No new records, but three major landmarks.
Alex Rodriguez finally hit career home run #500, Barry Bonds answered with #755, and Tom Glavine earned his 300th career win.
Perhaps more importantly, there were no arrests, indictments, or even accusations to speak of in the sports world. And while Bonds' 755th was not without its asterisks and questions marks, it brought us all one step closer to both history and relief.
All in all, a very good weekend for sports fans.
Rodriguez's 500th started it all off Saturday afternoon. At 32, A-Rod became the youngest player in Major League History to reach the milestone.
A lot of people are ready to anoint Rodriguez as the man to surpass Bonds and save baseball, but I'm not so sure. And no, I'm not talking about the supposed "stuff" that Jose Canseco has on Rodriguez in his newest book.
Players fade at different times in their careers, and given the stress that Rodriguez has endured in the last four seasons alone, I wouldn't be surprised to see him decline sooner rather than later. If you give him an average of 40 homers a year, it would take him five years (age 37) to reach 200 and six-plus to tie and surpass Bonds.
A good possibility, but no slam dunk.
Bonds was not to be outdone, and proved that with his 755th. Watching Bud Selig watch was probably the best part; he looked dazed and unhappy, to put it mildly.
The public perception of Barry Bonds has been well-documented, even by me. But all of our reservations aside, Bonds' looming milestone has become an inevitability. It's time for sports fans to deal with it. And saying that Bonds can have the record for a few years before A-Rod takes over doesn't count.
Bonds is a first-rate jerk, but he's also a terrific baseball player. He's the best of the steroid era, a movement that we home run-loving sports fans helped to fuel. So boo, hiss, and shake your head all you'd like, but you helped create the monster that is Barry Bonds.
Me, I'd prefer to sit back and witness history -- marred though it may be -- for what it is.
Glavine solidified his place in the Hall of Fame with his 300th. With this major milestone under his belt and 41 years in the rearview mirror, I wouldn't be shocked to see Glavine call it quits after this season. In case you're wondering though, he does have a one-year player option remaining on his contract.
Perhaps the only disappointment about the achievement is that it was accomplished in a Mets uniform. Glavine has been good in New York, but he was great in Atlanta.
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7 comments:
On the contrary, what makes Glavine's achievement so significant is that he has finally wised up to achieve it in the uniform of the greatest N.L. East team! :)
Unlike players of Ripken and Gwynn standing, individuals today just do NOT stay with the same team, no matter how loyal we as the fans think they should be. If a few extra bucks are available they'll take them as Glavine did. His accomplishment is still tremendous. As they were saying last night, it'll be a LONG time, if ever, before someone reaches this milestone again. As for the other two- neither are what you'd call family men per se, or even men of honor and don't seem to be of the same down to earth pedigree that it seems like Glavine and others are. So even though it's exciting and even relieving to get these accomplishments done with, it doesn't make me any more a fan of either of them.
What a weekend! Nice job summing up all of the big baseball events.
Nice job. I agree with you. It's too bad Glavine didn't stay with the Braves. I just hope he goes into the Hall as a Brave.
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I must admit to being one of a (apparently) very small handful of fans who could give a damn about steroids. I've grown weary of the endless War on Drugs, and the steroid hysteria is merely another chapter. The constant harping in the press about who is a good guy or bad guy, who is juiced and who is not, who we can comfortably suspect and who is untouchable, is reminiscent of junior high gossip. In twenty years the fear of steroids will be replaced by some other new 'threat' to moms and apple pie, and people will have forgotten the fuss. We are fortunate to be in a baseball golden age, the milestones of this weekend are proof of that. Glavine has always amazed me, it seems like he never throws anything tricky--just keeps getting people out. