PHAT ALBERT...HE'S BAAAACK

EL Hombre. The Machine. Winnie the Pujols?? Whatever you want to call him, if this weekend's Cards-Cubs series indicates anything, it's that #5 is back. That is, the old #5 St. Louis fans have grown accustomed to watching over the past 10 years. Albert went 3 for 4 in Saturday's game, knocking in 4 RBI's and scoring 3 of the team's 5 total runs. 2 of those 3 hits were home runs, and the last one came of the walk-off variety, in the bottom of the 12th inning no less.
Albert's batting average sits at .275 now. Granted that's nothing to jump up and down about, but it's better than going 5 for 35 and the .143 average he was sporting going into Ariziona in April. It was the first couple weeks of the reason, and Tony La Russa and company were quick to defend their star slugger: there was nothing wrong and he would be hitting like he always did soon.

How about later. Here we are on June 5 and he still hasn't broken .300. Optomists will say that in his 10 Major League seasons, Albert has never finished with a batting average under .312. Pessimists will say that there's a first time for everything.
Here's the problem, at least in my opinion. I want Albert to be the clutch hitter he always has been, and I want him and Berkman and Holliday to carry the Redbirds into the postseason and beyond. If Pujols returns to form as the Albert of Old and brings that batting average up, I am willing to bet that his price tag is going to go up with it.
No one really knows what he wants moneywise except him. There is a lot of media specualtion about a 10 year, $300 million contract that will give him about $30 million a year. Key word: speculation. The last time that he was interviewed in Spring Training on the topic, he told the reporters, "You guys are way off on your numbers". If he went to the Cubs next year and made ridiculous amounts of money, he wouldn't have a chance of winning another Word Series championship. So the question is, does he want to win, or does he want to make more money than he can ever hope to spend in his lifetime?
Everyone in Cardinal nation wants to see him in red next year (Cardinal red, not Cincinnatti) including Tony La Russa. It has been said over and over again that St. Louis has the best fans in baseball. Whether we have a winning club or guys who can't win, fans will fill Busch Stadium every year and hope for the best. If Albert succeeds in free agency and #5 is on the back of another team's jersey next year, Cardinal fans will be unhappy, bummed, even heartbroken. But they won't stop going to the games.
I'm glad to see Albert digging his way out of this slump, and I hope that he finishes the year with a .350 average and another World Series ring. Maybe if he wins another one with the Birds on the Bat he will realize that he is and always has been where he belongs...