In contrast to the highly-visible watch for Alex Rodriguez’ 600^th career home run, with cut-ins on national sports networks to every plate appearance, Albert Pujols’ quest for number 400 received substantially less attention.

While A-Rod went homerless for a dozen games between numbers 599 and 600 before reaching his milestone on August 4, Pujols removed his suspense more quickly. After hitting 399 on August 23 in Cardinals game 122, he went just three games before striking his 400^th. The opposite field shot occurred on the second pitch of Thursday’s fourth inning against Jordan Zimmermann of the Washington Nationals.

In the process, Pujols became the 47^th member of Major League Baseball’s 400 home run club. He is the eighth among currently active players.

There are many parallels between the two future Hall of Famers, Pujols and Rodriguez, born 4 1/2 years apart.

One point which now brings them together is being among the three youngest players in history to reach 400 home runs, along with recently-retired Ken Griffey Jr. A-Rod is the only one to have accomplished the feat while still in his 20’s. At 30 years, 222 days, Pujols joined the list at number three. (Note that it took A-Rod slightly more than five years to move from 400 to 600.)

Thanks to researcher Tom Orf, we offer the list of all 400 home run players below, listed from youngest to oldest when achieving the feat. The far right column shows year-day age of each player on their 400^th home run date.

MLB 400 home run club, ordered by age when reached

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I actually feel sorry for Barry Bonds.

Bonds has been a resident of MLB’s doghouse for some time, having been placed there when news of his involvement in the BALCO case first came to light.

Like McGwire, Bonds’ defenders point out that he has never failed a test for steroids. His primary problems are in a legal area McGwire carefully chose to avoid, perjury.

Following Bonds’ record-breaking 2007 season, his contract with the San Francisco Giants expired. He made known his interest in playing the next season, yet reportedly did not receive a single contract offer.

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa is one of the few baseball officials to make public remarks in defense of Bonds the player. Though La Russa expressed interest in the outfielder joining his club for the 2008 season, nothing happened with St. Louis – or anywhere else, for that matter.

Though not proven, it was accused by some that Bonds has been blackballed from the game. Commissioner Bud Selig’s long-standing coolness toward Bonds has been well-documented.

Bonds had already broken McGwire’s single-season home run record in 2001 and in the summer of 2007 was approaching Hank Aaron’s revered top career home run total of 755. The baseball world seemed obsessed with how Selig would note the occasion.

One very strong opinion was expressed by another player once linked with steroids himself, Gary Sheffield.

“Bud Selig wants to talk about the integrity of the game? To him, the integrity of the game is how much money they make. That’s how far their integrity goes. I hope Barry not only breaks the record, but shatters it. The more homers Barry hits, the better, because that’ll really piss Bud Selig off,” Sheffield said in 2007.

Though Selig did follow the Giants for a time, he was not with the team on August 7, 2007 when Bonds hit number 756. Selig issued a statement labeling Bonds’ record “noteworthy and remarkable” and called Bonds to offer his congratulations. It was reportedly the first time the commissioner and the player still viewed by many at the time as one of the best in the game had spoken in several years. Two months later, the new career home run champ was out of work.

Ironically, Bonds broke Aaron’s record against Washington. That club’s home was the location of the infamous March, 2005 congressional hearing.

Was the real issue that day the use of steroids by individual players or the bigger picture – that the game had not moved nearly quickly or decisively enough to stop the use of PEDs during a heady time of record revenue, attendance and likely, profits?

Selig was among those in the room when McGwire personally took the highly-public and painful fall for the game of baseball’s years of inattention to a problem that was both widespread and well-known by that time.

Had McGwire talked, he could have opened a gaping wound that may have further exposed and embarrassed Selig’s grand old game. Instead, Mac took a bullet for the team.

Could gratitude over protection of his golden goose and perhaps some personal guilt over McGwire’s humiliation be guiding Selig’s very different reaction toward McGwire compared to Bonds?

If not that, what is it? Thanks for the rejuvenating effect the 1998 home run chase gave his game? All the invisible work McGwire has done for steroids awareness and prevention since his 2005 pledge to do so?

