The thing about professional athletes is…they are human being just like the rest of us mortal beings. They have feelings. They have emotions. They get upset just like we do. And as I’ve often said: What takes place away from the baseball field affects what takes place on the baseball field. And if I were paying Albert $250 million I would ask his opinion about anything that involved him.
Case in point:
When Albert first arrived in California, the Angels began marketing him with a billboard campaign centered around the nickname “El Hombre,” a nickname Pujols doesn’t like. The reason he doesn’t like it is in deference to St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Famer Stan “The Man” Musial. At the time, the Angels vice-president for communications said the “El Hombre” signs represented only 20 of 70 Angels billboards in Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties. But even if it only represented one billboard, if he doesn’t like the concept, they should have gotten rid of it pronto.
And that could be just the tip of the iceberg. It could be an indication of what’s taking place behind the scenes. That the Angels are making decisions involving the marketing of Albert without any input from him. And if this is what’s happening, no small wonder he’s irritated and not performing at his skill level. One thing Albert is probably finding out. They do things differently in California than they do in Missouri. Unfortunately.