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Phillies move up the ranks of the wealthy

Pujols

By KERITH GABRIEL, Daily News Staff Writer

Posted: May 03, 2012

THIS EDITION of High and Inside is all about money. Not so much who needs it, but who has it and who likes dishing it out.

Let’s begin with the Phillies, who moved up four spots from No. 13 to the No. 9 sports franchise with the highest-paid athletes, according to ESPN the Magazine’s annual “money issue,” which hits newsstands Friday.

In a survey that encompassed 14 major professional sports leagues, the Phillies’ average salary is $5.8 million. In all, 10 international soccer teams, six NBA teams and four MLB teams compose the top 20 spots. World soccer powers Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester City and Chelsea and the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers make up the top 5.

Pujols not so money

Angels fans continue to wait (and wait), for Albert Pujols to deliver. Pujols, whom Anaheim signed from St. Louis in the offseason to a 10-year, $240 million contract went homerless in April.

The slump covers 23 games and 92 at-bats for Pujols — earning the third-highest contract in MLB history. Strange from a player who blasted 445 homers in 11 seasons with the Cardinals.

“I know I can hit home runs,” Pujols told the Associated Press. “When it’s going to happen, I don’t know. My job is to get myself ready to play and take my swing?…?home runs, when they come, though, they come in bunches.”

Making it rain…

This Saturday, Floyd “Money Man” Mayweather will defend his WBC welterweight title against Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas. HBO Sports had its cameras following the fighter, and he hasn’t disappointed.

Highlights have included the undefeated fighter (42-0) driving around his collection of Rolls Royces and Maseratis and embarking on a Vegas shopping spree in which he bought his girlfriend an $11,000 pair of shoes, but the best was the Tempur-Pedic bed he jokingly offered to buy Cotto with a $10,000 stack of bills he pulled out of a duffel bag.

Who does that? n

Contact Kerith Gabriel at gabrielk@phillynews.com. Follow him on Twitter @sprtswtr.