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Cardinals confident they’ll be just as competitive w/out Pujols

Sports

January 15th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Albert Pujols is long gone, and the St. Louis Cardinals seem just fine about defending their World Series title without him. Their fans, too. General manager John Mozeliak got a favorable reception at the team’s annual Winter Warmup this weekend when he revisited the negotiations. Chairman Bill DeWitt is bullish about the moves made with the Pujols money. Outfielder Matt Holliday pointed out Sunday he’s played more seasons without Pujols as a teammate than with him, and that every year it’s different.

Lance Berkman joked that his initial reaction when he learned Pujols had signed was unrelated to the loss of a three-time NL MVP. It was that he would be playing first base. DeWitt had no regrets about the failed talks, saying the team had offered as much as it could.