Sports
Pujols Statue to Stay In Westport Plaza
Restaurant drops name but new huge statue of ex-Cardinals first baseman stays.
Since owners of Pujols 5 Westport Grill restaurant in Westport Plaza said they were dropping former Cardinals first-baseman Albert Pujols' name, there was a question over the new statue nearby.
Now we hear that the 1,100-pound 10-feet tall statue of Pujols will stay.
It stands at the parking lot near the restaurant. It was unveiled in November 2011 in a ceremony with Pujols and his family.
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The eatery's new name is reported to be St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame Bar and Grill and all other Pujols memorabilia has been removed.
The restaurant is owned by Patrick Hanon, and used to be named Patrick's.
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The statue of Pujols pointing to the heavens and dressed in his Cardinals uniform, was donated anonymously to the Pujols Family Foundation, which aids the needy in the Dominican Republic, where Pujols was raised, and kids with Downs Syndrome.
Pujols left the Cards this year for a 10-year, $254 million baseball relationship with the Angels, in California.
The Los Angeles Times said the Hanon restaurant had a license agreement with Pujols for his name, and 5 percent of profits went to the Foundation.
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