Pujols holding off career decision

When will Albert Pujols retire?

It’s a question the 41-year-old Angels first baseman didn’t have an answer to on Saturday, saying in his first media availability of the spring that his “mind is not even there” entering his 21st MLB season.

“I think that decision will come at the end of the year,” he said, adding, “My mind is staying focused [on staying] healthy and help this ball club try to win this year.”

Pujols’ wife, Deidre, initially appeared to indicate in an Instagram post on Monday that this would be the last season for Pujols, a three-time MVP and 10-time All-Star. After the post set off a wave of speculation on the internet, she edited the wording to reflect that 2021 is the last season of Pujols’ contract with the Angels and that she was simply trying to send her husband “blessings” going into this season. She clarified that it was not an official retirement announcement.

Pujols said the original post was simply misinterpreted.

“It’s the same thing that she’s always done, sending me every year with a blessing,” Pujols said. “If she had just [originally] said, ‘the last year on my contract with the Angels,’ it would have been different. But I told her, ‘You don’t need to apologize. I know what you mean.’”

Javon Williams Jr. and Romeir Elliott each had a pair of touchdown runs, and Southern Illinois beat top-ranked North Dakota State 38-14 on Saturday that ended the Bison’s 39-game winning streak. North Dakota State (2-1, 1-1 Missouri Valley), which has won three straight FCS championships, last lost on Nov. 4, 2017.

PGA champion Collin Morikawa made seven birdies in an eight-hole stretch Saturday and made it look as though no one could catch him. All it took was two bad holes to turn the Workday Open into a chase. Morikawa shot a 5-under 67 at the Concession Golf Club, a reasonable score except for what it could have been. When he drove to the front of the green on the 316-yard 12th hole and made an 8-foot birdie, he was at 17-under par and no one else was closer than five shots. He wound up leading by two shots over Brooks Koepka, who got his mistakes out the way early and shot 70, and Billy Horschel. who had a 69. ... Nelly Korda surged into the lead Saturday in the Gainbridge LPGA with a 4-under 68 that left her in position to make it consecutive wins for the Korda family to start the season. Korda, whose older sister Jessica won the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions last month to start the new LPGA Tour season, dropped only one shot on a breezy day at Lake Nona to lead by one over Patty Tavatanakit.

Juuso Valimakiscored four minutes into the game as a three-goal first period staked the Flames to a 6-3 victory over the Senators. Mikael Backlund and Elias Lindholm had the other early goals for the Flames, who ended the Senators’ threegame win streak. Sean Monahan, Andrew Mangiapane and Matthew Tkachuk also scored for Calgary. ... Mattias Ekholm scored a pair of second-period goals to lead the Predators to a 2-1 victory over the Blue Jackets on Saturday. Juuse Saros made 29 saves for Nashville, a winner of three of the last four games. Saros earned his first victory since Jan. 27.