Albert Pujols

Albert Pujols (http://home.messiah.edu/~md1225/albert.jpg)

Hero? By definition a person that is admired for his achievements. In my opinion a hero is someone you idolize. Someone that changes your life and makes you strive to follow his example. My personal hero is Albert Pujols. Albert Pujols is a man of great faith, a devoted husband and father, and an outstanding baseball player. This is why he is my hero and a hero to many others as well.

This is Albert's Foundation

For those of you who do not know Albert Pujols, he is a baseball player for the St. Louis Cardinals. He was born on January 16, 1980 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He had a happy childhood, even though he grew up in poverty. In the early 1990s, when he was 16, he moved to the United States. Here he played high school ball and drew the attention of many. In 1999 he was signed in the major leagues by the St. Louis Cardinals. He is married to Deidre, who he met at a Latin dance club. They were married on January 1, 2000. Now they have three children, Albert Jr., Sophia and Isabella. Isabella is Deidre's daughter and Albert adopted her.

Albert's adopted daughter, Isabella, has Down Syndrome. This is one reason Albert founded the Pujols Family Foundation which helps kids with Down Syndrome. It also helps impoverished families in the Dominican Republic. The Pujols family puts God first. In fact, their motto is "faith, family, others." The Pujols Family Foundation exists to serve others, to honor God and strengthen families through its works, deeds and by example. Albert works closely with the Make-A-Wish Foundation as well. In 2008 major league baseball presented him with the Roberto Clemente Award. This award is given to the player who does the most work in their community.

You may have noticed that Albert has great faith in God. He and his family attend the Kansas City Baptist Temple. I share his faith in God and attend church regularly. This shows what a wonderful role model he is.

Baseball has always been Albert's life and passion. I look up to him because I share his love for the game and want to improve each and every day. During high school, Albert worked extremely hard to step his game up and it paid off. I see the many accomplishments Albert has made in the game of baseball and it makes me want to follow his lead. In 2001 he was Rookie of the Year and also received two MVP awards in 2005 and 2008. He grabbed three Silver Slugger awards in 2001, 2003 and 2004. If that wasn't enough, he picked up a Gold-Glove in 2006. Wow, looking at this makes me want to work hard to improve my abilities. Through eight seasons he has smashed 319 homers and 342 two-baggers. Even if you don't know baseball you can tell he is a heck of a player.

These are some of the reasons Albert Pujols is my hero. His accomplishments in his personal and professional life are great examples for everyone. I am sure I am not the only person who looks up to his devout faith and incredible talent on the field. Without knowing about Albert, my life would not be the same. Wanting to be like him makes me a better person. This is a TRUE hero.