Dinner with Albert provides food for thought

The biggest story in baseball at the moment should be the drama surrounding Albert Pujols and his apparently stalled contract negotiations with the Cardinals.

Pujols has placed a gag order on the subject, but he apparently said plenty over dinner with some St. Louis fans who won a contest.

Pujols and his wife, Deidre, cooked dinner for eight fans who submitted a winning bid at a Pujols charity auction.

``At one point, (Pujols) said, 'I'm telling you guys more about this than I've said to anyone,' " dinner host Bob Brady of Decatur, Ill. told the Post-Dispatch said. But Brady was mum on what the slugger said.

Pujols has imposed a spring training deadline to get a contract extension. He is said to be asking for a 10-year deal worth close to $300 million. The sides are thought to be far apart, though with a no-trade contract most believe Pujols isn't  going anywhere.