Perfect storm leads Pujols to Moreno's Angels

It may be fashionable to say that Albert Pujols just punched a hole in the As dreams for divisional domination in 2012, but that would be absurd. Luis Pujols, Milt Pujols or Thelma Pujols would have affected the As in exactly the same way.But the Pujols deal, 250 million worth of Arte Morenos feel-good spending spree, doesnt really matter much to the As. Or for that matter, to the Giants either. He is something that some owners do when the moons align, and in this case, Morenos solar system just queued up in alphabetical order.For one, there is a new collective bargaining agreement in baseball, which means that nobody minds big spenders at a time when the owners would typically be crying poverty to make the players look like the greedy moneygrubbers.For two, the Angels just fell into pots of new television money, making Morenos ears twitch for a new toy.
And for three, Frank McCourt is trying to see how much deeper into the earths crust he can screw the Dodgers before he is paid off for using his team as a money-laundering operation.In sum, Moreno had it alllabor peace, fresh meat, and an inert team up the road. And a first baseman to die for. Storm, meet perfect.But the Angels were already better than the As, and were going to stay that way. Even by signing pitcher C.J. Wilson, which the Angels also did, they had already distanced themselves from the Oaklands.So Pujols is just slapping another coat of finish on an already freshly-painted house. The As are too concerned with pretending that a new ballpark in San Jose is their Albert Pujols, which makes sense only if you go to ballgames to enjoy larger concourses and bigger bathrooms.Or if you work in construction.In fact, the Pujols deal works against the As and Giants in another wayby reminding us all that the hometown discount has never, does not now, and will never exist. When you reach for the top shelf, youre going to pay more, and without that knowledge youre going to leave the top shelf alone.In trying to keep Pujols, St. Louis banked heavily on the psychic benefits of being St. Louis. A great ball town, a friendly fan base, a hitters park, two World Series . . . whats not to like?The 40 million the Cardinals were short, thats whats not to like.Point is, for fans, this should serve as a reminder that your favorite team isnt the players favorite team, because theres always another favorite team a check-writing pen away. When coming after a player, to quote the famous old baseball scout Corrado Soprano, teams must be prepared to come heavy, or not at all.And that doesnt mean, But we have a nice ballpark, or But you like your teammates, or But the fans love you. Baseball clubs are cashing in like never before, between the cash cow that is MLB.com and all the other shmata that the sport sells as a function of its existence, which means they can either spend it, or they can pocket it.The As are pocketing it, either because they plan to spend it on their new ballpark or because they like the feel of freshly-minted cash thrust deep into their trouser pockets. Ad the Giants have to Pujols Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain.Thus, youre as good as your ability to fling money about says you are, and some teams are better positioned to do it than othersby virtue of market size, or local conditions (like the Dodgers becoming the Phoenix Coyotes), or an owner who just feels the itch.Arte Moreno got the itch, and scratched like a dog on methamphetamines. John Fisher has successfully fought the itch since the day he bought the As. And Charles Johnson, the Giants new largest stockholder, hasnt been on the job long enough for us to know the level of his skins sensitivity.And that has a lot more to do with why Albert Pujols doesnt affect the As or Giants than anything else.