ANAHEIM, Calif. • Shortly before noon local time Saturday, Albert Pujols slipped into a fitted Los Angeles Angels cap and a crisp home white jersey before a crowd of more than 4,000 boisterous fans.

It was 11:50 a.m. to be precise. And for the first time as a professional, the three-time National League MVP could be seen as something other than a Cardinal.

Appearing nervous during a raucous public news conference, Pujols later spoke of a "stressful" time that he acknowledged created "hurt" for his family as well as a loyal fan base he left behind.

Saturday's appearance was part of a two-day ritual following Pujols' Thursday morning acceptance of a 10-year, $254 million contract, the second-most lucrative deal in the game's history. Following his public introduction, Pujols spoke of a process more about acceptance than finance while his wife, Deidre, described a decision flecked by personal angst as well as relief and happiness.

"I don't want to talk about negotiations," Pujols told the Post-Dispatch shortly after a second news conference held inside the stadium. "But to tell you the truth, it wasn't about the money. I'm going to die saying that, because it wasn't about the money. It was about the commitment."

Pujols refused to discuss his departure from the Cardinals during the open-air phase of Saturday's appearance but later described a process that included eight phone conversations Wednesday with chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. and general manager John Mozeliak. The marathon left Pujols drained, admittedly emotional and finally resigned to the fact that Angels' owner Arte Moreno's long-distance lightning strike offered a greater sense of belonging as well as more dollars.

"It was about the way he made me feel," Pujols said. "Arte made me feel like he wanted me to be with the Angels forever. He doesn't want me to be 37 years old and go somewhere else."

The comment was an oblique reference to the Cardinals' five-year, $130 million offer earlier this month — their first bid since Pujols rejected the club's nine-year, $198 million bid during spring training. Pujols' new contract also includes a 10-year personal service provision, something the Cardinals were reluctant to discuss, according to sources familiar with the process.

"It was something I expressed myself, and something I kept expressing during the conversation, that I didn't want to go somewhere else, (and) that this was going to be my last contract," said Pujols, who also received blanket no-trade protection. "Whether people want to believe it was about the money, I can't control that."

"It made him feel wanted," his agent, Dan Lozano, said of Moreno's call. "It made him feel this wasn't just a business decision."

Said Moreno: "In a perfect world, he's a Cardinal. He's been there 11 years. You've got to respect that."

Pujols said he called a number of players to validate his initial impression of Moreno, a gregarious man who had previously met with high-profile failure when bidding for elite talent. Pujols' former Cardinals teammate, pitcher Dan Haren, was among the current Angels who attended Saturday's event.

Saturday morning's throng arrived early and greeted Pujols with chants as he walked onto the dais to "Calling All Angels." The news conference was also held to introduce lefthanded pitcher and local product C.J. Wilson after he signed a five-year, $77.5 million deal. However, Pujols' presence dwarfed the rest of the program.

"Not in our wildest dreams did we feel we'd be standing here with this result," said Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto.

Pujols appeared less comfortable when addressing the throng, once referring to Angels ace Jered Weaver as his older brother, Jeff, and mistakenly calling Anaheim "Los Angeles." No matter. A fan base long chafed by its team's place in the Los Angeles Dodgers' shadow serenaded its new star with "We love Al-bert."

Pujols repeatedly declined to answer any Cardinals-related questions during the televised portion of the news conference. He later relented when appearing upstairs before the press.

"I know people back in the city of St. Louis think it's all about the money and are upset about that," Pujols said. "I have all the offers out there for a lot of money. They're calling me 'liar' and all that stuff. That's all good. I went through that when I made the decision. It was tough. I know what they're going through. They're losing somebody that has been part of the community. And I feel for that. My wife and I felt that pain, too."

The terms of the contract have yet to be ratified by the Players Association; however a series of milestone incentives along with the personal service element potentially brings its value to $280 million.

Moreno contrasted the Cardinals' cautious approach with a Tuesday night bull rush. He phoned Lozano late Tuesday night and engaged Albert and Deidre in a lengthy introductory phone conversation. Moreno pressed Pujols for acceptance the same day, even offering to hop a jet and travel to Dallas for the winter meetings. Pujols asked for more time, weighed what he was hearing from the Cardinals and a third team, then notified Lozano of his decision early Thursday morning.

"There are only so many adjectives to describe the feeling," Deidre said. "Broken-hearted and delighted, all at the same time."

Deidre referred to talks with the Cardinals as "a situation without a resolution."

The Cardinals had made known their need to 'stretch" to reach a 10-year offer. DeWitt came across during talks as less than enthusiastic about a deal and was never able to overcome the impression created by his initial bid. Moreno, aware that he was on the verge of a 20-year agreement for $3 billion in local television rights, told team president John Carpino that money was a less vital consideration than fan reaction.

"What do you think our fans will think?" Moreno wondered, according to Carpino.

The Angels owner made a persuasive first impression that only grew.

"Just talking with him, obviously he wanted me really bad," Pujols said. "But that's not who he is. When I talked to different players and found out a little more, people love him here in Anaheim. People love him wherever he goes."

The Pujolses were left to wonder about what their adopted home would think. Deidre said Saturday that their Pujols Family Foundation already had been inundated with negative feedback and, in some cases, withdrawn support. The couple is also acutely aware some feel betrayed.

"We realize there is a lot of hurt," Deidre said. "We're experiencing the same thing. I don't want Albert to be a possession. He's a human being. I can't tell you deeper than that. He's a man. We never said anything that we didn't mean."

Pujols praised the St. Louis community, which embraced him as a 21-year-old rookie and became the base for a charitable foundation. "They made me into the man I am right now," he said. "Knowing I had to play somewhere else was tough. It was emotional. I still love my fans back in St. Louis. We built a family there."

Pujols insisted even after the Cardinals' World Series run he expected to return to the organization that selected him in the 13th round of the 1999 draft and watched him mature into the most dominant hitter of his era. However, the team's subsequent approach stunned him. Pujols wept after hearing the team's initial offer to retain him for five years and eventually demanded to patch into teleconferences to hear for himself what DeWitt and Mozeliak had to say.

"I felt I wanted to hear from the Cardinals," said Pujols, who became an active participant during the calls. "I don't want to hear from Danny. It's not that I didn't trust him. I wanted to have a conversation that was really honest. They tried to make their best offer. We didn't come up with an agreement."

Pujols said he held out hope until one of the Wednesday conversations. "There was a moment in the conversation that Dee Dee and I looked at each other and I'm like 'Is this really happening?'"

After trying to stall the Angels, Pujols said he finally felt, "It was just time. It was sad. It was tough. But I had to make (a choice), and I hope people understand it."

Lozano disputed Mozeliak's assertion Thursday that he took the process exactly where he intended: to the market for the highest dollar.

"I think a lot of people believe this decision was made on dollars and years," Lozano said. "That's not what it was based on. You have to understand there were other outside factors that affected this decision. That's what Albert and Dee Dee were hearing with their own ears. I think that led them to believe that this was not going to happen."