By Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Editor

Who cares if Albert Pujols doesn’t have a home run this season if Los Angeles Angels ace Jered Weaver holds the opposing team hitless?

That’s exactly what happened late Wednesday night in Anaheim, Calif., as Weaver no-hit the Minnesota Twins and his team rolled to a 9-0 victory. It was Weaver’s fourth win of the season and 86th in his seven-year career. It was the first Angels solo no-hitter at home since Nolan Ryan no-hit Baltimore on June 1, 1975.

On cardboard, Weaver appears on a total of 1,776 cards in the Beckett.com database, a collection valued at more than $11,500 before the news and not including rarities too scarce to price. (Need a Weaver-only checklist or an OPG? Click here.)

Weaver appears on a total of six Rookie Cards from back in 2005, all made by Topps. The most valuable is his Bowman Chrome Draft autograph (Blue Refractor version above), which sells for $80 or less, while all of his other RCs can had for less than $10. The Gold Refractor parallel of Weaver’s RC, a card limited to just 50 copies, typically sells for $600 or less.

The long-haired right-hander out of Long Beach State has signed 307 different certified autograph cards during his career and appears on a total of 375 memorabilia cards. His earliest cards can be found from back in 2003 when he pitched for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team.

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball magazine. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.

By Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Editor | Commentary

This year’s biggest question in baseball is “Where will Albert Pujols go?” and it’s one that has ramifications for the game, its salary records and, of course, for many a baseball card collection.

In short, it’s kind of a big deal.

Last year around this time, we presented to you 30 totally fake Derek Jeter cards and it was a bit of a server-busting sensation with a quarter-million hits in a single day  … so we decided to do it again. Here are … drumroll … 30 totally fake Pujols baseball cards.

Reactions to the Miami Marlins’ new uniforms have been mixed to say the least … so maybe Pujols will force a change if they really want him to sign? (Unless, of course, he’s too old.) That’s just one burning question. Others might wonder what Pujols would look like in a Yankees uniform? What might he look like wearing Dodger Blue? What might he look like as a Pittsburgh Pirate?

You can see them all on a card that just might — but we seriously doubt it — appear in 2012 Topps Heritage … after the jump.

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Pujols signs with the New York Yankees … you know it could happen. Cashman and Co. keep saying they are focused on pitching, pitching, pitching. When’s the last time they passed on an elite slugger? Make him pull a Ruth and play every single day.

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Pujols signs with the Kansas City Royals … this one, my friends, will never happen. But who doesn’t like a good steak? Protein is how you get ripped like this home run machine.

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Pujols signs with the Oakland Athletics  … this one, my friends, will also never, ever happen. Then again, do we know whether Brad Pitt wants to adopt a baseball team? (Please, Mr. Pitt! Pleeeeaaasee.)

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Pujols signs with the Chicago Cubs  … this one would probably prompt fan reactions that aren’t exactly bovine in nature, but c’mon … the first piece of the curse-ending puzzle has to be Pujols. Right, Theo?

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Pujols signs with the Pittsburgh Pirates  … this would be amazing — so much so I had to dream up some other (impossible) way for Pujols to end up in Pittsburgh. Can the commish pull out some For the Good of the Game clause or something?

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Pujols signs with the Houston Astros  … the fans down there have suffered enough, and there’s a new owner in town. However, my cynical side of reared its ugly head when I built this baseball card.

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Pujols signs with the Chicago White Sox  … the Sox signed a big bat in the off-season, sinking a ton of cash into Adam Done Dunn. Can they make up for it this year? Doubtful, but here’s what he’d look like in pinstripes that don’t belong to a team in the Big Apple.

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Pujols signs with the New York Mets  … speaking of the Big Apple, has anyone lost faith in David Wright being the New York and hobby savior that many thought he might be a few years back? In my twisted cardboard mind, the Mets find a new No. 5 …

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Pujols signs with the Atlanta Braves … it could happen, right?

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Pujols signs with the Cleveland Indians  … you know, this team and this city have been cursed a bit too long. LeBron, Brady Quinn, Drew Carey … The Miz? Get Cleveland some star power, stat!

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Pujols signs with the Detroit Tigers  … Justin Verlander’s chances of winning the team MVP award, let alone the AL MVP, wouldn’t stand a chance with Pujols. Around. Just saying …

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Pujols signs with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim  … Los Angeles is one of those markets that athletes love — but is it this team or the one in the Senior Circuit?

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Pujols signs with the Los Angeles Dodgers  … yeah, yeah, we know the Dodgers don’t have any money. But they just signed Matt Kemp! After all the court cases, TV money and parking lot squabbles come to pass … how about we get a real baseball headline out there?
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Pujols signs with the Toronto Blue Jays  … an allusion to the Bash Brothers isn’t out of whack here. After all, there’s already a big-bopping Jose in Toronto and Pujols’ hitting coach last year was … Mark McGwire. Too easy?

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Pujols signs with the Colorado Rockies  … don’t start Pujolsing just yet — but he might make a better Denver Broncos quarterback. (Just kidding!)

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Pujols signs with the San Francisco Giants  … must resist temptation to make a joke about a Giants slugger with a big head. (That reminds me — don’t look too closely at my PhotoChop, err PhotoShop, work.)

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Pujols signs with the Milwaukee Brewers  … we all know there’s a real reason why the Brewers aren’t re-signing Prince Fielder. Right?

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Pujols signs with the Arizona Diamondbacks  … forgive the too-easy Coen Brothers reference but it’d be true. Turn to the right!

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Pujols signs with the Washington Nationals  … who am I kidding here? Love Bryce Harper.

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Pujols signs with the Seattle Mariners … and we all love Junior, too.

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Pujols signs with the Baltimore Orioles … think he’ll get him some Albert Belle money? Wait, have they even written that deal off the books yet in Baltimore?

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Pujols signs with the San Diego Padres  … Champ Kind said it best. Whammy!

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Pujols signs with the Texas Rangers  … they just can’t get it done in the World Series. We know somebody who can … well, at least in Game 3s.

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Pujols signs with the Philadelphia Philles  … speaking of teams that just can’t get it done of late, this one’s in need of a big-hitting first baseman with Ryan Howard out. Gotta admit the image looks pretty natural doesn’t it?

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Pujols signs with the Tampa Bay Rays  … Pujols apparently likes Florida and the team has been a bit of a contender from time to time in recent years. Just saying.

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Pujols signs with the Cincinnati Reds … When your newest nickname is “The Machine,” can there be only one destination, right? Keep wishing Reds fans, though I kind of like the looks of it …

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Pujols signs with the Boston Red Sox … the Sox are a wicked pissah of a mess right now. And who cares if they already have an MVP-type hittah at first? Sign ‘em now, make somebody thah DH and get thah job done, already.

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Pujols signs with the Minnesota Twins  … there are some things that are Minnesota certainties. The Gophers, Joe Mauer and … well, we need something else. Pujols might work — in fact, he might work too well and give Joe a run for his money as The Franchise Hero. That’d be nice to see.

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Pujols signs with the St. Louis Cardinals  … of course, this could happen, too. For all the fun we had imagining Derek Jeter playing elsewhere last season he ultimately ended up in the same place he’s been his entire big-league career. Could the same be said for Pujols? I personally doubt it, but it’s one of the 30 possibilities.

Where do you think Albert Pujols will land?

Tell us in a comment below …

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Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball magazine. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.