Albert Pujols, Courtesy of: Pro Fantasy Baseball
Being a native of St. Louis, Albert Pujols is an icon. He hits towering homeruns, is the benchmark for consistency, and is a clean-cut, church-going, family man with a true passion for helping people. His efforts are well known in the community, as the Pujols Family Foundations helps thousands each year. For a man who tries to stay out of the spotlight as much as possible, I was glad to see Pujols open up during the 60 Minutes interview.
His charity work for the underprivileged in the Dominican Republic, as well as with children afflicted with Down Syndrome, is some of the most outstanding humanitarian work any athlete of our generation has done. Pujols' adopted daughter (his wife Deidre had the child with another man) has the disease, and Pujols has done everything in his power to help those in need.
The baseball numbers speak for himself. As Peter Gammons alludes to in the video, Pujols is a top 10 player in history right now, and it's not even arguable. He has dominated the diamond for 10 years, averaging a .300 batting average, 30 HR's and 100 RBI's in each season. No one, not Babe Ruth, not Hank Aaron, not Willy Mays, not Lou Gehrig, has ever done that. He is the best player in the game right now, and at the end of this season, he is going to get paid like one.
From a journalistic standpoint, this piece was another fine work by the people at CBS. Bob Simon is one of my favorite on the show; his voice is easy to listen too and he carries the interview without dominating the dialogue. There are a lot of great shots in this piece; Pujols taking batting practice inside the batting cage is a great shot, not only because you get the natural sounds of the wood bat sticking the baseball, but also it is at a level where you can see the flawless mechanics Pujols has. To make it more impressive, batting cages are tiny and dangerous, further complicating the shots. I liked that Simon traveled to the Dominican Republic to see what Pujols does, and while Simon holds hands with the little girl in the village, you can tell how excited these people are to see a glimmer of hope. There was great writing in the piece, especially in the opening, as the show the shot of Pujols dancing with every kid at the "prom" he holds for Down Syndrome sufferers, and then a tight shot of Pujols' forehead with beads of sweat. Simon then alludes to "Pujols sweating as if he just played a double-header", and then cutting away to Pujols' work on the diamond. Just a great sequence there.
Preview video, courtesy of: YouTube
One thing I didn't like was that the piece didn't really come full circle to me. I would have ended that piece with a final parting shot of guests leaving the Pujols benefit, taking us back to the place we started. It would have enforced the fact that Pujols is a family man, especially if there was a shot of him carrying his daughter out of the ballroom. I think that could have been very powerful and a great way to end the piece.
You can also find the full video on the CBS website--60 Minutes: The Incredible Albert Pujols
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