Believe In Albert Pujols: He's All We Have Left

As the All-Star Game draws ever closer, the spotlight on the game’s biggest star grows brighter and brighter.

Yes, Albert Pujols is quite deservedly the center of attention this week. He’s playing in front of his home-team fans in St. Louis. His charitable contributions mean so much to the city. Coming from the Dominican Republic, he is an ambassador of Major League Baseball overseas.

Oh yeah, one other thing. He’s also the best player in the game.

And it’s not even close.

Don’t look now, but the man known as El Hombre is well on his way to become one of the greatest baseball players ever.

Not of this decade. Not of this era.

Ever.

In the first place, his stats are eye-popping. He is a career .335 hitter with 351 home runs, 1,632 hits, and 767 walks. And all of that before the age of 30. Add to that his mantle of trophies—Rookie of the Year, Gold Glove, a couple of MVP awards and a World Series ring—and he has already put himself in an elite category.

The really scary thing?

He still has a lot of good years left.  

If the first eight years of his career were astounding, the next few have a chance to be historic. He is well on his way to the greatest year of his career through the All-Star break. If this is any indication of how well he will play in his prime, look out.

About the only thing that can stop Albert Pujols is the likely refusal of teams to pitch to him. That and the dreaded word that is even now whispered by some in conjunction with his name—steroids.

That’s right.

The dreaded positive tests and allegations that have ruined the reputation of baseball’s greatest stars would reduce the heroics of Albert Pujols to nothing in the eyes of the fans.

Fortunately, Pujols has not yet fallen into the tar pit of performance enhancing drugs.

And here is one fan who is hoping that he never does.

You see, Albert Pujols is all we have left to believe in, the last untarnished star of a tainted era. Without Albert, there would be no legitimately great hitters left.

Sure, the rumors of steroids will swirl around Pujols, but that is a product of the Steroid Era. The long list of baseball players who cheated has left fans suspicious.

We once believed in that magical Summer of ’98.

Looking back, it seems so fake.

We once stood in awe of Barry Bonds power.

Now, who cares?

We once held up Roger Clemens as a shining beacon of an athlete defying age. Currently, there is hardly anyone in the game who is despised more.

So we, as fans, have every right to be skeptical. We’ve been conditioned to believe that players are guilty until proven innocent. That’s what will happen when you’ve had your trust broken time after time.

But with Albert Pujols, I have to believe that he is sincere when he says that he never has and never will take performance enhancing drugs.

Why? I have no choice.

Every era has had its larger than life heroes. They are an integral part of the history of the sport. But in this era, we are now down to one remaining giant of the game.

Albert Pujols.

The man who has a chance to become the all-time home run king and might even break Hank Aaron’s RBI record. The man who will almost surely end his career with 3,000 hits and could draw 2,000 walks. The man who is the Steroid Era's last hope.

I’m not a particular fan of the Cardinals. Until recently, I wasn’t particularly a fan of Pujols.

But now, I really, really hope that Albert Pujols has done things the right way. I believe in him, and while I know that I will always love baseball, I’m not sure how many more times I can watch a player destroy my confidence in him.

Pujols seems sincere enough, but only time will tell. For the good of the game, let’s believe and hope that Pujols is as honest as he sounds.