How about an even more contemporary example, baseball’s highest-paid player, Alex Rodriguez? As the world knows, this spring A-Rod was forced to admit past use of PEDs and did so, stating he used them for several years starting in 2001. Coincidentally that was Bonds’ 73-home run year and McGwire’s final season as a player.

Eight months ago, Selig said the following in reaction.

“While Alex deserves credit for publicly confronting the issue, there is no valid excuse for using such substances, and those who use them have shamed the game.”

Contrast that with Selig’s remarks this week regarding McGwire’s return.

“I have no misgivings about this at all,” Selig said. “Mark McGwire is a very, very fine man and the Cardinals are to be applauded. I give Tony La Russa a lot of credit and (Cardinals chairman) Bill DeWitt a lot of credit for making this happen. I was—and am—very supportive of their decision.”

What are the key differences?

• A-Rod was caught and admitted guilt. McGwire was not caught and admitted nothing.

• The first shamed the game while the second is welcomed back with no reservations.

Maybe Gary Sheffield and those who see the world like him aren’t crackpots at all.

Putting this all together, I am becoming less and less convinced that McGwire will say anything of substance (no pun intended) when he does talk. Apparently what he has done to date is just right for Selig, and that counts for an awful lot.

Pujols took the offensive in the March 16 issue of Sports Illustrated via a cover article entitled, “Don’t Be Afraid To Believe In Me”. As told to Joe Posnanski of the Kansas City Star, Pujols addresses the question of public perception over whether or not he used steroids.

“… They’re going to say, ‘Well, he probably did it back then. He just didn’t get caught.’ I know that is what they’re going to say. And you know what, man? It is sad, but at the same time it doesn’t matter. I know who I am. …”

A blogger named “Andrew R” is among those reacting just as Pujols predicted. Andrew, whose bio states he is “attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as a first year journalism major”, has been given a national platform through a website called “Bleacher Report”, which is associated with both CBSSports.com and FOXSports.com. On Tuesday, Andrew published an article entitled “Albert Pujols: Juicer or Clean Player?”.

Although Andrew states his place of birth to have been in the USA, I can only assume that was a mistake. It must have been somewhere outside the free world since he is obviously unfamiliar with the most basic tenet of human rights. “The law presumes that persons charged with crime are innocent until they are proven by competent evidence to be guilty.”

In his expose’, Andrew offers the following examples of “evidence” that baseball players from this era may be guilty, specifically Pujols, because they cannot be proven to be innocent.

“Do you remember the last guy with his build? He played first base for the Cardinals, too, and he hit 70 home runs in 1998.”

“Pujols’ name was linked to the Mitchell Report before it was published, but his name never did end up appearing in it.”

“Albert Pujols is the greatest example of how steroids have ruined baseball the last twenty years.”

It is a double-edged sword giving attention to such careless writing, yet it never ceases to amaze me how these types of accusations reach the mainstream.

Some believe that Pujols should remain silent and not dignify the charges being whispered against him. Yet, it is too late for that. His name has already been dragged through the mud.

Pujols was slandered by the blog Deadspin in June, 2006 when the site erroneously fingered Pujols’ personal trainer Chris Mihlfeld as a supplier to caught user and former MLB pitcher Jason Grimsley. Even though Pujols was not a part of the story, connected only circumstantially by his trainer and with apparently nothing to do with Grimsley, it was Albert’s photo that Deadspin ran. Apparently, they couldn’t locate one of Grimsley or Mihlfeld (wink, wink).

The accusations were picked up nationally, including what I recall to have been a particularly scathing report by Keith Olbermann on MSNBC. Though the Deadspin writer, Will Leitch, a professed Cardinals fan, four months later published an apology (to Mihlfeld, not Pujols) when he was proven by the Los Angeles Times to have been dead wrong in his accusations, damage to the reputations of Pujols and Mihlfeld was already done.

That summer, I recall booing of Pujols on the road where I had never heard it before. It was more than just begrudging respect for an opponent, a slightly milder version of Barry Bonds-like hazing that made me sick.

Whenever I start to become critical of Albert’s standoffishness toward the media, I stop and remind myself of the Deadspin incident. Then I get sick all over again.

