I still can't believe Oquendo would be that big of a deal for Pujols. I don't think I've ever heard him publicly talk about the Secret Weapon at all. I think more the $30+ million and the chance to DH played into it.

Thanks for the kind words, William. Do appreciate it.

I think, to some degree, it's the idea of Pujols more than the actual man that we are going to miss. The chance for him to be Musial is gone, and that's tough to swallow.

Perhaps so. I tend to try to believe what people say and give them the benefit of the doubt. And in this case, it was pretty easy, because there were so many times where Pujols said he wanted to be a Cardinal for life.

I'll admit, I did have you in mind for a part of this. :)

Tough to find someone that combines star results with love of the game mentality. Sure, you can follow the Descalsos, the Schumakers, but they won't be around as long. There's not that long-term tie that you can have with them.

It'll be all right. I'm a fan of a lot of the players on the team. It just won't quite be the same.

Thanks for the kind words!

That's a bit extreme, don't you think? If Albert had accepted the offer, it would have been the largest in team history and one of the largest all time.

If you've been a fan for 50+ years, you've seen a lot of good and a lot of bad. I'd think if you've stuck it out this long, you'd have the loyalty to the players on the field and keep watching them.

Obviously, if you feel this strongly about it, perhaps you will find an ownership and team that will work for you. But it's going to be hard to do--what happens if the Angels are stuck in last for the last five years of the Pujols deal?

Thanks for the support and kind words.

It's tough to deal with, but we'll make it through. Thanks for reading!

Nice to have Angels fans drop by. Thanks for taking the time.

Apparently Miami didn't offer the 275. In fact, it looks like the LAA offer was the top bid. Not saying that was the whole reason, but it didn't hurt any.

But what I mean by iconic is in the line of DiMaggio, Williams, Gehrig, Musial. Guys that played only with one team. That can't happen anymore. It seems like players that swap teams (save Ruth, of course) tend to be on a slightly lower level. They are iconic in a baseball sense, perhaps, but they don't get that one-team boost that pushes them to the upper echelon.

Also, I wouldn't say I was bitter. If you think this is bitter, perhaps you've not read some of the other comments in Cardinal Nation. Disappointment, hurt, sure, but bitter, not much. I'm trying to think if the Angels have had an instance like this, but I can't think of any.

Again, thanks for your comments.

Again, thanks for stopping by. Best of luck to the Angels in the future.

I did see that article and used it as a basis for this morning's post. I'll probably continue to talk about it as info comes out.