The Five Stages of Pujols Leaving

Posted by JE Powell

There are five stages a person (and family members) go through when facing death. I am NOT in any way making light of someone who has to deal with such a terrible ordeal, but I think, to a much lesser extent mind you, that Cardinals fans will deal with the loss of Albert Pujols the same way.

Denial

“The Cardinals will be fine without him, they can still win championships.”

While this may be true, I think it may take a few years. Yes, next season the Cardinals will more than likely still compete for the division, but team and fans are going to miss the fear that Pujols causes in opposing teams when he’s at bat. He was one base for Freese and Berkman in WS Game 6 because the Rangers wouldn’t pitch to him.

Berkman may be the new first baseman, but Allen Craig is out 4-6 months after knee surgery and may not be able to play the outfield at the start of the season. He will probably miss Spring Training, too. Pujols leaving does hurt the team.

Anger

“Screw, him, the Cardinals didn’t need him anyway. He is just a greedy, moneygrabber.”

I, in all honesty, have been tempted to say this in anger myself. However, Pujols has said that he want to get paid and win. He didn’t sign with the Cubs or Astros and the Angels are a very good team that just got better (they also signed  CJ Wilson). Many pundits will probably look at the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim as the favorites now. At the very least, despite the fact that Cardinals fans (to a certain extent) have a right to feel betrayed, at least Pujols was honest.

Bargaining

“Well, the Cardinals just won the World Series, so all they need now is one decent bat and they will be fine. ‘Dear John Mozeliak, if you get us one more good player in a trade or otherwise, we will trust you forever.’”

Or something like that anyway. John Mozeliaks job just got harder. He has made good trades and I feel like he know what he’s doing, but, losing an all-time great is never easy to get over. Though I could be wrong, I think the team that the Cards have right now will be the team we see going into Spring Training. There may be some minor league call ups, but I don’t see them making any major trades. Besides, reactionary trades are probably not the best idea. Just give it some time, let things settle down and then John Mozeliak can start making calls.

Depression

“The Cards are going to stink next year. Allen Craig is injured, Matt Holliday was oft injured last year, Berkman is a year older, Adam Wainwright is coming off of Tommy John surgery so we don’t know how effective he will be, and Chris Carpenter pitched a ton of innings last year and he’s up there in “baseball years”.

Yes, all of that is true. However, the Cardinals are a resilient bunch and they will find a way to compete. Win the World Series, maybe not, but at least they have a chance. Not to mention there is going to be an additional Wild Card team in 2012, so the chances are fair that the Cardinals will be OK.

Acceptance

“Well, I am a Cardinals fan, not just an Albert Pujols fan. So, the best thing for me to do is support the team, just like I always have. GO CARDINALS!”

Well, I am not quite to that point yet, but I KNOW I will get there. Teams have won the World Series with less than the Cardinals have now. San Fransisco did it in 2010. They had good pitching and less offense, so it’s possible. I have learned that the Cardinals organization seems to thrive on setbacks and nearly always comeback better for it.

Right now things may seem a little bleak, but keep this in mind. A players prime is usually described as 27-31 years old. Pujols will be 32 when the 2012 season starts. The Cardinals got him through his prime and, technically, he is now starting the back end of his career. I am sure he has several great years left, maybe one or two good ones after than, but by the time the 10 year contract ends, I feel he will be chasing records. It just would have been nice to see that in  a Cardinals uniform.

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