First of all, I should tell you. I love Jesus, Baseball, and writing. And in that order.
So when I first heard about this book coming out, I was thrilled. And they don’t get much better than Sir Albert Pujols.
I grew up admiring Mark McGwire, and even worked a bit along side of him and his family back in the mid-90’s while he was playing with the Oakland A’s. So you can imagine my disappointment with the choices he has now admitted to.
That said, I’ve been holding my breath when it comes to admiring anyone else. But one guy so far seems to deserve it. Albert Pujols not only deserves admiration but it’s about time a book was written about him, honoring his accomplishments. The only way to do honor Pujols, is to give glory and honor to that which created him. None other than God alone.
This book does a great job taking us along Albert’s journey from a young unknown to a strapping Herculean Major Leaguer wearing the famed red and white of the Saint Louis Cardinals. As the title states, “More Than The Game”, the scope goes way outside the foul lines of Alberts life, as far as to devote an entire chapter to his wife’s backstory. Very rare for a book of this nature.
Time and time again, we are reminded that everything good and perfect coming from Pujols is to be traced back to God, and how Jesus has saved him, and that baseball is the platform from which he will glorify is Savior.
It’s great to read about how a superstar lives out his faith with extreme work ethic; in both his professional life, and his family life. There is much more I could say about the positives but I think that sums it up.
As far as for the negative, I was really hoping for some more dramatic behind the scenes re-creations of some of amazing things he has done surrounding the playoff wins, World Series victories, like when Pujols and Houston Astros’ Carlos Beltran entered their own stratosphere in a slugfest battling out the NLCS in 2004, or in 2005 when Sir Albert hit a dramatic, towering three-run home run off Astros closer Brad Lidge, bouncing it off the closed Minute Maid Park roof before landing on the railroad tracks in left field, giving the Cards a Game 5 victory.
There is enough statistical information to fill a book. In fact, they did. And with good reason, but we all want the stories behind the stats. And while we get a LOT of background on Albert Pujols, and his faith in Christ and his family, I was still hoping for some more baseball stories.
But for this book, I think that’s okay. I am not sure it was set up to be a true Baseball book. More than the Game. It’s true: there is much more to life than this game. Albert Pujols is flesh-and-blood, and mind-and-spirit proof of that.