I can only imagine Andrew R’s career aspiration is to become a writer for Deadspin. If so, the young man seems to be making good progress in his studies.

Speaking to USAToday, Selig was asked about the rekindled steroids furor.

“This is breaking my heart, I don’t mind telling you that,” the commissioner said.

Asked if he would consider reinstating Hank Aaron as the all-time home run king and adding an asterisk or some other notation to the statistics of Barry Bonds, Rodriguez and others involved in baseball’s steroid controversy, Selig offered faint hope.

“Once you start tinkering, you can create more problems. But I’m not dismissing it. I’m concerned. I’d like to get some more evidence,” Selig said.

That suggestion caused a furor all over the game as foxholes were dug even deeper over the wide-ranging potential impact of re-writing the record books. Among the reactions was from Aaron himself. Secure in his legacy and always graceful even as there is turmoil all around, Hammerin’ Hank simply said that Bonds can keep his record.

Selig was also asked what he might do about A-Rod.

“It was against the law, so I would have to think about that,” Selig said of possible action against Rodriguez. “It’s very hard. I’ve got to think about all that kind of stuff.”

Of course, there seems no chance A-Rod will be punished any more than any of the other players named in previous steroid cases did. Selig knows any action would be akin to declaring war against the Players Union, something that just isn’t going to happen.

He knows that. We all know that. So why not be open and honest about it?

Instead, the master of the “I’ll have to study this” continues to feed his personal brand of pablum to the hungry masses. I, for one, am not eating it up.

Selig has a long and consistent history in terms of dealing with controversial matters, using time-tested techniques of conflict avoidance.

Step one: Express deep-felt personal concern.

Step two: Make vague comments suggesting the matter might be resolved.

Step three: Vow to study the issue.

Step four: If at all possible, avoid ever discussing it again.

Step five: If pressed, state progress is being made.

Step six: Repeat steps one through five as necessary.

Step seven: Finally take action only if absolutely forced to do so, preferably by appointing a study committee. Rinse and repeat.

Without going anywhere near the Mitchell Report or any further into other steroids-related subjects, here is a look at some key topics in recent times and Selig’s responses.

May 2006 – Fans nationwide are outraged over complicated and illogical MLB television blackout rules.

“I don’t understand (blackouts) myself,” Selig said at a luncheon with the Baseball Writers Association of America. “I get blacked out from some games.”

“Right now,” he said, “I don’t know what to do about it. We’ll figure it out.”

“I hear more about people who can’t get the game,” Selig said, “and, yes, I’ve already told our people we have to do something about it.”

Almost three years later, despite being “spurred on by thousands of letters from angry fans”, according to Yahoo Sports, the blackout policy has been tabled in multiple ownership meetings over the last several years and is not on track to be resolved for 2009.

Result: No resolution

November 2007 – GMs endorse instant replay by 25-5 vote.

For years an outspoken opponent of instant replay in any form, Selig was seemingly finally outgunned by the clubs when in November 2007, general managers voted 25-5 in favor of exploring the use of instant replay on a limited basis.

Still dragging his feet despite the clear mandate, as recently as a July 15 “Town Hall Meeting” on MLB.com, Selig was asked directly if he was going to institute instant replay in 2008.

“I am not,” Selig said flatly.

While acknowledging the matter was under study, his comments remained guarded and non-committal.

Selig finally caved after several embarrassing high-profile blown calls on home runs affected game outcomes. On September 3, instant replay was used for the first time in MLB history. Most ironically, the first call was to reaffirm an Alex Rodriguez home run in Tampa.

Result: Stall until being forced into action

July 2008 – 15 inning All-Star Game exposes rosters with too few players – again.

Stung by his embarrassing decision to have to declare the 2002 All-Star Game in his own Miller Park in Milwaukee a tie (remember the unfortunately timed “This time it really counts” marketing slogan?), Selig had a flashback this past summer, as both teams nearly ran out of pitchers during the 15-inning All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium.

Selig told the AP that he was considering expanding All-Star rosters by two pitchers to ensure that position players wouldn’t have to take the mound if the game again goes well into extra innings.

