The Representative Cardinals Fan
As I’ve been reading various opinions about how Albert Pujols came to sign with the Angels, there are many different opinions on the subjective nature of the negotiation. There are also different opinions on what should be facts, that is, information that is quantitative and not qualitative, such as whether the Cardinals offered a guaranteed contract. There have also been some comments of surprise from the Pujols family about the vitriolic fan reaction.
While I can’t address the questions of details of the contract, I can set the record straight on vitriolic fan reaction. Vitriolic fans are not representative of Cardinals fans. Yes, some Cardinals fans have been vitriolic, but they are not representative.
- People who burned Pujols jerseys are not representative of Cardinals fans.
- Most people who leave comments on online newspaper articles — and especially those that get into arguments with other people who leave comments on online newspaper articles — are not representative of Cardinals fans. Take everything those anonymous posters write with a grain of salt.
- People who say that the Cardinals will be a better team without Pujols than with him next year are not representative of Cardinals fans.
So, who is the representative Cardinals fan?
- People who cheered and watched with anticipation when Albert came to the plate, even as he was busy setting a new season record for grounded-into-double-plays.
- People who said, as Pujols 2011 season got off to an awful start, “He’ll turn it around by year end; you just wait and see.”
- People who took pictures of Pujols’ at-bats late in the season, knowing that it could be his last time at the plate as a Cardinal.
- People who genuinely wanted Pujols to be a Cardinal for life, even if it meant offering a long-term contract that would probably make the team less competitive in the latter years of the contract.
- People who are mostly sad (and somewhat confused) that Pujols signed with the Angels.
