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Posted by Sammy on 6/23/2005, 7:46 pm GROWING UP The Pujols were dirt poor. They lived in a communal setting which resembled a camp site. The family would not have survived had it not been for government assistance programs. Despite his meager surroundings, Albert grew up happy and well-adjusted. His grandmother deserved much of the credit for his sunny outlook on life. She treated him like her own son, and passed along her deep religious beliefs. To this day, Albert adheres to the same strict code of ethics. Though Albert didn’t see his father all the time, he knew he wanted to follow in Bienvenido’s footsteps. The elder Pujols, a great pitcher in his day, was known throughout the Dominican Republic. From the time he could walk, Albert showed his father’s passion for baseball. By his sixth birthday, the youngster was playing everyday on the dusty fields near his home. Though he didn’t have any one favorite pro team or player, Albert dreamed of a career in the majors. The family settled on Independence, Missouri. On the surface, America’s heartland appeared to be a strange choice for a Spanish-speaking family. But Independence—best known as the birthplace of Harry Truman—was home to a thriving community of Dominican immigrants, and its midwest values suited the Pujols perfectly. They took up residence in a small house that seemed like mansion compared to their Santo Domingo home. Albert attended his first big-league game not long after, watching the Kansas City Royals host the then California Angels. Though he knew very little English, Albert made the transition to U.S. culture easily. Baseball was key to his adjustment. In the summers, he starred at shortstop in American Legion ball. Thanks to his soft hands and strong arm, Albert was a natural at the position. At 6-3 with power to spare, he was also a terror at the plate. Albert entered Fort Osage High School as a sophomore, a year behind others his age because he only spoke Spanish. Assigned a tutor named Portia Stanke, he picked up English quickly. A naturally gifted student, Albert had extra motivation, figuring that the sooner he conquered the language barrier, the sooner he would make it to the big leagues. Baseball dominated just about every part of Albert’s life. Stanke remembers him being fiercely proud—though not cocky—of his spot on the Fort Osage varsity. On game days he wore his uniform to school. Modesty, however, kept him from bragging about his performance on the field. In his first season, Albert hit better than .500 with 11 home runs. Fort Osage coach David Fry couldn’t believe his good fortune. The teenager was the hardest worker—and swinger—on the team. He remembers one mammoth shot Albert launched at Liberty High School that landed on top of a 25-foot high air conditioning unit some 450 feet from home plate. The following year, opposing coaches avoided Albert like the plague. Still, despite 55 walks in 88 at-bats, he managed to belt eight homers, lead Fort Osage to the state championship and earn All-State honors (for the second time). By his junior year in high school, Albert was attracting the attention of pro scouts. Intrigued by his work ethic, baseball acumen and undeniable talent, they advised him to leave Fort Osage and find a college that would give him better exposure. The idea wasn’t out of the question, particularly because an aggressive course load would allow Albert to graduate in January of his senior year. Convinced that this plan was his surest path to the majors, he spent the fall with his nose buried in his books. One of the few breaks he took was to appear in an all-star game for high schoolers in the Kansas City area. Among those in attendance was Marty Kilgore, the coach at nearby Maple Woods Community College. Blown away by Albert’s strength and knowledge of the game, Kilgore recruited him for the spring of 1999. Meanwhile, Albert was ready to meet another challenge, this one off the field. At a Latin dance club in Kansas City, he met a pretty 21-year-old named Deidre. Completely smitten, Albert lied about his age to get a date with her. When he eventually owned up to his fib, Deidre revealed a secret of her own. She had a daughter named Isabella who had been diagnosed with Down syndrome. Albert bonded immediately with the infant, and Deidre marveled at the maturity of her 18-year-old boyfriend. ALBERT THE PLAYER Much of Albert’s success is derived from his ability to hit to all fields. Thanks to near perfect balance, he has amazing plate coverage, and can drive pitches to left, center and right with equal effectiveness. Albert also possesses some of the quickest hands in the game. His power is combination of his strength below his waist and the speed with which he whips the bat through the strike zone. Preparation is one of Albert’s assets, too. He approaches every at-bat with a clear idea of what a pitcher will throw him and how he will react. His discipline at the plate is evidenced by the fact that his strikeout totals continue to drop, while his walks increase. Albert is among the most respected players in baseball. Teammates and coaches appreciate—and feed off—his commitment to winning. He also earns high marks for working as hard on his defense as his offense, and though he’s slow, he has learned to be a good baserunner. Thus far in his career, Albert has been a quiet leader who always seems to come through in the clutch. If he needs to become more vocal as he ages, there’s no reason to expect he’ll have problem with that role.
64.12.116.136
Faith. Family. Baseball. That’s how Albert Pujols of the Cardinals prioritizes his life. Not that fans in St. Louis are complaining. Already he has added his name to the franchise’s short list of all-time greats. His flowing, powerful swing brings back memories of Stan Musial, his eye-popping production compares favorably to Rogers Hornsby’s, and his commitment to excellence is vintage Bob Gibson. Imagine if Albert put baseball at the top of his list. This is his story…
Jose Alberto Pujols was born on January 16, 1980, in Santo Domingo of the Dominican Republic. He wasn’t raised in what you would call a traditional family unit. His father, Bienvenido, was in and out of his life from an early age, and his grandmother, America, assumed many of the responsibilities of raising him. His 10 uncles and aunts seemed more like brothers and sisters to him.
In the early 1990s, members of the Pujols family began migrating to the U.S. Their first stop was New York City, where they hoped a better life awaited. When Albert turned 16, he and his father packed their bags and headed north to join the family. But the Big Apple was more expensive and violent than expected. One day, while running an errand, Albert saw a man shot to death. His grandmother demanded the Pujols find a safer place to live.
Albert doesn’t consider himself a classic slugger. He says he’s a line-drive hitter who has the ability to lift the ball. For him, home runs are almost a happy accident, not a planned result.
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