Pujols irked about getting left on All-Star bench

[Walter Cronkite]

"He does whatever he wants. If I wasn’t expecting to play, I wouldn’t have come up here," Pujols said of La Russa.

Albert Pujols was angry about being left on the All-Star bench and the St. Louis slugger took aim at the National League manager — who just happened to be Tony La Russa of his own Cardinals.

“It’s the All-Star game. He can do what he wants,” Pujols said Tuesday night. “He does whatever he wants. If I wasn’t expecting to play, I wouldn’t have come up here.”

Pujols, the NL MVP in 2005 and key to the Cardinals’ win in the World Series last year, said La Russa didn’t talk to him the entire game.

Pujols could only watch when Aaron Rowand flied out with the bases loaded to end the American League’s 5-4 win.

“If he wants to get upset, he can get upset,” La Russa said. “Whatever he wants to do, he can do. It’s America. That wasn’t the most important thing tonight.”

With the 32-man rosters, it’s not uncommon for few players to be left out. The AL used 27 players, while the NL used 28.

Pujols and Texas shortstop Michael Young — last year’s All-Star game MVP — were the only position players who didn’t get into the game. Ever since the 2002 event ended in an extra-innings tie, managers have tended to hold a hitter back just in case.

La Russa said he indeed was saving his star player in case the game went long.

“Once we lost (Miguel) Cabrera and (Freddy) Sanchez, he was the guy we were going to use to protect ourselves in case we kept playing because of Albert’s versatility,” La Russa said. “I think we had the right guy at bat.”

A six-time All-Star, Pujols finished about 770,000 votes behind starting first baseman Prince Fielder. He played left field regularly in 2002 and ’03 and also saw time at third base in 2001 and ’02.

Pujols said he was getting his body loose the whole night.

“I was ready to go since the game started,” Pujols said.

Pujols is mired in a career-worst home run slump — 22 games and a career-worst 74 at-bats. He is tied with Chris Duncan for the team lead with 16 homers and his last homer was off Kansas City’s Jimmy Gobble on June 14.

Source: AP

[Stallion]

Ok so you leave in Rowland to hit over Pujols, so what in thee HELL was Rowland looking for on the first pitch. KRod had just walked two to load the bases and Rowland takes a first pitch fastball right down the pipe. Everyone knew he would throw a fastball in that situation. Terrible piece of hitting. What does everyone say about big league hitters hitting in fastball counts. I was disgusted watching that pitch go by.

[rEdRuM]

The only thing I can come up with is that LaRussa, seeing that K-Rod was wild, wanted to leave him in hoping for a walk, and felt that with Rowand up there Leyland would leave him in, but if he put Pujols up then Okijama would be brought in. Still a terrible decision.

[Walter Cronkite]

Pujols says relationship intact with La Russa

Disappointed? Yes. Disgusted with his manager? Hardly.

Albert Pujols reaffirmed his disappointment with being the only National League position player not used by manager Tony La Russa in Tuesday's All-Star Game. But Pujols made it clear that doesn't mean his relationship with La Russa -- his manager with the Cardinals -- has been damaged.

"Of course I was disappointed I didn't get in the game, but it's not a big deal," Pujols said Wednesday, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "People are making a big deal about it, saying I don't respect Tony or that he disrespected me. Are you kidding?"

Pujols' quotes following the NL's 5-4 loss to the AL suggested he was irritated by La Russa opting to bat the Phillies' Aaron Rowand with the bases loaded and two out in the bottom of the ninth inning. Rowand popped out to end the game.

La Russa said he indeed was saving his superstar player, six-time All-Star, in case the game went long.

"It's the All-Star Game. He can do what he wants," Pujols said of La Russa on Tuesday night. "He does whatever he wants. If I wasn't expecting to play, I wouldn't have come up here."

Countered La Russa upon hearing that: "If he wants to get upset, he can get upset. Whatever he wants to do, he can do. It's America. That wasn't the most important thing tonight."

On Wednesday, Pujols said it was "unbelievable" that anyone think he was upset with La Russa.

"My disappointment was more about wanting to do something to win the game," Pujols told the Post-Dispatch. "It's an honor to be at the game. Obviously, the fans wanted to see me play. But that wasn't the case this year. That's just the way it is."

According to the newspaper, Pujols confirmed he was not in the dugout at the time the NL loaded the bases in the ninth; he said he was in the clubhouse having treatment on a balky hamstring but available to bat if called on.

La Russa told reporters that he explained how he was going to use Pujols to his star slugger before the game.

"Albert was the guy who was going to do whatever we needed," La Russa said, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "If Albert doesn't understand that, I'm surprised and disappointed. It isn't that tough a thing. I explained his role to him before the game."

Listening to Pujols, it all appears trivial now. The defending World Series champion Cardinals, who sit 7.5 games behind NL Central-leading Milwaukee, open the second half of their season Friday in Philadelphia.

"I know my manager," Pujols told the Post-Dispatch. "I prefer this to happen to me than other players who don't know Tony. They might say, 'I can't believe this manager did this to me, a first-time All-Star' or something like that. 'I don't understand why you did it.' It wasn't a big deal to me. I knew there was a chance it was going to happen."

Source: AP