SCOTT JACOBS

Scott Jacobs is Editor-in-Chief of JuicedSportsBlog.com and an SNSpost contributor.  This article – as well as Scott’s other writings – can also be found HERE.

In the wake of Albert Pujols‘ STUNNING defection to the Angels, a thought immediately popped into my head:

Did Albert Pujols just become a bigger social pariah then LeBron James?  Did the beloved iconic slugger just tarnish his ’sterling’ reputation by bolting the only franchise he’s ever known for sunny skies and warmer weather?  And o yeah, lots and lots of cash.

$250 million worth.  And if reports are true — I’d love to verify this — some even claim the Marlins (assumed all along to be St. Louis’ only competitor for the big lug) were ready to dole out $275 million for the 31 year old slugger (If he turned that down, maybe that tones down the greed aspect of this equation a bit).

The timing of the signing is incredibly interesting, as it comes on the heels of LeBron’s historic move to Miami a year and a half ago.  Two superstar stud players, presumed to be the best in their respective sport, have now left for greener pastures and new starts. Been some commencement to the decade huh?

Their stories are different, but have some eerily similar qualities.  Afterall, both had played for their respective teams — the only teams they had ever known — for at least 7 seasons.  Both had racked up MVP awards and had experienced huge success from the get-go. Both were worshipped in their respective cities.  But this is where the conversation gets interesting. Really interesting.

LeBron was blasted mercilessly for leaving Cleveland high and dry last offseason.  His infamous “I’m taking my talents to South Beach” announcement was one of the most memorable and repeated quotes of the year. His jersey went from the hottest Cleveland sports garb to literally on fire, as fans protested his stunning exit from his home state by burning his jerseys.

His return to Cleveland last December was a massive-boo fest, and signs like “Traitor” littered Quicken Loans Arena.  It was ugly, and the media loved all the hate. Miami became the number one sports story of the year, and the most villainized basketball team in the history of the instant information age.  ESPN didn’t help by dedicating an entire tab on their BottomLine to the Heat, but the attention the move brought literally shook the world (Okay, not literally).

Now back to Pujols, who left the Cardinals last week after spending 11 years with the team.  He helped bring St. Louis 2 World Series titles and quickly supplanted Mark McGwire as the greatest thing besides Stan Musial to ever hit the Archway.  He was the face of the Cardinals and an excellent 1st baseman.  He did it all.  Like LeBron, his free agency status became a point of discussion years before he hit the open market.  While he claimed that he wanted to be a “Cardinal for Life,” no one knew for sure what to believe.  Like LeBron however, it was widely assumed that he would re-up with his original team, retire in their uniform, and get a statue built of him outside those playing grounds.

But as the years went on, and Pujols got closer to hitting the open market, talks stalled between his agent and St. Louis.  After rejecting a 9 year, $195 million contract Pujols made it clear to Cards brass that he would cease discussions and enter free agency.  I wrote this at the time:

“I get that Pujols wants to put this stuff behind him and that his stand is that he “wants to be a Cardinal forever.  That’s my goal,” he says.

“If it’s his goal then make it happen.  What’s the difference between $200 million and $280 million?  I mean, really, when you get into that kind of echelon, and claim that you’re not greedy, what’s $80 million less when you’re already raking in hundreds of millions of dollars.  So of course he’s greedy… And this idea that the situation is out of his control is B.S. to the max.  Out of his control? Are you freaking serious?  It’s completely in his control.  If he said tonight that he would take $20 million a year for 7 years, St. Louis would ink him faster than you could say ‘set for life.’”

But I never fully bought Pujols’ supposed loyalty. Very few athletes know the definition of loyalty anymore and Pujols chasing the almighty dollar because the Cards didn’t want to give him a ‘competitive offer’ was well within his rights. Didn’t make it right however.

So now, with Pujols scurrying for Los Angeles with a money truck backed up to his front door (after St. Louis manned up and gave him a huge offer), it’s time to ask the question: Does this make Pujols the new LeBron?

The dominance and name they have over their sports is comparable.  Their global appeal is an interesting debate.  A 9 time All-Star, Pujols is a legend in the Dominican Republic and probably many other spanish lands.  But he does not carry the global stick that LeBron had right out of college.  Pujols is a star, but LeBron transcends sport.  My dad and I were engaged in an interesting discussion today when he made a fantastic point: does the casual person know who Pujols is?  Because they sure as heck know who LeBron is. Maybe that’s why LeBron took so much flack.  Because of his global name.  Because of his larger than life persona.  Because he relished the spotlight, unlike Pujols who tried to shy away from it.  Then my dad made another great point: how many Pujols commercials do you see on TV?  None that I can recall and I study advertising.  Maybe in St. Louis.

In other words, Pujols is a great player, but unlike LeBron he’s not a brand.  He never came out and said he wanted to be a billionaire.  He never wore Yankees caps at Indians games. He laid low in the weeds, putting up historic numbers, while leading the Cardinals to a great 11 year run. He did his thing, but he was never bigger than the game.

Which takes us back to LeBron.  James’ public announcement on ESPN to officially announce his exit from Cleveland was mistake #1.  Miami’s party the next day: “Not 1, not 2, not 3…” was mistake #2.  Going to Twitter to express his honesty made for a social media feeding frenzy.  That was mistake #3.  We’ll never truly know what LeBron’s image would have been had he exited the way, well, Pujols did.

There may have been a circus at the baseball winter meetings in Dallas today, but it wasn’t to see Albert.  He wasn’t even there.  While his agent was pulling the strings of 3 different ball clubs, he relaxed at home, knowing that he was the talk of the sports world.  But his free agency, didn’t go beyond sports.

So again, back to the debate: Is Pujols the next LeBron?

LeBron was villified for leaving Cleveland without winning a championship.  Fans said he chickened out, showing he wasn’t man enough to do it as the top dog, when he hooked chains with Wade and Bosh in Miami.  People called him a coward.  His owner wrote a letter in comic sans on Cavs.com in an angry tirade in which he claimed the Cavs would win a title before LeBron’s Heat.  Then Dan LeBatard made his epic “royal penis” rant on sports radio, which only blew the whole thing up further.  The media covered the Heat like the Beatles, leading to the nickname, “The Heatles.”  It was a fascinating subplot.

Pujols leaves St. Louis after winning a championship, his 2nd with the club.  Ironically like LeBron, his long-time coach Tony LaRussa, was gone (Mike Brown was fired, LaRussa retired) before any decision had ever been made on whether to return or not.  No one knows what kind of impact that may have had on Pujols, or if it was simply about the almighty dollar and a hispanic community. He hasn’t said anything lately. So this still remains at pure speculation.

That said, he leaves the Cardinals after winning a title for far more money in a more glamorous city. LeBron left the Heat to take far less money, so that he could try to win more titles in a more glamorous, warm weather city (See what I’m getting at here?)

It seems as if Pujols was more about the money, but that LeBron will forever be seen as the worse guy.

But it’s interesting, because if the goal in sports is to win games, bring home championships, make money, and break records, well Pujols had all of that in St. Louis. With Adam Wainwright scheduled to come back healthy in 2012, the Cardinals appeared to have an even stronger team ready to repeat next year (scrap that without Pujols).  LeBron was crucified for going where he thought he could be most successful.  Pujols already had a championship team and the Cardinals were ready to fork over $220 million.

And it still wasn’t good enough.

Pujols’ 11 years in St. Louis were special, but did he leave the Cards high and dry?  Especially after reports surfaced that the two were a few million apart while closing in on a new deal to keep him “A Cardinal for Life.”

Cardinals fans, excited to get the slugger back, woke up one morning to the shocking announcement that he was bound for the left coast.  No one expected this.

Couple that with the signing of C.J. Wilson to a now loaded Angels team, and doesn’t that eerily resemble what LeBron walked into in Miami?  Or is it different because the Heat were literally created out of money, with franchise icon D-Wade anchoring the ship?  These are all questions people should be asking these next few weeks and months.

If we gave LeBron crap for leaving a team close to a title to win titles and take less money, then how can Pujols be excused for taking the money and bolting a champion?

If LeBron turned his back on Cleveland then didn’t Pujols just do the same thing to St. Louis?

If anything, LeBron’s decision now looks much more defensible:

He left money on the table. He sacrificed a small amount so that Miami could land Bosh and keep Wade.  Pujols left so that he could take far more money.

But will the public care?

If it’s double standards we’re talking about, then this certainly puts that to the test.

So I ask you: Albert Pujols, villain?

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