Cardinals postseason hero Chris Carpenter doesn't believe the team's fans should be so negative about the departure of longtime first baseman Albert Pujols. "There's a lot of excitment around this ball club, after everything that went on at the end," said Carpenter. "It went from excitement to a little bit of sadness with Tony (manager Tony La Russa retired). And obviously with Albert (Pujols) leaving, it brought some questions, but I'm excited about the opportunity we're going to have. "Losing Albert is a big thing, but that is the game. The things that he brought to this organization and this community are enormous and he should be praised for that and not beat up for it."