"I wish I started like last year," the down-and-out slugger was saying the other day during a wide-ranging conversation in an issues-laden St. Louis clubhouse. "I don't know if it's the cold weather or what.

"There's no excuses. I don't know what it is.
. . . .
"I wouldn't say I'm struggling," says Pujols, who has been about as quiet as Pujols ever will be in batting a mere .245 with six homers and 21 RBI. "I've been hitting the ball hard.

"It's just a different season from last year."

You know you are blessed when you're wearing this uniform," he says. "You know, life is so short, and only God can offer you eternal life.

"When you left the house this morning, you don't know if you're coming back. No matter who you are, this is baseball, and it's nothing compared to what other people are going through in their lives."