I mounted the bike in the late afternoon to try and squeeze some riding in the dwindling light...and warmth...of day. It was a good plan and I was reasonably comfortable until I got down in the valley...and the shade...and found the temperature to be about 10 degrees colder. I’d dressed as I had the day before and found that I was comfortable except for my hands. The gloves are too tight and the cold air on the descents it getting through. I can remedy this...and will.
Another professional athletic icon disappointed me...and anyone who cheers for the St. Louis Cardinals...when he elected to jump teams and move to California. Albert Pujols is arguably the best hitter in baseball today. At age 31, he is at the top of his game and as a free agent, commanded top dollar with whomever he would sign. He had spent his first 11 seasons with St. Louis, where he was loved and admired by an adoring baseball public. Last February, he turned down a $198 million 9-year deal to stay in St. Louis. Negotiations started in earnest again after St. Louis won the World Series in October with the California Angels winning the bidding war with a $254 million 10-year deal. St. Louis was a distant second in the bidding. Pujols wife was quoted as saying at one point that St. Louis had “insulted him” with a 5-year deal for only $130 million. Insulted? $30 million a year? What rock are some people living under?
I grew up in a sports era where the shoe was on the other foot and sports teams owned the players and they couldn’t move and get top dollar for their services. I didn’t know that...what I knew was that if I started cheering for a player on my team, he would be there forever...and that was good. The pendulum swung too far the other way and now players control the purse strings to the extent that it is seldom, if ever, that a marquee player spends his entire career in one place. I’m sorry to repeat myself but I’ll say again...would anyone notice the difference in the way they lived if they were earning $22 versus $25 million a year over 10 years? Personally...I can’t seeing it making any difference in decisions I’d be making. Either amount is more than I could possibly find time to spend if I lived 50 years after taking my last swing at a pitch. Good luck in California with all that dough, Mr. Pujols. I hope you can buy enough stuff to make it seem worth the move.
Bike Duration: One hour and 30 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 130 bpm.Calories burned during workout: 1350.
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