Albert the Great: The Albert Pujols Story (Hardcover)

~ Rob Rains (Author) "In just four short seasons at the major league level, Albert Pujols already has established a legacy that will endure for years..." (more)
Key Phrases: Albert the Great, The Albert Pujols Story, World Series (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

No player in the history of baseball has burst onto the scene like the Cardinals' Albert Pujols. His first four seasons have been matched statistically by only Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio through the same point in their Hall of Fame careers. Moving from the Dominican Republic when he was 15 years old was the break Pujols needed to turn himself into one of the best players in the game today. He was only a 13th-round draft choice out of a small junior college, but all Pujols needed was one season in the low minor leagues, with 14 career at bats above Class A, before he was ready for the major leagues. PujolsÂ’ career began with a monstrous Rookie of the Year campaign, and he has not slowed down yet, finishing as the runnerup to Barry Bonds in the National League's MVP voting the last two years and likely to finish in the top three in voting again this season. He appears to be the most likely candidate in the game today to become the next Triple Crown winner and perhaps the next hitter to challenge the .400 mark.

About the Author

Rob Rains has been writing about baseball and the St. Louis Cardinals for the past 25 years. A former beat writer covering the Cardinals for the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, Rains also spent five years as the National League beat writer for USA Today Baseball Weekly. Currently a free-lance writer and author, Rains also is an adjunct professor at Webster University and co-hosts a baseball talk show on KMOX Radio in St. Louis. He is the author of 23 books, including 12 on the Cardinals. Among his books are a biography of Mark McGwire which reached The New York Times' bestseller list in 1998. Rains lives in St. Louis with his wife Sally and sons B.J. and Mike.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Sports Publishing LLC (March 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582618925
• ISBN-13: 978-1582618920
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #528,080 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars He Loves It, August 15, 2005

By	Mike Anthony - See all my reviews

My son is an Albert Pujols fan of the first order. I bought this book for his birthday. He keeps it in a special place in his room, and likes to talk about it all the time. A wonderful book about a modern day baseball player of incomperable skill and character.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Book filled with facts..., August 4, 2005

By	Julia Purcell "Grant" (Omaha, NE) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This was a great book. I really enjoyed it very much, however I wish they would talk about Albert. Overall I gave this book 4 stars because it is so hard to put down. Great story of a baseball player acheiving his goal.

5.0 out of 5 stars Albert the Great Has Gotten Only Greater, July 13, 2009

By	Larry Underwood "Author, 'Life Under the Corp... (Scottsdale, AZ) - See all my reviews

Rob Rains is the greatest writer of St Louis Cardinals baseball, and this 2005 biography of the great Albert Pujols is one of his finest efforts.

As great as Pujols was in 2005, he's even greater in 2009. Probably, that will be the case in 2013 & beyond. There's little doubt that Albert is headed for Cooperstown; the only thing that is open for conjecture is whether he will be regarded as the greatest Cardinal ever. Only Stan Musial ranks ahead of him in that regard; for the time being.

If Pujols, who is only 29, stays healthy for another ten years or so, it's likely he'll not only surpass Stan the Man, he may even pass up the likes of DiMaggio, Williams, Ruth & Cobb.

The greatest ever? Don't bet against it.