Albert Pujols: Prince Albert Should Not Be Confused for King James

Albert Pujols didn't end up taking his talents to South Beach, but he did take them to Southern California.

In the event that you've been stuck on a distant planet for the last 24 hours or so, all you need to know is that Pujols agreed to a massive deal with the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday morning.

As per ESPN.com, Prince Albert's new deal is for 10 years and $254 million, making it the second-biggest contract in baseball history after the 10-year, $275 million contract Alex Rodriguez signed with the New York Yankees after the 2007 season.

So just like that, Pujols' 11-year relationship with the St. Louis Cardinals is over.

Naturally, Cardinals fans aren't happy to see Pujols go. He could have re-signed with the Cardinals, but it's clear that he bolted to Anaheim for the money. By leaving, he is displaying a clear lack of loyalty to a franchise and a city that loom large in his legend.

In the minds of many, this makes Pujols no different from Miami Heat superstar LeBron James, who famously split from the Cleveland Cavaliers in the summer of 2010.

This was bound to happen. Shoot, there's even a Facebook page titled "Albert Pujols, please don't pull a LeBron James!" Thanks to James' antics, any high-profile athlete who leaves one team for another is going to be compared to King James.

But to compare Pujols to LeBron just isn't fair. In fact, it's downright absurd.

There is one key difference between the two. LeBron never really gave the city of Cleveland anything to remember him by. Pujols gave the city of St. Louis a lot to remember him by.

Concerning Pujols' personal accomplishments, we're talking about nine All Star appearances, one batting title, two home run crowns, two gold gloves, and three National League MVP awards. In his 11 years in St. Louis, Pujols developed into the best player in baseball and his trophy case reflects that.

But all of these things pale in comparison to the two World Series titles Pujols helped bring to St. Louis. The Cardinals couldn't have done it without him in 2006 and he was in the middle of it all once again in 2011. 

The city of Cleveland wishes LeBron had given them just one championship before he left. It didn't help that he promised to produce one. It suffices to say that he fled with plenty of business left unfinished.

You can't say the same about Pujols. For 11 years, he spoiled the good people of St. Louis. He doesn't owe them anything.

Sure, Pujols signed with the Angels for the money, but so would you given the chance. We call him a machine, but Pujols is just another man. In this case, he is a man who made a business decision.

LeBron's decision to go to Miami was not a business decision. As per ESPN.com, the Cavs were able to offer him $30 million more than the next-highest bidder. He chose to go to Miami because he figured he had a better chance to win a championship.

It was, in effect, a personal decision. It is therefore no surprise that the Cleveland faithful took it personally. 

Cardinals fans who take Pujols' departure personally have no reason to do so. Pujols is gone, but he's not gone because the Cardinals and St. Louis aren't good enough. He's gone because they just couldn't compete when it came to dollars.

You can envy him for this, but don't hate him. St. Louis fans should take the high road and stay classy.

In other words, St. Louis fans need to be themselves.