Timmy's Christmas Letter

Dr. Mr Pujols,

My name is Timmy Fulton and I am 9 years old. I am in 4^th grade and live in St. Louis. My mom said I should get started on my Christmas list and write to Santa Claus what I want. I am writing to you because you are big and wear red. Plus, I’m not so sure about that Santa guy. And, my mom is also helping me with this letter so if anything on here doesn’t make sense, it’s her fault because she doesn’t know baseball that well.

You are my favorite baseball player of all time. There is no one in Major League Baseball better than you. You hit a homerun the first time I went to a baseball game at Busch Stadium and you tossed me a baseball when you ran into the dugout after the inning ended. I still have that baseball. My brother Matthew tries to hide it from me to make me mad. He’s 13 and I tell him no girl will ever want to kiss him. I can’t believe you beat the Brewers to get to the World Series. A month ago, we stopped watching you on TV. How did you catch up so fast and make the playoffs? I can sort of remember when you won the World Series in 2006, but I was only 4, and it seems that my family has forgotten that. My grandpa says that Stan Musial is the greatest player ever from the St. Louis Cardinals but I know you are better than him and my grandpa is getting pretty old. The homeruns you hit go further than a big airplane. It almost seems like a big shock when you don’t hit a homerun. My friends all say that too. I know that must be a lot of pressure on you, especially in the playoffs, but your shoulders are big enough to carry the hopes of dreams of us kids. My mom says it’s a good thing that your stomach is getting bigger these days because it means you are probably not taking steroids like other players. I Googled steroids and found out that it helps baseball players cheat by making them stronger in a bad way. I don’t know for sure if you have ever taken steroids but I sure hope not. I don’t want to admit this but I think I would cry if I found out your super hero skills and machine-like swing are fake. My dad also thinks you are really good but no one could love you as much as they loved Ozzie Smith. I don’t understand that because he never hit homeruns, but can you have Ozzie teach you how to do a flip?

Ok, that last request doesn’t count. I want so bad for you and the Cardinals to win the World Series. But people on TV are saying that you don’t have to play for the Cardinals next year. They say that you can go to the Cubs or some other team. Why would you want to play for the Cubs? I hate them and they haven’t won anything in my entire life. My mom says I can’t be greedy and that I can only ask for one thing. This is so hard for me. I want the Cardinals to celebrate on the field, hopefully at home. But what if it’s your last game as a Cardinal? If I can only have one thing, I don’t know what I should wish for. I guess I have seen you win a World Series, so please Albert, please stay with the St. Louis Cardinals. I just think it would be so weird to see you in another uniform. I think if you stay with the Cardinals, you can win another World Series someday and my family will soon think you are better than Stan Musial. My family will love you more than Ozzie Smith. If you leave, whose batting stance will I copy when I play my Little League games? I love the way you never get into trouble with the law like other athletes. My mom says I shouldn’t say this but you are my role model. All I want for Christmas and for any other holiday is for you to stay with the Cardinals so I can go to games and see you play forever. Good luck with this tough decision

Your friend,

Timmy Fulton