Or more succinctly put, he's a pretty popular guy, with some even thinking he could one day become pope.
Albert Pujols was once held in similarly high esteem among St. Louis Cardinals fans. That was, of course, until Pujols decided that he'd rather be in Southern California for the next 10 years to make north of $250 million.
Ironically, it took Pujols becoming an Angel for him to fall from grace.