In a positive, the commissioner did rule out gimmicky alterations of the rules to conclude an extra-inning All-Star game more quickly such as the approach tested at the Beijing Olympics. There, each team’s at-bat starting in the 11th inning began with runners on first and second.

“It’s meant to be played to completion,” Selig said. “I thought we had forever solved the problem, and we had. Everything we did worked, but we may put an additional safeguard in.”

Result: No resolution

August 2008 – Manny Ramirez dogs his way out of Boston so he and agent Scott Boras can hit the free agent market.

The Boston Red Sox held club options at $20 million per season for the services of outfielder Manny Ramirez in both 2009 and 2010. His new agent Scott Boras would not receive commission on those options if exercised. Both agent and player likely saw the opportunity to make more on the open market.

Allegations included Boras telling the Sox that Manny would play hard for the rest of the 2008 season if they would agree to not to pick up the options, a claim Boras of course denied.

When the Sox were forced to trade Manny, a condition of the deal with the Dodgers was to decline the two option years. Ramirez and Boras are reportedly asking for $25 million per season over three years, but as of now, Manny is unsigned.

From the Boston Globe last August:

“…Bud Selig directed Major League Baseball executive vice president Rob Manfred to contact all parties for an explanation of how things unfolded around last week’s trading deadline.”

Result: No action

My final example epitomizes the “no-decision” reign of Selig.

January 1973 – Owners vote in the use of the designated hitter in the American League for a three-year trial.

Sort of like Gilligan and the Skipper on their seemingly-endless three-hour cruise, the issue of the designated hitter remains lost at sea after 36 years.

I am not here to debate the merits of or concerns about the DH, though I admit that I do have strong personal opinions. Instead, my point is that an entire generation of fans has grown up with a rule that is inconsistent across the two leagues, something that is clearly unique in sports.

There have been many resulting complications, including artificial interleague and post-season play advantages received as a result of the lack of standardization.

Instead of getting to the bottom of the inequity, in 2005, Selig made the ridiculous suggestion of using AL rules in NL parks during interleague play and vice-versa, as if that would solve anything. Needless to say, that generated little to no support from anyone.

In the same “Town Hall Meeting” this past July noted above, Selig re-affirmed the non-status status of the DH. He doesn’t even call this issue a back-burner one.

“(The DH) Hasn’t been debated for at least 25 to 30 years,” Selig concluded.

“So other than some catalytic event occurring, I think that’s the way it’s going to stay. I think, look, the game has grown like it never has. We’re going to set another attendance record. So I guess I have to say our fans accepted it pretty well.”

Result: No action planned

There you have it. Whether broken or not, the game has been making gobs of money, so that tells Selig and the owners that fans are accepting of pretty much everything.

I could go on, but you get the idea. These issues and many more that have been festering for months and in some cases, years, will soon be pushed back into the headlines as the 2009 season approaches.

For those currently worried that Selig will seriously try to change baseball records or discipline A-Rod. Forget it.

If the pressure gets really strong, expect a committee to nowhere to be assigned. Add in generous amounts of additional time to deal with owners or the Players Union or the umpires association or Congress or whoever else has an opinion.

In the meantime, be prepared for more concerned quotes being generated with precious little results to follow.

While in the Dominican, among the WBC players with whom Pujols worked out was embattled New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, the current flashpoint for an entire generation of baseball’s mistakes. The two are pictured here together on February 3 of this year.

The world’s desire for juicy tidbits to report on the situation has meant everyone from Yankees captain Derek Jeter to the most obscure clubhouse boys are getting microphones pushed in their face, looking for any kind of A-Rod reaction.

Jeter, who became very savvy with the New York press as a survival vehicle, has made it clear he is not going to discuss Rodriguez until all reporters have arrived in Yankees camp.

He is really smart. Like A-Rod himself, just cover it once and try to move on.

What about Pujols?

Like seemingly every one of the 2000 or more players that will be reporting to WBC and major league spring training camps this coming week, the Cardinals star was asked while in Kansas City to comment on the scandal.

Being the wary individual that he is, Pujols answered, but didn’t.

