Sports December 4, 2011

Recently, I heard someone say Albert Pujols going to the Cubs this offseason would be good for baseball. True I think it would be ironic if Pujols was the one to end the Curse of the Billy Goat, I am not of that opinion. The best thing for baseball would be if Pujols stayed with the Cardinals and Prince Fielder stayed with the Brewers. Both of those guys staying put would mean that small market teams can keep star players and that the smaller markets are not farm systems for bigger market clubs. Pujols is possibly the best player in the game today, and if he were to leave St. Louis, it would be a big blow to the Cards in not only a good player, but possibly also ticket sales. If Pujols were to leave, several other small market stars may end up leaving themselves, and the MLB would become like the NBA. Fielder staying in Milwaukee would mean the same thing, except it would show a small market team could keep two stars, with Ryan Braun being the other. These two players should stay put to help small markets everywhere. Then again, I'm a Yankees fan. Bring all the super stars to New York under extraordinarily large contracts.

I have several problems with the NBA, one of them being the utter lack of player and team loyalty. In both the NFL and MLB, everyone says its an "Era of free agency" and that players are leaving teams on a regular basis. While that may be true, its nothing compared to the NBA. I mean, you don't see baseball and football teams trying to trade their best players so they can get ones they think are better. You would never see the Patriots actively trying to trade Tom Brady so they can get Peyton Manning or Aaron Rodgers. This is because there is loyalty between the Patriots and Brady. The same goes with baseball. The Red Sox would never trade Dustin Pedroia to get Robinson Cano because they are loyal to their players. The same does not go to the NBA. A prime example of this is the Celtics trying to deal Rajan Rondo for Chris Paul. Why? Chris Paul might be considered the best point guard in the league, but its not like Rondo is that far down the list. Sure, Rondo may have attitude problems, but he has performed well and deserves a reward. Also, is trading him really going to fix his attitude problems? Don't you owe it to him, after all the wins he has landed you, doesn't he deserve to start every game for the rest of his career as a Celtic? Just as it would be a shame if Pujols left the Cardinals, Rondo being traded from the Celtics would only show how NBA teams do not truly value their players.