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Poo Hole

Johnny Dickshot Oct 30 2006 10:12 AM

What a jerk. [url]http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=2637763&type=story[/url] ]Wednesday, October 25, 2006 From discovering Pujols to working at Wal-Mart By Wright Thompson ESPN.com HOT SPRINGS VILLAGE, Ark. -- Dave Karaff doesn't have to work right now. Five days a week he stocks grocery shelves at the local Wal-Mart, but tonight, he settles into the comfy, oversized chair to watch his beloved St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. Dave Karaff no longer has a job with the Cardinals, but he and his wife, Janette, still root for the Redbirds. The man's got a right to love them. He spent seven years as a Cardinals scout before being let go in 2003. His biggest signee was the guy walking up to the plate right now: reigning National League MVP Albert Pujols. Yes, that's right. The scout who signed Albert Pujols stocks groceries in an Arkansas Wal-Mart. How's that for an organizational thank you? Some guys get bonuses. Others get watches. Karaff got canned. Karaff, a friendly 64-year-old grandfather, doesn't mind if you come watch Game 2 with him, but under one condition: He's not gonna talk about Pujols. Though the slugger is wildly talented, he's also as sensitive as a junior high cheerleader and is still peeved because he believes Karaff said he wouldn't make it to the big leagues. In reality, Karaff felt like he was a talent but not a sure-thing first-rounder. Clearly, every other team agreed. But after Pujols popped off earlier this year, it's best not to start any drama. So Karaff isn't gonna talk about Pujols, not a word about the guy who looks like he might walk off the high-def television at any moment. Not a word. Doesn't want to cause any problems. Well, you know, maybe a few words won't hurt. After all, signing the probable Hall of Famer is the highlight of his career. "I will say one thing," he says. "If there's anybody that can stand there and tell me truthfully this is what they thought he'd do, I would call them a liar to their face and never flinch." Karaff sits in his chair and watches Pujols watch the pitcher. "When he's going bad, he really floats to that front side," Karaff says. "That's what he did in high school." He ought to know. Karaff has spent his entire life around the game. For almost two decades, he coached Hickman Mills High in Kansas City. He worked as a scout for the Seattle Mariners and, starting in the mid-'90s, for the St. Louis Cardinals. He'd always been a Redbirds fan; he had his car stolen at the 1985 World Series and, instead of calling his wife, he bought new clothes at a discount store and went to the next game. Scouting for his favorite team was a dream job, one he took seriously. For 130 or so nights a year, he rated players. He went everywhere. Three years before he was fired, for instance, he was assigned Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, half of Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. The highway was his home. His car logged more than 40,000 miles a year. Mostly, he charted people who'd never spend a day in the big leagues. Then there was this young man in Kansas City. Albert Pujols. He had obvious skills. The Cardinals' scouting form gave players a grade between two and eight, Karaff says, with each prospect getting a present and future score in each category. A "five" is considered major-league average. "I probably made him a six hitter future," Karaff says, "but he probably was a four hitter present." The rest, of course, is history. Though he slipped to the 13th round of the 1999 draft, Pujols made it to the bigs in 2001, won Rookie of the Year and now has 250 home runs in just six seasons. He is arguably the most feared hitter in baseball. He's a superstar. And Karaff? He was fired in 2003. The team decided to go in a different direction, and there was a massive shakeup in the scouting department. Lots of people were left to wonder what they might have done better. Karaff figured he should have sold his players harder. "That was probably a weak point of mine," he says. "I sold them on paper, but I don't think I did a good job talking them up. Until the end. If I'm gonna struggle or if I've got a chance to lose my job, I'm gonna put 'em on the line. That's what they want you to do." Three years later, the wound is still fresh -- seemingly more so for his wife, Jannette, than for him. He's explaining his release, and the personalities involved, and he's doing it with kid gloves. She's sitting nearby, practically simmering. "Dave's just being nice," she says. "Jannette," he says, "just let it go, honey." "Well, I …," she begins. "Let it go," he says. He had to let it go. He needed to find a job that offered benefits. Hence the grocery stocking. But there are certainly days he wishes he had his old life back. "I miss it all," he says. "I really do. It's the most enjoyable job I've ever had." The things he did as a scout make him proud, even if it didn't end like he wanted it to. That makes Pujols' recent public comments cut deep. The slugger, for instance, told The Kansas City Star: "He said I wasn't going to make the big leagues. That's why he got fired." He told USA Today : "How can you draft a guy and say you don't know if he's going to make the big leagues? All of a sudden, the next year (I'm) in the big leagues, and he wants to take all the credit." That burned up Karaff's family, who felt like a superstar multi-millionaire was picking on a guy who stocks shelves at Wal-Mart. They say Karaff isn't trying to take any credit. "I was heartbroken for Dave because I didn't think it was fair," Jannette says. Losing his dream job was bad, but being called out by the player he once championed to his organization is worse. "I think everything that happened with Albert hurt more," he says. Still, they are Cardinals fans. Both lean toward the television as their team holds onto a lead. Pujols comes to the plate. Jannette Karaff almost jumps out of her chair. They're just fans now, glued to the television. "Come on, Pujols," she yells. "Do something!" Wright Thompson is a senior writer for ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine. He can be reached at wrightespn@gmail.com.

metirish Oct 30 2006 10:32 AM

The more I read about Pujols the more I dislike the guy...