“I’m making no comment about that,” Pujols told the Kansas City Star.

Of course, Albert couldn’t stop there. He had to say a bit more to qualify himself.

“That’s one thing I learned. Every time I say something, if I try to stick (up) for one side, they always try to throw me in the heap. So I don’t want to comment on that,” Pujols wisely observed.

He probably should have stopped there.

The final sentence of the quote was clearly well-intended, but seems naive.

“I’m just glad nobody on my team has had problems with that,” was Pujols’ conclusion.

Now, I interpret that to mean that Pujols is simply relieved that none of his Cardinals teammates are in today’s news for steroids-related transgressions. That way, Albert won’t have to deal with the numerous associated distractions as he prepares for the 2009 season.

I get that.

I am not picking on Albert’s words here, but using them to make another related point.

One might make another interpretation from the remarks that the Cardinals have been conflict-free with regard to steroid-related accusations.

Nothing could be further from the truth. It’s just that the news is yesterday’s, not today’s.

At least three stalwarts on the 2009 St. Louis Cardinals have been in the news in recent times for steroids-related issues. They include reliever Ryan Franklin, outfielder Rick Ankiel and third baseman Troy Glaus.

While with Seattle, Franklin was suspended for ten games during the 2005 season for violating MLB’s joint drug prevention and treatment program. He denied any knowledge.

“There’s got to be a flaw in the system. I have no clue. I tested in [early] May and again three weeks later. The first was positive, the second was negative,” Franklin said at the time.

I am unaware of any more recent accusations against him.

In 2007, Ankiel was identified as having received a year’s supply of human growth hormone in 2004 from an internet pharmacy under investigation. Ankiel stated that any medications he took were prescribed by his physicians.

As part of the same 2007 disclosures, Glaus, a former World Series MVP and four-time All-Star, was fingered as having received multiple shipments of performance-enhancing drugs in 2003 and 2004 via a California anti-aging clinic, filled by the same Florida pharmacy linked to Ankiel.

Both the Franklin and Glaus incidents allegedly occurred before they joined St. Louis, information the club was aware of before bringing the players in. Yet there are others accused that may have been Cardinals at the time of use, but have since moved on.

I bring this up not to dredge up old dirt, but to remind us of the pervasive nature of baseball’s problem.

So maybe none of Albert’s teammates have problems in the headlines today, but what about the other 103 players who tested positive in the 2003 supposedly-anonymous testing?

Given there are 30 teams in Major League Baseball, sheer probability would indicate that three or four Cardinals could be among those 103 still unnamed offenders. They might be players already knocked down, or there could be other hidden surprises.

Here is hoping that those names are not released and baseball can move ahead to try once again to heal its newly-reopened wounds.

Here is hoping that Pujols’ relief over the fact that his teammates names (or his own) are not on the front pages continues.

On the other hand, anyone, whether players, officials, fans, broadcasters, or writers who think an A-Rod-like mess couldn’t happen on “their” team today, tomorrow or next week are completely out of touch with reality.

The other day, I gave a nod to Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle as the result of an article he wrote for the Sporting News in which he advised not to count out the 2009 Cardinals. I did that, overlooking his fearless prediction that “The Cardinals might win 90 games or lose 90.” Way to stick your neck out, Richard.

I spoke too soon as Justice is apparently writing a series of similar articles, just substituting the team name. His latest: “Don’t count Astros out in spring training”. This despite the fact he clearly stated that Houston “gotten worse” this season in the earlier article.

Let’s see. Worse than third place means what? Contention? Guess he has to appease the hometown readers.

It is certainly the right time of year to accurately suggest that no team is out of it. Keeps all the bases well-covered that way, I imagine. I am guessing Justice is having a big stack of waffles for breakfast this Sunday morning.

Caribbean Series ends

Congratulations to the Aragua Tigres of Venezuela for winning the 2009 Caribbean Series with a 5-1 record. The Mexican club, the Mazatlan Venados, finished in second at 3-3.

