ANAHEIM, Calif. _ Willie Mays was the best player of his generation. In 2009, President Obama invited Mays aboard the presidential plane.
"Very rarely when I'm on Air Force One am I the second most important guy on there," Obama said.
The plane landed in St. Louis, where the two men headed to the All-Star Game. In the National League clubhouse, Obama first greeted Albert Pujols, the best player of his generation.
When the All-Stars took the field, Obama threw the ceremonial first pitch. Pujols caught it.
With his next home run, Pujols will tie Mays for fifth place on the all-time list, at 660. Let the kids play, sure, but let us take a moment to reflect on how dominant Pujols was back in his day.
He was the Mike Trout of his era.
Trout has won three most valuable player awards in six years; Pujols won three in five. Trout led his league in wins above replacement in four out of five years; Pujols did it five consecutive years. He was 29 the last time he did it.
Trout turned 29 on Friday, with 289 home runs. On the day Pujols turned 29, he had 356.
Trout has another decade to go, of course. Pujols, 40, has one more season on his Angels contract, and then perhaps the Cardinals consider a homecoming, a farewell season as a designated hitter. If not, the coronavirus pandemic _ and this truncated season that resulted _ could cost him his chance to join Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth as the only players with 700 home runs.
"I don't think it's disappointing at all," Pujols said on a recent videoconference. "I wouldn't use that word. It was worldwide, this pandemic. It wasn't just in the United States.
"To say disappointing is being selfish. That's the last thing I want to be."
