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Why we should all love Albert Pujols

By alexferguson60, Section MLB
Posted on Thu Jun 30 2005 at 3:01 PM EST
More on: (all tags)

His .340 average, 20 home runs, and 64 RBIs are three very good reasons why St Louis Cardinal fans can't get enough of Albert Pujols. But the swing's not the only reason why we should love Albert Pujols...

And even if he's having an 0-4 day (rare, but it does happen- even to Triple Crown contenders), the 24 year-old is good enough at the sac fly or a runner-advancing ground out to make him an invaluable addition to the team. Oh, and he's quite useful at fielding his position too.

But that's not the only reason why we should love Albert.

Despite getting a $100 million (over 7 years) contract, family life for Albert and his wife Deidre hasn't exactly been plain sailing. His daughter, Isabella, has Down Syndrome, and suddenly he had a mission on top of his Christian one- raising money for his foundation which helps families affected by Down Syndrome through increased awareness and the meeting of “tangible needs.”

“We didn’t choose Down Syndrome, Down Syndrome chose us,” Pujols shares. You can almost hear the first baseman’s sleeves being rolled up even as we speak.

And Albert sure knows how to use his celebrity value.

For a certain donation, you can have a signed Albert Pujols shirt, sticker, baseball drawing, and if you pay between $5,000- $9,999, you even get invited to the meet and greet. Corporate donors have already jumped on board, with household names like Ford, Morgan Stanley, Outback Steakhouse, American Airlines, Nike, and Wheaties already adding their weight to an important issue. There's also a golf fundraiser where you'll be able to meet Cardinal heroes past and present-including Pujols and manager Tony LaRussa. Hey- anyone know Tiger Woods' cell number?

And even if he didn’t have enough callings from The Big Man, he’s also got a sideline in the education and raising of living standards for Dominican orphans, a far cry from how some professional athletes spend their hard-earned green.

"I try to spend as much time with God and my family. That's more important than anything I'm doing in baseball," Albert says.

At least someone has their priorities right.