The Tigres actually clinched with a victory over Mexico on Friday, making Saturday’s game meaningless. Venezuela’s Brad Knox, a free agent formerly from the Oakland system, got the Saturday nod. Knox, a starter I mentioned over on Scout.com on Friday (subscription required), was hammered for eight runs in just 2 2/3 innings. He had tossed a no-hitter for 6 1/3 innings his first time out.

The main pitcher I profiled there, Edgar Gonzalez, previously a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks, is rumored to be close to signing with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Too bad if that happens, as he would have been an intriguing add for the Cardinals.

Cards Mexican Pacific League recap

Also make sure you hop on over to Cardinals Best News Links to check out Josh Jones’ summaries of winter league action by Cardinals players past and present. Just posted was a recap of the Mexican Pacific League season.

Wolf signs with Dodgers

Arguably the top left-hander on the market, Randy Wolf, signed a one-year, $5 million deal with Joe Torre’s Los Angeles Dodgers. That was very bad news for still-free agent Braden Looper, widely considered to have been the Dodgers’ second choice.

Looper seems destined to be a second choice kind of guy. Most Cardinals observers would admit that the difference between Looper, who was sent packing, and Kyle Lohse, who was offered four years and $41 million to stay, was not that huge.

Now, it is Looper who will likely have to accept a circa 2008 Lohse-ian deal someplace. (Lohse did not have a home this time last year, signing a cut-rate one-year contract with a base of $4.25 million with the Cardinals in mid-March.)

Not that the Cardinals were serious suitors, but one part of me is relieved that Wolf did not sign with St. Louis. I don’t think I could survive an entire season listening to Hungo pronounce the pitcher’s name as “woof”.

Torre and A-Fraud

Speaking of Torre, the timing of the release of his new book, “The Yankee Years”, last Tuesday was impeccable. All week, the furor was at a fever pitch over Torre supposedly savaging his old club, while the grandfatherly skipper hit the talk show circuit carefully explaining his intent. A great way to sell books. One controversial reference was to “A-Fraud”, though not necessarily attributed as a direct Torre quote.

Seems the A-Rod steroid allegations have knocked any lingering rage at Torre off the back page of the New York tabloids while reinforcing the unfortunate nickname of the embattled third baseman.

MLB Network – the other side

One of the places where Torre was most visible was the fledgling MLB Network. His co-author of the book, Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated, already works there. A great way to sell books. Hmmm.

Yet, the most visible face there has instantly become Bob Costas, who left behind his cable deal with HBO to move over to the MLB Network, also just last week. His first interviews were with Torre and Verducci.

Costas, who has become sports’ answer to Dick Clark, America’s oldest teenager, does have a reputation that enables him to ask at least marginally tough questions, something that is badly needed at MLB Network.

While I like their programming, their four-person roundtables are terribly boring, with four yes-people all agreeing on how good such-and-such signing was. In all fairness, they can hardly be critical of teams and of MLB while ripping their bosses in the process. I guess it was unrealistic to hope the Network would be any more hard-hitting in their coverage than MLB.com, the flagship mouthpiece for the empire.

It must be frustrating for the writers and broadcasters, who are likely intelligent, opinionated people, to be unable to fully speak their minds. Heck, when MLB employees blog, they do it via a company-run blog site. How independent can that be? Big brother is always watching.

It is clearly high-stakes big business for MLB. I wonder if there will be editorial pressure to downplay the new A-Rod steroids scandal on MLB Network. I surely hope not, but have to wonder. Biting the hand that feeds you rarely turns out well.

Cookie WHIPped

Speaking of MLB Network, I spent much of my evenings last week watching the Caribbean Series there. One of the rotating color men used daily was former MLB player and manager Cookie Rojas.

He is clearly old school. When an ESPN graphic popped up the Venezuelan club’s ERA and WHIP, Cookie explained WHIP as hitting with runners in scoring position. Ouch!

Old school, new school contention remains

Since it is time for the fresh start of the new season, a logical column for the Post-Dispatch’s Joe Strauss to write is the annual “Tony La Russa is re-energized” tome.

Buried in it was La Russa’s not-so-subtle reminder that he is still not totally in synch with the new wave Cardinals organization.

“I believe analysis from a computer is useful but should be secondary to what you observe. That may not be the opinion of the people in charge,” La Russa told Strauss.

