1 of 2
2 of 2
By Matthew Halverson
It’s a rematch! The calendar says it’s time for spring training, but the toy aisles say it’s fall 2006 all over again. This month, McFarlane Toys will release 3-inch collectibles of St. Louis’ own Albert Pujols and Ryan Howard, the Lafayette High graduate who robbed him of the MVP trophy two years ago.
We still can’t let that injustice go (remind us—who won a World Series ring?), so with the help of some local sports authorities, we pitted the plasticized first basemen against each other in a mini-mano a mano to help us settle the debate once and for all. Game on.
Pujols Howard
The Judges:
- Tim McKernan, co-host of The Morning After, 1380 AM
- Joe Strauss, Cardinals beat writer, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
- Dan McLaughlin, Cardinals announcer, FSN Midwest
- Jeff Skversky, sportscaster, KMOV
Round 1: The Look
- “I give the edge to Howard. The Pujols figurine looks more like Uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynamite to me.” —McKernan
- “If the Howard figurine is indeed lifelike, it will appear several inches thicker around the middle in April than in August.” —Strauss
Winner: Howard
Round 2: The Gear
- “It’s right on ... even down to the chain. He’s wearing a red undershirt, and at times he wears black. Glad they went with the red—the fans love the red.” —McLaughlin
- “The bat Howard is holding looks like it’s about 60 percent of his height, and considering that Howard is approximately 6’4” tall, that means the bat he is holding is the longest bat in the history of baseball, at 45.6 inches.” —McKernan
Winner: Pujols
Round 3: The Position
- “Shouldn’t he be on the balls of his feet? That’s how I was told to play first base ... but then look where that got me.” —Skversky
- “I’d rather see him in the field because he crushes the ball when he’s at the plate against all teams, and that includes the Cardinals.” —McLaughlin
Winner: Draw
Round 4: The Intangibles
- “El Hombre is obviously ready to pounce for his next Gold Glove moment: ‘Just wondering if Izzy’s gonna cover first when I go over and take this grounder from Kennedy.’” —Strauss
- “Most players have jewelry, so why isn’t Howard wearing any? I know his mother gives him an allowance, so maybe Mom needs to step it up. He’s almost 30!” —Skversky
Winner: Pujols
