Thanks to this NY Times article (hat tip to Aunt B), I understand a little better now, although it doesn’t make me feel any better. Read the article and see why.

Yes, I know his jerseys are either being burned or given away in St. Louis right now, and I understand that.  You feel betrayed, since he is arguably the greatest all-time Cardinal not named Musial.

Look, this should NOT be a surprise to you, Cardinal fans, if you have any sense of history.  The Cardinal organization has had a reputation SINCE THE 1920s as being cheapskates when paying their players.  Branch Rickey underpaid ALL of his stars, including Musial, because he COULD, since the Reserve Clause had yet to be declared null and void by the courts.

Hell, Bill Veeck has noted that when Rickey returned to the St. Louis front office in the early 1960s, he tried to trade Musial until Gussie Busch stopped it to prevent riots in the streets.  This, of course, was the same beer baron who let Hall of Famer Steve Carlton be traded to Philadelphia when he asked for a raise.  None of this should be a surprise to any of you.

I suspect that Pujols knew in the spring, when he cut off negotiations, that he was done in St. Louis after 2011.  I presume he thought that, since he had given Cardinal fans 10 years of Hall of Fame level numbers, and had led them to two pennants and one World Series title (not counting the one they were about to win), he expected a higher contract offer than he got.

It was about respect, with money being a major part of that.  I suspect he never intended to go to Miami, as he looked at their organization and saw that it was unstable and unsustainable.  The Angels, on the other hand, snuck up on everyone, including me.

Arte Moreno, the first Latino owner in MLB, knew that with the Dodgers facing bankruptcy and a new owner, he could take over the LA market with these signings.  Plus, Orange County (where Anaheim is located) has a growing Latino population and trends conservative (I have been told Albert is a fundamentalist Christian).

While everyone looked at the Cubs and Marlins, Arte Moreno stunned everyone, and then signed Rangers lefty ace CJ Wilson on top of that.  The Cardinals found out, to their horror, that comfort only goes so far.

Now then, Cardinals fans, I am sure you are worried with Albert gone, the Cubs hiring Theo Epstein, and your punching bags, AKA the Houston Astros, being sent to the AL West, you have visions of finishing 4th or 5th in the NL Central.

Not so fast, my friends.  One, you have a good guy in Mike Matheny to replace Tony LaRussa, and Dave Duncan and Mark McGwire are staying.  Next, the Cardinals are NOT tied down with a godawful contract that would stop them from making needed moves 5-6 down the road.  John Mozeliak knows what he is doing, people, and as much as I would love to dance on the Cardinals’ grave, it ain’t happening.

All they need to do is take the money they WOULD have given Pujols and re-invest in their farm system, which has grown lackluster over the last few years.  Once it was the envy of MLB; now, not so much.

St. Louis is a place where ballplayers want to play because they are treated like gods and left alone, for the most part.  You won’t lack for talent if the organization does what I think they will do.  Also, you won’t see Pujols for years, even with the switch to full-time interleague coming up; it is the luck of the draw.

Hopefully, you will have forgiven him for what he did, because it was his RIGHT to do what he did.  He gave you and the Cardinals ELEVEN YEARS at a Hall of Fame Level, with three pennants and two World Series titles to show for it, along with three MVPs, and all of it at bargain-basement prices, given the current market.

You need to work through your grief, and it will take time.  Of course, since the Cubs will finally win a World Series during that time, it could get rough (I keed!).  But remember the times you had with Albert, and know that you can win without him.

It just may take a year or two.

The Tennessee River, looking east from the Walnut Street pedestrian bridge.

Looking north toward the Northshore in the ‘Nooga.

Looking East from Point Park on Lookout Mountain; this is part of the Chattanooga and Chickamauga National Military Park.

Bea’s Restaurant in Chattanooga, at 4500 Dodds.  OH MY GOODNESS.  Each table is round with eight chairs/place settings. The upper level is a lazy susan where plates of food are continually placed, it is all you can eat.  The food is amazing, but there were NO greens, my only (slight) complaint.  If you are in the ‘Nooga, GO THERE.

We found this bench at the Chattanooga Farmer’s Market, it was a little out of our range but cool nonetheless; the gentleman takes used pallets and makes benches, chairs, and tables from them.  I sat on the chair and it was comfortable and sturdy.

I thought his logo looked great, by the way.

Finally, we hit the Aquarium, which is a MUST-SEE.  It has two buildings, the River Journey and the Ocean Journey, and everyone should see it. Here’s our friend the shark!

A wonderful weekend, and our thanks to Bryan and Jonathan for being great hosts!

Hat tip to Jonah Keri at Grantland!

In any event, Chicagoist was kind enough to provide a video of Simon from a 1977 NBC special.  Here, he sings my favorite of all his songs, “STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS”:

No, I don’t know how I wound up with a good-looking woman, but I am NOT complaining.

Things are brewing in Nashville, will have something up at the Cracker about that later.  I just wanted to show off Susan!