Cardinals’ Pujols healed from surgery, wants in WBC

Good news for St. Louis Cardinals fans, and certainly something you will want to know if betting on any Cards futures for the 2009 MLB season on WagerWeb.com: Albert Pujols, the reigning National League MVP, says he is physically 100 percent just three months after requiring surgery to move a nerve near his right elbow.

“My rehab mode was about a month ago,” Pujols said. “If I called this ‘rehab mode’ the way I’m swinging the bat, throwing and lifting, I would be lying to you guys. I feel 100 percent healthy.”

He wants to represent the Dominican Republic in March’s World Baseball Classic, but the Cardinals might stand in the way of that. Liability issues stemming from Pujols’ surgery in October complicate his eligibility - major-league teams’ policies on players do not cover participation in exhibitions such as the WBC.

“I’m real excited, looking forward to it, but I guess there are a couple things about the injury list - there is something going on with the Classic and Major League Baseball,” Pujols said. “I don’t know if I’m even going to be on the roster right now because of the insurance. Something weird is going on with the whole thing. It’s not just myself. It’s a lot of different players from different countries. I guess insurance doesn’t want to take the chance to cover us because we come from surgery.”

Pujols added he wouldn’t even attempt to play if he thought he was jeopardizing his surgically repaired elbow or a strain that remains in the area but one that won’t be surgically fixed. It will be interesting to see if Major League Baseball attempts to step in and work out an arrangement for Pujols, one of the game’s most marketable stars, to play in the second WBC (Pujols did play in 2006).

Pujols hit .357 with 37 home runs and 116 RBIs while playing with the sore right elbow. Pujols won his second National League MVP award despite St. Louis’ fourth-place finish in the NL Central.

The Classic’s first round opens March 5 in Tokyo, with defending 2006 champion Japan facing China. Mexico City, Toronto and San Juan, Puerto Rico, host the other three first-round brackets, as follows:

• Tokyo (March 5-9): Japan, China, Chinese Taipei and Korea
• Toronto (March 7-11): USA, Canada, Venezuela and Italy
• San Juan, PR (March 7-11): Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Netherlands, Panama
• Mexico City (March 8-12): Mexico, Cuba, South Africa, Australia

The Dominican Republic and the United States are the current favorites to win the WBC on WagerWeb.com, both at +145.

It’s a double-elimination format this time in the first two rounds. The winners from Toronto will meet the winners from Puerto Rico in the second round at Miami’s Dolphin Stadium, while the winners from Tokyo will face the winners from Mexico City in San Diego’s PETCO Park.

The semifinals and finals are March 21 and 23 at Dodger Stadium.

NBA Betting at WagerWeb.com.