mates in prodigious numbers. Pujols played the first 11 years of his professional baseball career for the St. Louis Cardinals and was an institution in that city.
Now he will field ground balls, catch throws from his infield mates and knock the cover off the ball in sunny California for the baseball Angeles. Is Albert worth a bit more than $25 million a year, by today's standards of remuneration for ball players.....I guess so. I do know this, I sure would like 1 or 2 percent of his gross yearly salary, and I’d be on sleazy street.
Pujols has been an all star, an M.V.P. a gold glove fielder and has won numerous other individual awards as well as helping the St. Louis club to two World Series championships in 2 chances. Needless to say he is a great individual player as well as a team player, but $25 million a year.
As far as I'm concerned, every professional athlete is worth whatever his team’s owner or organization is willing to pay. I never asked for a raise in pay during my working life, I always felt my work would to my talking. I must not have been a very good worker because I didn't get many raises.
Anyways my point is simple, it's not Albert Pujol's fault that the Los Angeles are paying him such an outrages salary to run around, chasing a little what ball and once he gets hold of it, he throws the dam thing away. Or he hits the ball thrown his way and then, dawned in pajama pants and shirt, runs like hell to a white square in the dirt.
As I've said many times, "baseball is a simple game; you hit the ball and run like hell." Of course when this phrase was first used, few ball players understood the entertainment factor involved with "their" game. Today, however things are quite different and everybody realizes the entertainment dollar that exists and works whatever way is necessary to "corral" as many dollars as possible.
Sir Albert is no doubt worth every dollar that he is being paid, the baseball fans will flock to the stadium to watch him and his team mates make a run at a world championship ring. Boys, fathers and men will emulate Pujols exploits on the field through their games of catch, or on the softball or baseball fields throughout the country.
Left in the dust are those folks that simply can't afford to lay out $200, $300, or $400 dollars that will now be necessary to attend an Angels' ball game with their families. Baseball is a unique game; it's slow, so slow that a father and son can actually carry on a conversation between pitches. The pace of the game is what makes baseball such a special process, an almost rite of passage for father, son, friends together, or a man.
I do hope that very important aspect of the game is not buried by the dollar signs that sometimes cloud what games like baseball are really all about. Baseball really is a part of what America is all about..... Spending time.
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