Pujols provides brief boost to baseball and the Angels

For at least a few hours, baseball has stolen the headlines from the NFL and muted the howls over the BCS.

Because money talks, baseball's voice was the loudest in the room after the Los Angeles Angels reached deals with Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson.

By now, you might know that Angels owner Arte Moreno paid "only" $183 million for the franchise in 2003, loose change compared with the $254 million over 10 years that's promised Pujols.

For the money, the Angels get the best hitter in baseball, albeit a slugger who turns 32 next month and will be in decline for most of his contract.

This obviously worries the baseball cognoscenti more than the Angels, who are poised to make a serious run at the World Series.

The franchise also found enough money in its sofa cushions to pay Wilson a reported $77.5 million for five years. If the left-hander from Texas complements right-handed starter Jered Weaver as expected, there should be a power shift in the American League.

During the negotiations for Pujols, the Angels hid in the weeds, so Thursday's announcement caught most people off guard. A day or two before, Pujols appeared to be talking with the Miami Marlins. Meanwhile, conventional wisdom held that he would stick with the St. Louis Cardinals and a city that adored him.

But as we know, it takes only one team to make a spectacularly over-the-top offer and to get a deal done. Did the Cardinals miscalculate? Maybe management hoped Pujols would agree to a hometown discount before setting its line - reports out of St. Louis indicate it was 10 years at $210 million - and standing by it. But the Cardinals did the right thing.

The Angels are taking a big financial risk giving a player so many years at such an inflated price. Any owner would be crazy to do it.

Moreno himself has said as much. But that was last year and under different circumstances.

When the Angels missed out on free-agent outfielder Carl Crawford, losing him to the Red Sox for $142 million, Moreno said, "It's crazy. I paid $183 million for the team in 2003, and now we're talking $142 million for one player? Seven years is a huge risk financially."

Now Moreno spends $331 million on two players. Some of these owners can't help themselves.

The Angels have won the offseason. Pujols sells tickets. He'll allow the Angels to negotiate a more lucrative local TV deal. He'll pay for himself at first.

But what about the back end of his contract, when he's pushing 40? His production has already fallen off a little. Beyond financial considerations, Pujols made a smart move switching to the A.L., where he can extend his career as a designated hitter.

The Pujols deal is great news for free-agent Prince Fielder; it increases his asking price. And while it might be a relatively small thing, having Pujols in L.A. should help balance national baseball coverage that naturally leans toward the East Coast.

The bonfire of bias that everyone knows exists - especially at ESPN - was stoked a little more this week when, in jest, Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said, "I hate the Yankees."

A silly, off-hand remark, but it's got tongues wagging over the hot stove. Valentine's desire for attention and his glibness, combined with the insatiable appetite of New England and New York media, can only mean another season of Red Sox-Yankees overkill.

Pujols should help relieve America of some of that. By his sheer talent and presence, he's already redirecting the spotlight from East to West.

The Angels couldn't have made a bigger splash had Pujols and Wilson surfed into Orange County on a tsunami. The money is crazy, but for now the franchise is getting what it paid for.