St Louis Cardinals

St. Louis muscleman Albert Pujols has done a pretty good job of imprinting himself on Major League Baseball's collective consciousness these past several months as followers of the grand old game have been compelled to consider a radical change of venue for the stand-out Cardinal first baseman.  

Shhh...do you hear that?

If you're a baseball fan, a sports enthusiast, or if you simply happen to hail from the Greater St. Louis area, I'm sure you are hearing the same thing I am.

Silence.

That's right, for the first time in recent memory, the day's sporting headlines have not been dominated by Albert Pujols chatter and, I must say, the silence is deafening.

With the news on Friday that graceful center fielder Jim Edmonds is retiring from the game of baseball after a stellar 17-year career, the talk of whether or not Edmonds is worthy of induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame can begin.

While Edmonds was absolutely a human highlight reel during the height of his playing days, injuries severely curtailed his career in the latter years. He ended up  sitting out the 2009 season altogether due to nagging leg injuries.

The possibility that the St. Louis Cardinals trade Albert Pujols before season’s end is a very real option for the Cards.

Instead of the Cardinals watching Pujols walk and get nothing in return, trading him before the 2011 trade deadline would help the Cardinals reload with new talent as they figuring out how to handle life after Pujols.

There will be many teams who will put it all on the line for a chance to trade for the best active player in the MLB, but it’s going to take a lot to pry Pujols out of St. Louis.

Center fielder and Cardinal great Jim Edmonds is retiring. After deciding his injury is too severe to risk a comeback, the eight-time Gold Glove winner is retiring as a member of the team he is most associated with. It’s a shame, too, as he was very productive last year with the Brewers and Reds. 

After 17 seasons, Jim Edmonds decided to call it a career. Edmonds, 40, agreed to a Minor League contract with the St. Louis Cardinals, but his Achilles tendon injury wouldn't allow him to go any further with his career.

When you think of MLB first basemen, what comes to mind?

POWER

You think of big, burly guys like Ryan Howard, Adam Dunn, Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols.

First basemen are usually the largest guys on the field, towering over the infielders and umpires. And with that size often comes an impressive swing.

More so than any other position, it is expected that first basemen will hit for average, drive in runs and hit home runs.

A lot of home runs.

Well, "Albertgeddon" has come and gone.  Finally.  

Everybody okay?  All present and accounted for?  Looks like there was minimal damage.

If you're the type of person that reads this website, you've undoubtedly heard by now that the deadline has come and gone for Albert Pujols to reach a contract extension with the St. Louis Cardinals. 

The Cardinals reportedly offered "more than $200 million over nine or 10 years" for the future Hall of Famer and even an ownership stake in the team. But it just wasn't enough for the game's best player.

Have you ever wondered what goes through your girlfriend's mind when she stops dead in her tracks, her eyes glaze over and she goes into a trance while looking at that ring in the window?

That's what this is for men. Players like this only become freely available once a generation, and we too have paused and slipped into an alternative universe where this shiny jewel could be ours.