Dear Cardinals Fans,

The previous few months have been quite the roller coaster.  After hitting rock-bottom at ten and a half games out in early September, the Redbirds climbed the mountain and made the postseason.  It took a 1-0 victory in game five of the NLDS to defeat the favored Phillies.  Division rivals Milwaukee were overcome in fifty-four innings.  Seven games later, St. Louis defeated the Texas Rangers to claim their eleventh World Series championship. 

There was little time to celebrate.  The pressure of Albert Pujols's impending free agency had been building since negotiations ceased in spring training.  Speculation was mounting.  You, as a fan base, began to question the loyalty of a Hall of Fame player who had proven a statistical anomaly his first eleven years in the majors.  A legend who had helped the organization claim two World Series titles in five seasons.  Suspicions of his departure grew stronger as the off-season progressed.

Rightfully so.

It is not the end of the world (as it is still 2011).  It is not yet the end of baseball (again, we have at least until December 2012).  But Albert Pujols will don another major league jersey at the beginning of the next year.  This was not anticipated.  But it should not mean that things come to a crashing halt for you, the St. Louis fans.

I will not sugarcoat the reality like many who claim to predict the future.  Yes, Albert Pujols will probably be injured at some point in the next few years.  That is a certainty.  He has been injured at some point in every season of the last ten.  Predictions of that magnitude are like wagering on the sun's arrival each morning.

What is bold is anticipating, due to his advanced age, that the injuries will take a toll on him greater than the sum of the damage done before.  Since the last (that we know of) non-steroid legend career-arc was that of Ken Griffey Jr., this seems a logical scenario.  However, there is a distinct possibility that Albert may follow the Hank Aaron career-arc.  The "Hammer-Arc" entails another decade of solid production.  It will mean a reasonable amount of pain to you and the organization's management.  Provided of course, the Redbirds don't win more championships than Pujols's other teams.

This may be nonsense.  This is where fact and fiction, versions of truth, the proof and the pudding tend to blend.  To create a concoction so unsettling it creates nausea.  The sickening feeling for Cardinal Nation is the thought of Pujols in another lineup.  It is the betrayal of a lover in other arms.  Perhaps you,  St. Louis, truly are the innocent Midwest portrayed in the narrative of the coastal media.   Regardless of the reason (money, respect, Disneyland) Albert has moved on.  Your time has passed.  Coming to grips with this fact is the final step.  John Mozeliak will never win Albert back by broadcasting Peter Gabriel music through his window.

Three World Series appearances, two World Series victories, ten All-Star games, a few epic Home-Run-Derby's, a strange energy bar ad campaign, and a new Christian music station for the region, it's been a wild ride.  A great time was had by all, so now it's time for the Cardinals organization to prove they can win without a guaranteed Hall-of Fame player in the lineup each night.

What it boils down to, is how management reacts to the departure.  The Cardinals drafted and developed Pujols.  The Redbirds' management decided what they would give to keep him.  The numbers didn't add up.  Now it is up to ownership to field a contender.  Furcal, Beltran, Romero are all pieces picked to fill Albert's void.  It is a significant void to fill, but the Cardinals own eleven World Series crowns. Albert Pujols only helped win two of those. 

It is not the end of the world.

Yet.

Sincerely,

Sporty