Albert Pujols was hoping that offseason treatment and rest would help clear up the plantar fasciitis he was suffering from. No dice. The pain in his foot has returned, and he now thinks there's nothing for him to do except play through the 2005 season with the discomfort.

"It's something I'm pretty sure I'm going to go through again this year because it's too late for surgery. I don't want to miss spring training, and I don't want to miss the first month and a half of the season."

Losing Pujols for any amount of time would be a Death Star-ish blow to the Cardinals, but I doubt they're fretting too much. After all, Big Al played through the injury last year, and his season wasn't exactly a bust. I expect more of the same from him this year, which as a Cubs fan just means more pain.