Undaunted, I Put Trust in Albert Pujols

ST. LOUIS -- Why are we not surprised that President Obama, wearing a black glove with "Obama #44" scrawled into the leather, will throw/bounce/airmail Tuesday night's ceremonial first pitch to a designated catcher named Albert Pujols? The All-Star Game isn't simply a showcase for baseball's greatest treasure, whose ascent as a legitimate Triple Crown candidate conveniently converges with a Pujols-palooza setting in his home ballpark.

No, this is a presidential reminder that El Hombre, assuming he isn't living a lie like many in the Steroids Era, might be the only man alive who can save a too-toxic, too-slow, too-bureaucratic sport from itself.

And you know what? I'm going to pledge my heart and believe in Pujols' long-term innocence. That may be naive and silly, recalling how we wanted to embrace similar hopes about Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez after Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire and Roger Clemens and all the others let us down with performance-enhancement scandals. But I like how Pujols has spent his finest personal hour on a proactive mission to shoot down the reckless but unavoidable innuendo. Better than that, I believe him.

His training regimen is too dedicated. His past is too humble. His soul, on and off the field, is too grounded. His diet involves too much chicken and rice. His monstrous numbers haven't wavered since testing kicked in six years ago. And his words are too powerful -- attacking suspicious whisperers and bloggers the way he crushes pitches, volunteering that he passed six drug tests last year and vowing to take a test every day if necessary. If he fails, he says he'll return the entirety of his career earnings with the Cardinals, tens of millions of dollars over nine seasons. Not only is he putting his money where his mouth is, he's putting his fist in the face of every user who has dragged him down via guilt by association.

"My house is always open," Pujols said during a crowded media session. "They can come anytime to do all the tests they want during the offseason. I challenge them to try training with me for 3 1/2 months. They can come and check every place in my house, they can even come with me in my bathtub. I have nothing to hide."

The challenge came on the same day that a compelling piece appeared in USA Today, quoting Pujols as lashing out at those who doubt his integrity. His problem: Why assume he's guilty because the others were? "I can understand people being disappointed with A-Rod and Manny. But just because Manny made a mistake, now I have to pay? Just because A-Rod made a mistake, now I have to pay?" he said. "Oh, guilt by association? That's wrong. For people to be suspicious of me because of the year I'm having and for people to say I just haven't been caught, that makes me angry and disappointed. I would never do any of that crap. You think I'm going to ruin my relationship with God just because I want to get better in this game? You think I'm going to ruin everything because of steroids?

"I can understand why people don't know who they can trust or their hero was caught. I want to be the guy people look up to. But I want to be the person who represents God, represents my family and represents the Cardinals the right way. So many people can't wait until I do something negative. I can't understand it. That's sad, because I want to be that poster boy in baseball. Just give me the chance."

I am going to do that. Will you, America? "What's gone on with steroids, anytime you see a guy hit a ball out of the ballpark, I think the questions are going to be there," Dodgers manager Joe Torre said. "And I know it's going to frustrate Albert because of how hard he works and how proud he is. But I think he's still strong enough to handle that stuff."

It would help baseball's general state if Pujols became the hero so sorely craved. Just as consumer trust needs to be regenerated among fans, so does some measure of drama and excitement in a sport that lags in national interest once local teams are eliminated. A Pujols assault on the Triple Crown, last won by Carl Yastrzemski in 1967, would keep our eyes focused on a united cause. At the All-Star break, he has 32 home runs, 87 RBI and a .332 batting average in a league not blessed with overwhelming offensive talent. But he's playing with a team, the Cardinals, that may not have enough support around him to boost his candidacy. If anyone can win the Triple Crown, it is Pujols. I wouldn't put it past him. Neither do his National League teammates.

"Woo, woo. His chances at the Triple Crown for the next 10 years are good. Damn good," chirped Orlando Hudson, the Dodgers' second baseman. "Woo. That dude is unbelievable. He comes up and I say, 'Where's he gonna hit it out? Left field, right field, center field.' He can do it all. Woo, man. He's that player. All I can say is, 'Wow!' "

And Woo.

"If anybody can do it, Albert can," Milwaukee's Ryan Braun said. "I just marvel at his consistency. I think he's the best player in baseball. He's like Barry Bonds in the regard that he often only sees one pitch to really hit, and you see what he does with it."

Pujols is on pace for 57 homers, not far from the 61 of Roger Maris -- the single-season record in the non-juicers category. Hitting that number would be sweet justice and do much to purge memories of McGwire, the slugger who preceded him in St. Louis. Recently, Pujols crushed a homer and knocked the 'i' out of the Big Mac Land sign that still was shining dubiously Monday night in left field. "I didn't know that until somebody told me," he said. "Best thing you can do is knock it down again. You know, it's something that is fun when you hit a shot like that."


Symbolic, wouldn't you say? But the beauty of Pujols also is his detriment when it comes to personal statistics. Unlike the steroids sluggers of shamed yore, he doesn't swing for the fences. Thus, if he's close to 62, he won't go for the jugular, eschewing records for making contact in a pennant race. "The home runs, those just kind of happen," he said. "You want to take good at-bats every time up there. That's my goal. It's not to put up any certain numbers. It's to have quality at-bats every time, no matter what the scoreboard says."

He is that genuine, goes the consensus, a team player and devoted family man who rarely fails to say or do the right thing. So cautious is Pujols of his image, he doesn't take photos away from the ballpark and won't even walk into an elevator if a woman is getting on by herself. "He should take bows for what he's doing," said Yadier Molina, his Cardinals teammate.

Alas, he's not perfect. Monday night, as St. Louis and the baseball world awaited his coronation in the Home Run Derby, Pujols was more exhausted than triumphant. He needed two late shots to survive the first round, won a "swing-off," then was ousted in the second round in a rather dull slugging contest won by Prince Fielder. Major League Baseball didn't exactly help Pujols with a schedule not conducive to winning the Derby. The Cardinals played Sunday night in Chicago, the second game of a day-night doubleheader, and didn't arrive home until the wee hours. Not long past sunrise, he was required to be Bud Selig's favorite ambassador, appearing in his best suit for a morning news conference publicizing the contest.

"I had to wake up early and do another interview," he said, explaining his fatigue. "I said, 'Lord, give me the strength to get through these few days.' But I'm really blessed to be here. I want to thank the fans for voting me in and I will try to help my teammates win the game."

Later, addressing the fans in Busch Stadium, Pujols smiled and waved. "I wish I would have put on a better show, but I thank God for giving me this opportunity to be around these great players," he said. "And I want to thank you, the fans, for all your support. Without the Lord, Jesus Christ, and my family here in the stadium, I wouldn't be here."

Listening to baseball's greatest treasure, you guess he'd rather elude imperfection than court the Triple Crown, a subject he won't address. "When you start thinking about big numbers, I think it goes a little bit in your head," Pujols said. "I think the magical number is 74, and that's what you want to get. That's going to be pretty hard to get."

Tough to hear him still acknowledging Bonds' 73. Maybe he was just being polite.

His most cherished goal?

"One thing I would like to do is never to strike out," Pujols said. "I want to walk 100 times every year, and I never want to strike out. If one year I had no strikeouts all year ..."

We'd simply nod and say, that's Albert Pujols, the best of his generation, if not the best there ever was. I place my trust in him. You should, too.