"In another decade or so, when Stan Musial would be 100 and Albert Pujols 40, the comparisons really could have begun.

If Pujols' next 10 years would have been anything like his first 11, the Cardinals' first baseman legitimately could have challenged, at least statistically, the revered Musial as the "Greatest Cardinal of Them All."

Now, with Pujols fleeing to the Los Angeles Angels, Musial, as he has for the past 50 or 60 years, will hold that title in undisputed fashion — for our lifetimes and those of many others.

Pujols would have had to step it up a bit to catch Musial for career batting average as a Cardinal. He finished three points behind at .328, and 1,557 hits behind at 3,630 to 2,073.

Home runs would have been no contest. Musial wound up his 22-season career with 475 homers as a Cardinal. Pujols already has 445 on his way probably to 700 or more.

Runs batted in, the third part of a hitter's stat sheet, also would have fallen to Pujols. Musial ended with 1,949. Pujols already has 1,329 and would have had to average only 70 or so RBIs a year to pass Musial there.

The runs scored category would have played out about the same way as Pujols trailed Musial by less than 700, 1,949 to 1,295.

Musial, a speedster in his youth, won the triples "crown," at 77-15. Nobody gets a triple anymore these days and Pujols has had one or none in each of the last six seasons.

Two-base hits probably would have gone to Pujols, who lags behind Musial by 270 at 725-455.

Pujols already had captured the stolen-base race at 84-78. Musial won three National League Most Valuable Player awards as a Cardinal. Pujols also has three."