It’s not a news flash, as La Russa has made similar comments in the past, but it is discouraging to see the organizational tension remains at a level such that the manager feels the ongoing need to discuss it publicly.

Congrats to Worrell

Former Cardinals reliever Todd Worrell (pictured) was among the 14 inductees into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday night in Springfield.

The now-49-year-old was a standout as a closer and set-up man for the Cardinals from 1985 through 1992 and has given back as a former player. An excellent choice.

DiFelice retires

Former Cardinals catcher Mike DiFelice (1996-97, 2002) has retired as an active player to manage the Mets’ rookie team in Kingsport, TN. The K-Mets are an Appalachian League adversary of the Johnson City Cardinals.

The 39-year-old DiFelice spent most of 2008 in Triple-A but did get a final cup of coffee (with dessert?) with the AL champion Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He did not appear in the post-season.

Lefty swapping

The same article linked to above notes the Rays are signing Brian Shouse, apparently to replace now-Cardinal Trever Miller for the left side of their pen. It will be interesting to see which club turns out to have made the best decision. To say I am nervous about the Cardinals’ 2009 relief lefties is an understatement.

First arbitration case decided

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Shawn Hill won his salary arbitration case and will receive $775,000, instead of the $500,000 the team was offering. For the Cardinals, Rick Ankiel is up first, this coming Thursday, with Ryan Ludwick scheduled the Tuesday following, on the 17^th.

Gorgen shoulder surgery good news

On Saturday, I had a long phone conversation with right-handed pitching prospect Scott Gorgen. He has a most interesting story about the evolution of his shoulder discomfort through surgery last week. The news is good – out eight weeks instead of the entire season. It is subscriber-only content, but worth the listen if you are a member.

Remember that you’ll continue to see several feature articles each week from me at Scout.com, so make sure you check there regularly, too.

Cubs lead Cards in Koreans, 4-1

Recently, MLB.com ran a feature about the Chicago Cubs’ increase in worldwide scouting, noting the club has invited three young Korean prospects to minor league camp along with another player from that country that was also under contract last season.

The Cardinals signed a Korean of their own last week, Hyang-Nam Choi, assigned to Memphis and also heading to minor league spring training. The 37-year-old cannot be considered a youth any more, however.

Last spring, the Cards had another Korean pitcher in minor league camp, Jai Chul Chung. The then-25 year old stayed around into extended spring training, but did not make a team.

Perhaps the opposite is happening with Saturday’s disclosure by two Sports Illustrated writers that then-Texas Rangers slugger Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steroids use in 2003.

For ex-St. Louis Cardinals first-baseman Mark McGwire, refusal to talk about the past may have been incriminating all right, but far less so than formal test results, if the SI report is true. Now, another prominent name may be sitting next to him in the ever-expanding baseball writers’ penalty box.

This disclosure makes me sad for several reasons:

1)    As I understand it, the 2003 testing was to be anonymous and confidential. While I am not defending A-Rod in any way, even suspected juicers have rights and his were violated.

2)    We know 104 players were tested and failed. That means there are at least 103 other supposed guilty players in the report. Yet, only the name of the biggest, juiciest juicer is leaked. It is a sad indication of the ambulance-chasing society we have become.

3)    Accusations that Players Union COO Gene Orza tipped off A-Rod that a test was coming. The baseball culture is one of extreme sticking together, but there is no way to defend behavior that allegedly includes being an accomplice.

4)    Yet Orza is likely just one big name of dozens, probably hundreds that could be fingered. Like A-Rod, he has a big name to knock down.

5)    This further besmirches the already-tarnished image of a game that looked the other way for too long.

Yet Rodriguez has the chance to be bold where McGwire was timid. Much ink is already being spilled about how this disclosure will taint his pursuit of the all-time home run crown as well as scuttle what seemed a lock induction into the Hall of Fame.

A-Rod needs to learn from his former teammate Jason Giambi and fess up to past mistakes and try to let it pass. McGwire has proven the stigma will not go away even if ignored, and he was already retired when he bungled his House testimony, not an active player in New York, of all places.

Giambi, unlike Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens apparently did, did not lie and as a result, paid a small price compared to the other two. A-Rod has already disappointed so many. He needs to nip this in the bud.

With an apology, the self-righteous sportwriters that have drawn a line in the sand will be pulled one step closer to taking a middle ground position regarding an issue that simply cannot be treated as black or white any longer.

I hope Big Mac is watching.

I may be in the minority, but I don’t think this news substantially changes anything with regard to the long-term relationship between Pujols and his employer, the St. Louis Cardinals.

One angle could be played that the Teixeira deal may actually prove to be a slight positive for the Cardinals and their fans.

Other than playing the same position, Tex, while a very fine first baseman, is not in Pujols’ class. Few if any current players are.

Tex said “goodbye” to the Angels (AP)

Still, Teixeira is now committed to be the Yankees’ first baseman from now through the 2016 season. As a result, the highest-spending club in the majors would seemingly have no room to play Albert, even if he reached free agency and they wanted to sign him.

Could they dump Tex in a few years down the line? Perhaps, but it would be difficult. In addition to all that money, Tex scored a full no-trade clause in his new deal.

Not all that long ago, the Yanks bestowed a lot of money on the doorstep of one Jason Giambi. Though they later regretted paying Giambi over $20 million per year, they ended up having to hold onto him anyway.

The defensively-challenged Giambi did serve a lot of time as the designated hitter, but when a team is engineered around aging veterans as are the Yankees, there are many more DH candidates than there are places to play them.

Now, one might argue that there are other clubs that could and would pay one player $33 million, especially one with the resume of an Albert Pujols. That is true. The Mets, Red Sox, Dodgers and Angels certainly come to mind, though the latter just lost both Tex and K-Rod to the New Yorkers.

Yet it is impossible to ignore that the most formidable prospective competitor to the Cardinals if Albert hit the free market, the club that sets prices for all the others, just took themselves out of the first base market for the next eight years.

How did I come up with $33 million?

It is very simple. It doesn’t require a lot of deep statistical comparisons. We already know Albert is the best player in the game. Therefore, he should be paid as such. Teixeira and other lesser players’ salaries are completely irrelevant.

Today, that player is the Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez, who will make $32 million in both 2009 and 2010. In what is a surprisingly realistic structure in an out-of-this-world contract, A-Rod’s annual salary will actually decline as he moves into his mid-to-late 30’s to “just” $20 million per year in 2016 and 2017.

In my view, for the Cardinals and Albert, the only question remains “when?”

Pujols is under contract for the next three seasons, all at his 2008 rate of $16 million. (Technically, the final year, 2011, is a team option.)

The Cardinals have two basic options with Albert:

1) Act now, making a serious offer to extend Pujols for essentially the remainder of his career.

As is customary in these kinds of deals, the Cardinals would likely need to increase the amounts to be paid Pujols in each of the 2009, 2010 and 2011 seasons, despite them having him already under contract at the bargain $16 million rate.

That could easily add another $30 million or more to the extension – money that would not have to be spent.

There are several other risks inherent in this move. One is medical, the other financial.

They relate to the case of Pujols’ balky throwing elbow. If the recent nerve relocation surgery doesn’t alleviate the constant pain or if his ligament finally gives out, Pujols would likely miss an entire season recovering from “Tommy John” elbow ligament replacement surgery.

Would you rather see the Cardinals pay Pujols $16 million on his current deal or $33 million under a new contract to spend a year off the field while rehabbing?

2) Wait and see what the future holds and delay making a new offer for a year or more.

Here, the risk for the club is the market. In few years, the top salary dog may not be A-Rod. It could be someone else, but likely not. Let’s face it, there does not seem to be the next Albert in the on-deck circle. This is what may be a one-in-a-lifetime player.

For Pujols, the only risk is his health. Salary-wise, the reason he is underpaid today is because he opted for the security of a long-term deal earlier than was required. He may not be so inclined to leave money on the table like that again.

That is why I believe, as painful as it will feel to some fans, the best business decision for the Cardinals and for Pujols himself is to wait and talk contract in a couple of years.

A lot can change between now and then… or maybe nothing will.