Centerfield Oct 30 2006 10:34 AM

Is it ok to root for players to test positive? Let's start some rumors. I hear he's on HGH and one of the side effects is that it turns him into an asshopper.

Willets Point Oct 30 2006 10:39 AM

Omar, sign Karaff now!!!!

Farmer Ted Oct 30 2006 10:40 AM

There is a direct link between steroid use and hair loss. Poo Hole is an early balder.

HahnSolo Oct 30 2006 10:46 AM

If you had told me a month ago that the Cardinals would win the World Series, I would have guessed that Pujols was Superman in the postseason and today he'd be the toast of the baseball world. Instead, he was nothing too special offensively, and he's getting hammered nationally, this story and the Glavine thing after game one the reasons, primarily. Now stories are out about how difficult he is in the clubhouse and with the press. And here I always thought Albert was a good guy.

Centerfield Oct 30 2006 10:50 AM

It's amazing how little is known about guys who don't play in New York or Boston. I remember being surprised when it came out that Sammy Sosa was a phony and how the Chicago media felt vindicated that he was finally outed. I never heard a peep about Pujols being a bad guy until the Glavine quotes. And now this...I guess you just can't hide when you're in New York. I will say this, my wife called it a long time ago. She says anyone who smirks like that must be an ass.

willpie Oct 30 2006 11:14 AM

Do you have to be an asshole to be a major league superstar? Maybe it's like President or Senator, you know: you just have to be a certain kind of self-obsessed douchebag asshole even to have a chance.

Edgy DC Oct 30 2006 11:34 AM

If you want a laugh, open The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract (2003) to the pitcher rankings and look at this comments on Dwight Gooden.

soupcan Oct 30 2006 12:28 PM

Edgy DC wrote: If you want a laugh, open The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract (2003) to the pitcher rankings and look at this comments on Dwight Gooden. Since I lent my copy to my wife, my son always takes his to school, my daughter keeps hers in her jewlry box (locked) and I can't get it at the local library because it's on the 'Hot' list would you please enlighten me...?

Edgy DC Oct 30 2006 12:34 PM

I've posted it in this forum before. I just googled up what I think is the whole of it. "When a young player comes to the major leagues and has success right away, writers will almost always write about what a fine young man he is as well as a supreme talent. Never pay any attention to those articles or those descriptions. Albert Pujols is going through this right now...people who didn't know (him) from Jack the Ripper six months ago and have never talked to him more than six feet from his locker are writing very sincerely about what an exceptional young man he is. Doc Gooden, his first three years in baseball, was supposed to be mature beyond his years, polite to everybody, and kind to stray kittens. Rickey Henderson was routinely described, from 1980 through 1982, as 'a Jack Armstrong type kid.' Sportswriters, despite their cynicism or because of it, desperately want to believe in athletes as heroes, and will project their hopes onto anyone who offers a blank slate. The problem with this is that, when the player turns out to be human and fallible, people feel betrayed. It is a disservice to athletes to try to make them more than they really are."

soupcan Oct 30 2006 12:51 PM

Thank you sir.

MFS62 Oct 30 2006 01:05 PM

Its not just in sports. In business I've heard it described as the "halo effect". When someone new joins a company, they have a bright shiny halo. Over time, you learn if/ when/ how much that halo will tarnish. Later

SteveJRogers Oct 30 2006 06:01 PM

I love it when the media start making it a "Oh the money changed X" Please. Thats going to happen you know. Guys like Bonds, McGwire, and Clemens were surly jerks right from the start so thats why they've been given the treatment they've been given. Money changes nothing, if the guy was an asshole before the fame, he'll be an asshole with the fame. What changed was the way the person was treated by the media/fans. Instead of "Hey this guy is so polite to us now..." its "Well, what do you think of steroids? Bonds? You couldn't TOUCH Glavine the other night, ect" Difference is, the guy was being very "Crash Davis Cliches" ish to you and now he's starting to open up.

