Last Major League Baseball season, it became quite clear that star slugger Albert Pujols was still very much capable of playing baseball and hitting at a high level, particularly at the end of the year. And even though he ultimately decided to retire, there’s no question that the St. Louis Cardinals would have taken him back. But he sure sounds pleased with his decision to walk away from the game.
During an interview with USA Today Sports this week, Albert Pujols got brutally honest about his retirement, revealing that he won’t miss anything about playing baseball.
“People keep asking me if I miss it,’’ Pujols told USA Today Sports, according to Yahoo! Sports. “I don’t miss a freakin’ thing about it. I really don’t. I’ve been playing baseball for 38 years of my life.
“Seriously, I don’t miss it, dude. It was fun. I had a great career. But I am burned out.”
Pujols knows that he’s still capable of playing at a high level and could potentially move up on the all-time home run leaderboard if he played another season. But he still thinks it’s time to walk away.
“Can I still do it? Of course,’’ Pujols says. “But I don’t want it. What, chase Babe Ruth next year? Two years later, chase Aaron and then Barry. I’d be an old man chasing people. I never played this game to break records.
“I am done. I love the game, but I had enough. You got to ask yourself, when is enough?’’
About Kevin Harrish