With all the negativity in baseball in the past few years and more recently in the past week with Manny Ramirez retiring from baseball due to testing positive for steroids – again… It was brought to my attention that the real focus is sometimes misplaced with sensationalism, instead of paid to where it’s due. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, Mr. Albert Pujols.
I’m not here to tell you about his accomplishments, all the records he has broken, and how proud Dominicans are to have what baseball writer Peter Gammons calls “one of the top 10 playes of all time”, for that go read his biography. Lets talk about the mans integrity, something not as easy to come by now be it on or off the baseball field.
After being snubbed and picked in the 15th round after having a spectacular high-school baseball career Albert has been fighting to prove he is the best, and for some reason that fight still continues. Although now the fight is not for himself, but he is fighting for children with down syndrome and for for his homeland of Dominican Republic and the poverty stricken families are faced with over there.
If anything should be taken from this interview before I go any further, as it concerns to baseball, is that Albert has never tested positive for any illegal substances, he does not smoke, says he has never drank, and is willing to get tested everyday. In a game plagued with steroid use, where fans and parents are shying away from making players heroes due to the bad influence Albert is a shining star.
His foundation www.pujolsfamilyfoundation.org has already raised millions of dollars for children with down syndrome, and he personally flies over to the Dominican Republic to help families in need. He says he sees himself in the poverty stricken boys, “that was me, with no hope” he states in an interview with CBS (below).
Albert took on the love for children with down syndrome when his then girlfriend told him she had a child that had down syndrome, this did not deter him from keeping a relationship with his now wife and gave him a better understanding of the condition which he then decided to help on. It was also his wife that turned him onto religion, which he says is the driving force for the good he is moved to do.
Check out the interview (below) conducted by CBS where he takes reporter Bob Simons to the Dominican Republic to show him a bit of what goes on in poor stricken “Bateys” as they are called and his battle to help as much as he can.
In baseball, most of the things that make the news are the negative scenarios, it is time to take back the sport, adore the heroes int he sport that bring respect back to a platform that seems to be full of shamed greats, it is time we paid attention and put our focus on those doing right, it’s time we look at Albert Pujols.
Check out the video interview here with CBS: Albert Pujols Interview with CBS
Alberts New Site: http://www.pujolsfive.com/