SteveJRogers Nov 12 2006 04:43 PM

For some reason I was just reminded of another form of this canonization, though from the opposite end of a person's spectrum, the end of his/her life. Harry Chapin gets lauded with "Greatest Guy Ever" type of praise, generally because of his work with World Hunger Year which is the charity of choice various radiothons and does alot of work, well all year round, but especially around this time of year. And I'm sure the fact that he died at age 38, rather tragically kind of creates a saintly bubble around his short life due I guess to people not wanting to know about what Chapin did or didn't do in his life, other than what he did for social issues, which is public record and public knowledge. I'm not saying anything either way, just that I've seen posts on a NYC Radio board where posters in essence writing as if Chapin was a saint were shot down saying that we don't know the whole life story of Harry Chapin, only from his music and works with charities, so it would be grossly unfair to judge him by any extreme without the proper facts. I guess that viewpoint should be used with all manner of people, ballplayers included.

Rockin' Doc Nov 30 2006 07:23 AM

Pujols finds something new to whine about. Snubbed Pujols says MVP should be on playoff team SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic -- Albert Pujols thinks he was snubbed. The St. Louis Cardinals' slugger is upset he lost out to Philadelphia's Ryan Howard for the National League MVP award, saying Wednesday the honor should go to someone on a playoff team. "I see it this way: Someone who doesn't take his team to the playoffs doesn't deserve to win the MVP," Pujols said in Spanish at a news conference organized by the Dominican Republic's sports ministry. Pujols led the Cardinals to the NL Central title this year and their first World Series championship since 1982. Howard and the Phillies missed the playoffs -- though they won two more regular-season games than St. Louis. The Dominican-born Pujols batted .331 with 49 home runs and 137 RBI, while Howard hit .313 with 58 homers and 149 RBI. Howard got 20 first-place votes for MVP and 388 points in balloting by a panel of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Pujols received 12 first-place votes and 347 points. Voting is conducted before the postseason. Pujols, the 2005 NL MVP, said he has bigger dreams -- a spot in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. The BBWAA also votes for the Hall of Fame. "It is still early, but it is a dream I have," Pujols said. "My hope is that in good time I will have sufficient numbers to get to Cooperstown." Pujols praised several moves the Cardinals have made this offseason, including signing second baseman Adam Kennedy and pitcher Kip Wells. The slugger noted that his club had been hoping to land fellow Dominican star Alfonso Soriano, who instead agreed to a $136 million deal with the Chicago Cubs. "I thought we were going to sign Soriano, but it wasn't possible. We also intended to trade for him during the season, but the Nationals wanted too much for him," Pujols said. Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press

Rotblatt Nov 30 2006 07:33 AM

Douchebag. Shit, even A-Rod was more gracious than that.

Edgy DC Nov 30 2006 08:15 AM

You didn't take your team anywhere. There were 24 other guys pedaling that bike.

metirish Nov 30 2006 08:25 AM

I've said it before,the more I read about Pujols the less I like the guy....

metsmarathon Nov 30 2006 10:10 AM

albert falls face first into my biggest problem with mvp-voting - that somehow the quality of one's teammates determines one's eligibility for the award. if your teammates are too good, and you run away with a division, your contribution can be dismissed as your team would have won anyways. if your teammates are too bad, no matter how good you are, your contribution is considered meaningless as the team didn't win anyway.

Centerfield Nov 30 2006 11:44 AM

Yup. I've always felt MVP voting should be about who is the best player, team performance should have nothing to do with it. The way it stands now MVP means "best player whose teammates are also pretty good so they became a contender but not good enough to make them a runaway."

metirish Nov 30 2006 11:52 AM

Remember when A-Rod won the MVP while with Texas,more than a few in the media were pissed because the team was rubbish and how can you be MVP if your team doesn't win....total bollox really.

soupcan Nov 30 2006 12:21 PM

Total bollox.

DocTee Nov 30 2006 12:25 PM

Andre Dawson and his 49 homers won it for the last place Cubs--just think where they would have been without him.

Edgy DC Dec 05 2006 12:19 PM

Mmmm, crow. Pujols says Howard deserves to be MVP Albert Pujols wants to tell Phillies slugger Ryan Howard he is sorry. In an interview with USA Today, the St. Louis Cardinals first baseman said that his comments on Howard's selection as the National League's most valuable player were misinterpreted, and that he wanted to apologize. "I feel so bad because I love Ryan Howard," Pujols told the newspaper. "I never said he didn't deserve the MVP. He is deserving of that award." When Pujols spoke in Spanish at a news conference last week in the Dominican Republic, he was quoted as saying, "I see it this way: Someone who doesn't take his team to the playoffs doesn't deserve to win the MVP." Pujols, who finished second to Howard in the voting, led the Cardinals to their first World Series championship since 1982. He batted .331, with 49 home runs and 137 RBIs. Howard hit .313 and had 58 homers and 149 RBIs.

metirish Dec 05 2006 12:25 PM

Funny how things always seem to get misinterpreted.

Rotblatt Dec 05 2006 01:24 PM

metirish wrote: Funny how things always seem to get misinterpreted. Especially when you're an asshole.

Centerfield Dec 05 2006 01:41 PM

I feel bad for him. Like Strahan, it's not their fault that the media tries to hold them accountable for their own words. It's all a big conspiracy.