Ouch!

Royals fans always feel a slight tug at the heart when they hear the name Albert Pujols.

It’s well known by now: Pujols and his family moved to Kansas City where he played high school baseball and was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals when he was playing at Maple Woods Community College in Kansas City (about 3 miles down the road from my house). Now, he’s one of the best hitters ever. He compares favorably with the likes of Babe Ruth, Ted Williams and Lou Gehrig.

He was right here under the Royals’ nose the whole time. Many Royals fans wonder, “How did he get away from us?”

Pujols was in Kansas City yesterday to receive the Oscar Charleston Award, given by the Negro Leagues Museum for the most valuable player. He toured the museum and provided a short question and answer session with reporters.

In today’s Kansas City Star, Joe Posnaski relates Pujols’ visit to the museum, and gives us this nugget to ponder:

“You should be playing for the Royals,” someone said to him at the museum.
“They had their chance,” Pujols replied.
Indeed they did.