When he was with the Cardinals, Albert Pujols earned the nickname “El Hombre.” The problem is he never liked it. Cardinals Hall of Famer Stan Musial was known as “The Man” throughout his career in St. Louis. Because of his level of respect for Musial, Pujols feels uncomfortable having the exact same nickname as the legend — even if his is the Spanish version of the phrase.
According to ESPNLosAngeles.com, Albert does not like the billboard campaign that has been launched in California, which you see an example of pictured above.
“Like I say, I haven’t talked to them, but I prefer not to use (El Hombre),” Pujols said Wednesday. “I still have the same respect for (Musial) as I had, not just for what he’s done in baseball but for what he did for his country. That’s something you have to appreciate.”
The Angels reportedly did not consult with Pujols and his agent before launching the campaign, or they likely would not have gone through with it. Angels vice president of communications Tim Mead says they have explained to Pujols that the billboards are only a portion of their campaign, but the team should have done a little research first and realized he was uncomfortable with the nickname in St. Louis. Not that I feel badly for a guy who just inked a deal worth $250 million.
Photo credit: @DowntheRFline
