TOWER GROVE — Five thousand at-bats into his career, baseball great Babe Ruth had already shattered home run records and set the gobsmacking standard with his 60 homers in 1927. He had also been a two-time 20-game winner as a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox.

Five thousand at-bats into his career, the Splendid Splinter Ted Williams had his .406-average season and two Triple Crowns. Five thousand at-bats into their careers, Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg…

TOWER GROVE — St. Louis Cardinals first baseman and reigning league MVP Albert Pujols is only 1/10 of the way into the season and already he’s a spokesman and emblem for the city’s celebration of the 2009 All-Star Game. He’s got a commercial running in loops on ESPN. Three different film crews followed him around on the same day this past week for three different commercial ventures. He leads the league in RBIs and runs…