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Behold the cognitive dissonance of Albert Pujols (jokingly) joining in booing the Cardinals All-Stars

Reds fans boo Cardinals, Pujols jokingly joins in

There's no love lost between the Reds and Cardinals. The two have been doing battle in the NL Central for years, and while they may be sharing some physical space for All-Star festivities, they'll always be bitter rivals. So, when the Cincinnati crowd greeted the All-Star contingent from St. Louis with some good ol' fashioned boo birds, no one was particularly surprised. Heck, Yadier Molina -- Ohio's Public Enemy No. 1 -- even leaned into the curve and went full-on heel:

Molina boo

But what followed could be considered the greatest (smiling) betrayal St. Louis has seen since Fredbird made this questionable music choice -- Albert Pujols, he of demolishing the Big Mac sign fame, caught red-handed in the act:

Pujols boo

Don't worry though, Cardinals. As Pujols explained to MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez, you should take it as a compliment: "You've either done something bad or you've done something great if they're booing you," Pujols said. "I'm sure I've done some pretty great things in this ballpark and I think that's why I get my boos."

He was also quick to offer some postgame sympathy to his former teammates: "You get that all around the country; what can you do? You can't control the fans. I wish they would've treated my Cardinals a little bit better - Yadi [Molina], [Michael] Wacha and [Jhonny] Peralta. And Carlos [Martinez], his first All-Star Game." 

Still, we understand you may still be in shock. And so, for a grieving nation embarking upon the denial stage, we offer some plausible explanations:

- Practicing his birdsongs for an upcoming trip to the woods

- Actually saying "Coooooooooooooool!"

- Modeling for a "Ghostbusters" t-shirt

One can only hope it's that last one.  

Read More: St. Louis CardinalsAlbert PujolsYadier Molina