Hey, I'm totally with you on taking Pujols at this point in time.  He's by far the best hitter in baseball, hands down.  Just because I'm a Giants fan does not mean I don't know my stuff about baseball, though it does mean I have added insight into how important he is to his team, just as if you're a Cards fan, you're going to feel the same way about Pujols.  Baseball is a team sport, but I've never seen one man influence the game so much.

But at the same time, look at the numbers.  Bonds walked 232 times last year, over a fourth were intentional.  This year, the Giants have upgraded their team from last year and are currently mired 12 under, a big change from being 20 over last year.  And since 1997, with Bonds, the Giants have consistently been one of the best teams in baseball.  Of course, the Cards with Pujols have been stellar as well (with a better team though), so that's nothing to take away from him.

Lastly, as far as being an asshole, I'm not disagreeing with you there.  The man is spoiled, he doesn't get along with his teammates, craves attention, yada yada.  But my point with the article is that just because he's a jerk, there's no reason to disparage him - he produces and that's all that matters.