With all the press surrounding Barry Bonds, I wonder how much is left to cover the best player is baseball, Albert Pujols.  We all know he's off to a torrid pace hitting .333 with 19 home runs and 48 RBI, but that doesn't say it all.  At only 26 years old he has a bright future ahead of him on and off the field.  The latter can hardly be said of Bonds, who has the integrity of counterfeit bills.  When he's not raising the ERA of opposing pitchers he's raising money for his charity in St. Louis which benefits those with Down Syndrome.  The disease has a special place in his heart because his wife’s daughter (who he has officially adopted) lives with it every day of her life.  How many 26 year olds that you know have achieved something of this magnitude?

Pujols does it all at the plate as well.  I took some heat for my comment that Bonds is hurting his team for swinging for the fences every AB (some of it well explained and deserved), instead of taking part in something called something called situational hitting.  Pujols, a power hitter himself, drives in runs and helps, not hurts, his team by doing whatever the game dictates.  With that said, he and Bonds do have several similarities in the way they hit.  Both, being power hitters pull the ball quite a bit-- 46% of the time for Pujols, 50% for Bonds.  Both have the same weak spot in the strike zone, low and away as do many hitters.  Bonds hit's pitches in that zone at a .221 clip with Pujols at .233.  So what's the difference here?  Well besides Pujols's .333 average and .833 slugging percentage compared to Bonds at .221 and a sorry .465, is the strategy at the plate.  Pujols, not hindered by injuries and not chasing Ruth (well not yet), is focused on what he should be, driving in runs and getting on base.  There is a lot of space to put the ball besides over the fence, and a good hitter will find it.  Of course, no one is complaining about the record pace of home runs in St. Louis.

What amazes me most about Pujols on the field is his consistency and focus.  Although St. Louis is a great baseball town, it doesn't have the hype and pressure of some other larger markets and it has to help.  He is able to play his game and not get into the drama that surrounds New York, Boston, LA , Philly and some other cities.  The stat that always get thrown around is that he's the only player to hit over .300 with 30+ HR, 100+ RBI and over 100 runs scored in his first 5 seasons.  I mean that's a good year for anyone, but to do it 5 years in a row, and to be ahead of that pace for a 6th is a feat that we should all take note of.

By my calculation he's on pace to be the youngest to hit 500 HR, by about 32 and a half years old, beating out Jimmie Foxx who did it at 32 years and 337 days for Boston in 1940.  Of course, going out that far you never know about injuries and such, but he's certainly got the talent to make it happen.

Although I love the long ball as much as the next guy, my two favorite stats are RBI and OBP.  I already talked about his run production, and even though I love a guy who drives in runs it really does help to be on a team that can score runs as the Cards do.  However, he's an on base machine, especially for a power hitter, posting and OBP of over .400 every year except for 2002 where he only had a .394 percentage.  Rough year since he only hit 34 HR to go along with 127 RBI.  What makes me such a fan of OBP over the years?  No, not Moneyball, it's that whole consistency thing.  Pitchers haven't found ways to keep him off the bases because he can adjust.  Some guys throw together a few good years and are never the same…. not Pujols.

Even with all the talent in the world, staying healthy is key to success and consistency; just ask Cliff Floyd or Kevin Brown.  Take a look at these stats of games played and at bats through the years:

2001: 161 G, 590 AB

2002: 157 G, 590 AB

2003: 157 G, 591 AB

2004: 154 G, 592 AB

2005: 161 G, 591 AB

Baseball is one of those sports where the term athlete can take on many meanings.  You have guys like Nomar, Jay Payton, Derek Jeter and so on who keep their bodies in the best physical condition possible.  Hey, they figure they're professional athletes and it's their job, so they must roll their eyes when they see a guy like David Wells rumble out to the mound for a start.  So it got me thinking.  With my fantasy team searching for it's soul in the basement, I wanted to put together my beer league team of players throughout the years.  These are the guys I'd drag out of bed at 2 in the afternoon and try to sober up before the first pitch.

1B, John Kruk - Only if he grows the mullet back.  The guy never met a cheese steak he didn't like and it shows.  Was this guy born to play in Philly or what?  Say what you want though, he played hard and was entertaining day in and day out.

2B, Jeff Kent - First off I love him because he gets into fights with Barry Bonds, but there is much more to this selection.  Remember when he got hurt "washing his truck" while in SF?   Welcome aboard Jeff. 

3B, Kevin Millar - Love everything about this guy, but trust me he's not a model of physical fitness.  He drinks, he eats and was possible the slowest athlete in New England since Drew Bledsoe.  On top of all that he does Karaoke and can translate for Manny Ramirez.

SS, Orlando Cabrera – I know, I’m loading this list up with guys who played for the Sox at one point or another, but they had a fun team few years back.  Either way the folks out in LA will tell you how much fun he is.  He’s the guy I want out there.

OF, Johnny Damon - Yeah he's in great shape, but he fits in just right.  He drinks and runs around the outfield with no regard for human life.  The overachiever of the team for sure, but he'd be good for a few run ins with the wall every season.

OF, Carl Everett - Even though I rarely agree with him, especially on Bonds, he's worth the laughs.  There was the head butt of an ump on family day, the denial of the existence of dinosaurs, and the #### grab after a home run, all reasons to bring him along for the ride.

OF, Adam Dunn – He’s a pure slugger and built for the beer league.  I bet this guy can take even Wells downing 10 cent wings at the bar after the game.

C, Doug Mirabelli – I’ve seen this guy give out baseballs to fans for downing beers.  Seems like a fun guy all around, and he doesn’t wear batting gloves.  Suit him up.

P, David Wells - Classic beer leaguer.  He drinks and gets into fights at 4 in the morning.  Since I'm making Kruk grow his mullet back, Wells needs to get the stash back.  The goatee takes away from that whole 70's porn thing.  On a side note, he does make my 70's porn team, which consists of Mike Piazza, Dennis Eckersley, Robin Yount, Jeff Kent, Keith Hernandez, and Jack Morris.  Of course the team is managed by Joe Kerrigan who can really grow the stash.

P, Babe Ruth - He brings a lot to the table.  Not just the dinner table, but every team needs a guy who can get it done at the plate and on the mound.  I think they invented softball for guys who idolized the Babe but just didn't have his skills.

P, Rick Sutcliffe - I couldn't resist here.  The video of him hammered on the Padres broadcast the other night was a keeper.  I might have to pull him away from Bill Murrey and his golf clubs to get him on the field but it would be worth it.  Has to be the best video since Namath.  How these interviews didn't get cut off sooner I will never know. 

I’m sure I’ve missed a few good ones here but not everyone has what it takes to make this team.