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May 3, 2012 | Associated Press
ANAHEIM, Calif. - Albert Pujols ripped a long drive down the left-field line, and the Los Angeles Angels rose in the dugout along with the crowd. The ball sliced through the heavy night air, soaring into the stands - and hooking just a few feet foul outside the yellow pole. The collective groan in Angel Stadium was audible from the dugout to the bleachers Monday, and it's getting louder every night. One month into a lavish contract with a new team, baseball's most feared slugger has lost his pop. "I know I can hit home runs," Pujols said.
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May 3, 2012 | By KERITH GABRIEL, Daily News Staff Writer
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.
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April 14, 2012 | By Francisco Delgado, Inquirer Staff Writer
Albert Pujols' first week as the Los Angeles Angels' cleanup hitter did not go as well as expected for a slugger with a $240 million contract. At the end of Friday's game against the New York Yankees in their home opener, Pujols was hitting .222 with 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored in 27 at-bats. But he's not worried. "I'm a human," he told the Associated Press. "Sometimes you want to press a little bit and try to do too much. " Fans in Anaheim, Calif., may be the ones who are worried as they've seen their team - which is expected to compete with the Texas Rangers for the AL West - get off to a 2-5 start.
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February 24, 2012 | By Don McKee, Inquirer Columnist
Albert Pujols is the focal point of the Los Angeles Angels' 2012 marketing campaign, which began in late January with 70 billboards throughout Southern California, 20 of which refer to the former St. Louis Cardinals star as "El Hombre. " One little problem: Pujols would prefer not to be called "El Hombre," which is Spanish for "The Man. " He feels that using that nickname is disrespectful to Cardinals Hall of Famer Stan "The Man" Musial. The Angels did not consult with Pujols or his agent before launching the campaign.
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February 23, 2012 | BY TOM MAHON, mahont@phillynews.com
ALBERT PUJOLS is the man for realizing he's not The Man. According to Pujols, that designation is reserved for Stan "The Man" Musial, who crafted a Hall of Fame career in 22 years with the St. Louis Cardinals. Which is why Pujols wants his current team, the Angels, to take down billboards in and around the Los Angeles area that refer to him as "El Hombre," Spanish for "The Man. " Pujols, who signed a 10-year, $250 million deal with the Angels in December, played 11 seasons in St. Louis so he's well aware of Musial's legacy.
SPORTS
February 21, 2012 | DAILY NEWS WIRE REPORTS
DECKED OUT in Angels gear from head to toe, Albert Pujols looked like the same slugger whose swing in St. Louis became as symbolic as the Gateway Arch. With a halo-topped "A" logo on his cap, Pujols, his massive chest and arms filling out every corner of his red shirt, sat behind a microphone in Tempe, Ariz., and excitedly announced the start of a new stage of his career. "Here I am," he said. Arriving just as the morning sun crept above the horizon, and more than a week earlier than required, Pujols reported to training camp yesterday with the Los Angeles Angels, who will pay the three-time NL MVP $240 million over the next 10 years to be the face of their franchise - and to hopefully bring them several World Series titles.
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February 19, 2012 | INQUIRER WIRE SERVICES
So long, Albert Pujols. Happy trails, Tony La Russa. Timeout, Dave Duncan. The World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals, who eliminated the Phillies from the postseason by winning Game 5 of the National League division series at Citizens Bank Park, have had plenty of upheaval. Now they enter spring training in Jupiter, Fla., looking for a new No. 3 hitter and breaking in a rookie manager and pitching coach. Time for the newcomers to step forward. Before meeting with reporters, just steps from the closest of six practice fields at Roger Dean Stadium, Mike Matheny jokingly checked to make sure this was where La Russa usually held court for 16 springs.
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January 6, 2012
In addition to his salary, the Los Angeles Angels are giving Albert Pujols four season tickets to home games over the next decade, which are his to enjoy for the duration of his contract. After that, if he still wants them, he has to pay. Those details were contained in the terms of his deal that was filed Thursday with Major League Baseball and the players' association. The deal was so complicated it includes three separate agreements: a playing contract, a marketing deal, and an agreement to enter a $10 million, 10-year, personal-services agreement after the playing contract's expiration or Pujols' retirement, whichever is later.
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December 23, 2011 | DAILY NEWS WIRE REPORTS
CARLOS BELTRAN and the World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals have agreed to a 2-year contract pending results of a physical, fortifying the team's lineup following the departure of Albert Pujols. The team disclosed the move last night and said it expects to make a formal announcement shortly after the holidays. KMOX, the Cardinals' flagship radio station, reported the deal is for $26 million over 2 years - the same figure cited by a person familiar with the negotiations who spoke to the Associated Press.
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December 14, 2011 | BY KERITH GABRIEL, gabrielk@phillynews.com
THEY SAY money talks. It appears so for Albert Pujols, gifted with a 10-year, $254 million contract from the Los Angeles Angels. But according to his wife, Deidre, it wasn't originally all about the Benjamins. Mrs. Pujols' told Joy 99.1-FM, a St. Louis-area Christian radio station that her family was prepared to take less money to stay in The Lou, but was disappointed the Cardinals were initially only ready to give her hubby $130 million at an additional five years. "When it all came down, I was mad. I was mad at God because I felt like all the signs that had been played out through the baseball field, our foundation, our restaurant, the Down Syndrome Center, my relationships, my home, my family close," Deidre told the station.