St Louis Cardinals

Albert Pujols is quickly becoming one of the grestest hitters that the game has ever seen.

In his first eight full seasons in the MLB, he has put up gawdy numbers, that can't be matched.

Recently, Pujols surpassed the 1,000 RBI plateau, and is slowly creeping up the all-time home run list.

Pujols was drafted in the 13th round of the 1999 MLB Draft by St. louis.

The St Louis Cardinals have had a quick start to the season and are set to dominate the division again.

The Cardinals have always made this division theirs and only had the Astros as any real competition before the Chicago Cubs decided to throw a ton of money to players outside their organization.

The Cardinals have been hit by injuries for the past couple of years, which allowed the Cubs to reign supreme in the National League Central. Well I got bad news for you Cub fans. The Cardinals are back and ready for a huge 100-win season.

When Troy Glaus went down this winter with shoulder surgery, Cardinals fans started to count the days until his return.

There was much speculation as to who could start in absence of Glaus, and names such as Joe Mather and David Freese arose. Mather ended up being optioned to AAA, and Freese has only managed 19 at-bats and a couple of hits.

But the dynamic rookie duo of Joe Thurston and Brian Barden have excelled so far this season, leaving myself and other Cardinal fans worrying less and less about Glaus' return date.

There are two games I need to write about; one was great, the other not so much.

Depends on your perspective which was which, but most of you are Cardinal fans, so it's safe to say Saturday was a blast and Sunday was a day to turn off the game early.

Saturday, anything else that happened was overshadowed by one swing of Albert Pujols's bat.

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Albert Pujols has accomplished much already in his career. Last night, he added yet another accolade to that long list.

For the first time in his career, he stole a base in his third consecutive game. That base, coupled with a 2-for-4 performance at the plate, helped the Cardinals sneak past the Chicago Cubs 4-3 on Friday.

He's long been regarded as "aggressive" on the base paths. Sometimes that results in great, heads-up ball playing but other times it results in being greedy and getting caught on the basepaths.

Do you ever have the feeling life is passing you by at a speed that prohibits real examination? I’m afraid I’m guilty of this lifestyle misdemeanor at times.

But every once in a while, I apply some brake pressure as a sporting crosswalk approaches. I have to remind myself that it’s worthwhile to stop and smell the pine tar.

One such crosswalk involves the hushed voices and polite applause of golf. Whenever I have the opportunity to watch Tiger Woods play, I thank my lucky stars.

It wasn't anything we didn't know already. Albert Pujols is one of the best hitters in the majors.

I may go out on a "limb" and say he's the best hitter.

Prove me wrong.

El Hombre's quest for another ring led the Cardinals past the Mets in a 12-8 slugfest on Thursday afternoon. The victory completed the sweep of New York as the big bats once again refused to be silenced.

The smell of beer and hot dogs immediately hit me as I walked into Busch Stadium Tuesday night. Let me tell you, it is a wonderful smell.

There is something special about being at the ballpark. It is a great feeling, even therapeutic.

I didn't have the chance to go last year. It has been my first year I haven't been to a ballgame for as long as I can remember.