CASPER
New member
JUPITER, Fla. – When Albert Pujols arrived for St. Louis Cardinals spring training Thursday morning, he pulled his black pickup truck into a parking spot reserved for owners.
Odds are, no one will complain.
Pujols arrived at 7:35 a.m. for his first formal workout of the 2011 season, which the Cardinals desperately hope will not be his last in St. Louis. He showed up, as expected, one day after he and the team failed to reach an agreement on a new contract by a deadline the three-time MVP imposed.
Pujols will not reopen talks with the Cardinals until after the season. He can become a free agent after the World Series.
"You have to put a deadline ... because you don't want to bring distractions to the ballclub," Pujols said Thursday morning during a 25-minute interview session outside the Cardinals' clubhouse, before his first formal workout of the spring.
He half-seriously asked for some help when one large box filled with bats fell out of the drivers-side back door of his tricked-out truck, then loaded his arms with his gear and made the short walk inside. A few teammates had already showed up for work, and Pujols' Thursday arrival was no surprise to the team.
Also not a surprise: That Wednesday came and went with no deal.
"Not disappointed," Pujols said. "It's negotiations. It happens. Two sides didn't get together and get an agreement and that's the way it goes. It's negotiations. You can't get disappointed. You know why? Because I still have another chance after the season and maybe we'll get something done then."
Manager Tony La Russa was understandably excited to see Pujols back with the club.
"Albert will do things the right way," La Russa said. "That's what's so much fun about having him."
La Russa said he didn't have much of a reaction one way or another when Wednesday's noon deadline came and went without a new deal for his first baseman.
"I'm so single-minded," La Russa said. "There's not a lot that goes in my coconut. Nothing else gets in there. I'm just looking forward to having him here."
Pujols doesn't want his status to become a circus and teammates aren't willing to let it become a distraction, either. They simply want to see their first baseman again, and start the process of getting ready for another year.
Odds are, no one will complain.
Pujols arrived at 7:35 a.m. for his first formal workout of the 2011 season, which the Cardinals desperately hope will not be his last in St. Louis. He showed up, as expected, one day after he and the team failed to reach an agreement on a new contract by a deadline the three-time MVP imposed.
Pujols will not reopen talks with the Cardinals until after the season. He can become a free agent after the World Series.
"You have to put a deadline ... because you don't want to bring distractions to the ballclub," Pujols said Thursday morning during a 25-minute interview session outside the Cardinals' clubhouse, before his first formal workout of the spring.
He half-seriously asked for some help when one large box filled with bats fell out of the drivers-side back door of his tricked-out truck, then loaded his arms with his gear and made the short walk inside. A few teammates had already showed up for work, and Pujols' Thursday arrival was no surprise to the team.
Also not a surprise: That Wednesday came and went with no deal.
"Not disappointed," Pujols said. "It's negotiations. It happens. Two sides didn't get together and get an agreement and that's the way it goes. It's negotiations. You can't get disappointed. You know why? Because I still have another chance after the season and maybe we'll get something done then."
Manager Tony La Russa was understandably excited to see Pujols back with the club.
"Albert will do things the right way," La Russa said. "That's what's so much fun about having him."
La Russa said he didn't have much of a reaction one way or another when Wednesday's noon deadline came and went without a new deal for his first baseman.
"I'm so single-minded," La Russa said. "There's not a lot that goes in my coconut. Nothing else gets in there. I'm just looking forward to having him here."
Pujols doesn't want his status to become a circus and teammates aren't willing to let it become a distraction, either. They simply want to see their first baseman again, and start the process of getting ready for another year.
