Albert Pujols Contract Talk Can't Derail World Series Parade

The St. Louis Cardinals have won the 2011 World Series, and I hate to break it to everybody but all season long the next thing on the Cardinals PTI scroll in the sky has been Albert Pujols's contract talks—what they would look like, with whom, and how fraught. The good news is that they failed to ruin the World Series Parade: When asked by Mike Claiborne if there was any reason the Cardinals couldn't do this all again next year, Pujols said—completely aware of the spot he'd been put on—said, "Hey, why not?"

And so a rallying cry was born. Should the Cardinals throw the key to their Scrooge McDuck vault at Pujols and tell him to take whatever he wants, so long as he's ready to be Albert Pujols on April 1? Hey, why not?

So long as Lance Berkman continues to feed the media carefully selected quotes about getting him back into a Cardinals uniform, the proper response to any and all proposals about Albert Pujols remaining a Cardinal is now "Hey, why not?" Because, hey, why not?

Cardinals World Series Parade: David Freese Got St. Louis Call In A Burger King

Everyone wants a piece of David Freese at the St. Louis Cardinals’ World Series Parade—he’s already received keys to the city and county, which gives him the rare chance to bring the city back to prominence by unifying the tax bases. But all he managed to reveal during his celebratory speech at the Busch Stadium rally was this: He got the call from John Mozeliak revealing he’d been traded to his hometown Cardinals at a Burger King in California.

David Freese is one of us! He sits around at Burger King not doing anything when he’s not at work! Of course, when he is at work he single-handedly wins World Series games and sets a postseason record for RBI and gets keys to two separate political entities with the same name without raising an eyebrow about it, because he’s from St. Louis and he knows.

But aside from that—I, too, have gotten important calls at a Burger King. David Freese is nothing if not a man of the people.

St. Louis Cardinals Parade: Live Streaming On Fox Sports Midwest

Fox Sports Midwest is live streaming the St. Louis Cardinals World Series Parade, which is great news for anybody still dealing with the after-effects of the Cardinals' improbable, incredibly exciting World Series victory. The ultimate hangover tonic: Live video of crowds raining applause on David Freese and Jason Motte. Oh, and Corey Patterson. 

The parade is to be followed by a rally at Busch Stadium, and is being broadcast by Al Hrabosky and Jim "The Cat" Hayes. Footage at the stadium shows a big, rowdy crowd ready to cheer on every last thing anybody related to the St. Louis Cardinals says. 

And look, I'm not saying that I've heard Albert Pujols will announce he's signing a 10-year, $10 million deal to remain the St. Louis Cardinals' first baseman as well as the new Mayor of St. Louis, but it's a possibility—these rallies bring out the best in people, especially people who like to dance so as to prove their ethnicity or attempt to get some swearing past the regional sports network censors.

St. Louis Cardinals World Series Parade: Weather Windy But Dry For Victory Lap

One of the problems that comes with playing baseball deep into October—generally, I think, a Good Thing—is that when it comes time to hold the St. Louis Cardinals' World Series Parade, it's going to be held deep in October. This is, admittedly, something I'm willing to deal with. The good news is that Sunday promises some manageable parade weather: By 4 PM, as of Sunday morning, the Weather Channel types are expecting 63 degrees, some manageable wind, and just a 20% chance of rain. 

People ready to follow the World Series parade route without their Cardinals-logo ponchos should keep in mind, of course, that in August the Cardinals were given a less-than-one-percent chance of making the postseason, let alone winning one of the most absurd World Series in memory against a favored Texas Rangers team. Just something to think about. 

For more Cardinals parade information, including photos and hopefully some Mark Madsen-like dancing, follow along with SB Nation St. Louis, the only regional news site still working off its institutional World Series hangover. 

St. Louis Cardinals World Series Parade Schedule: Parade Route Travels Through Downtown, Culminates At Busch Stadium

At 4 p.m. Central time on Sunday afternoon, the St. Louis Cardinals will once again get to celebrate their 11th World Series title. Led by Budweiser's iconic Clydesdales, the team will embark on a parade route that will take them east on Market Street from Union Station at 18th Street down to 7th Street south towards Stan Musial Drive and right into Busch Stadium.

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To get into the stadium for the celebration, fans must purchase tickets from cardinals.com/parade. The tickets, which go on sale to the general public today at 2 p.m., are limited to two per customer and cost $5 each, with all proceeds being donated to Cardinals Care, the team's charity that serves the children of St. Louis. Season ticket holders will be able to purchase the celebration tickets during various presales on Saturday. Here is the presale schedule:

• From Noon-2 p.m., Full & Share Season Ticket Holders will be able to purchase up to four tickets per customer.
• From 1 p.m.-2 p.m., 27 Game Season Ticket Holders will be able to purchase up to four tickets per customer.
• Starting at 2 p.m., the general public will be able to purchase up to two tickets per customer.

Once inside the stadium, fans will be treated to a championship celebration, a fireworks display and other various forms of entertainment. And yes, the Rally Squirrel will be in attendance. Hopefully he won't try and hoist the trophy.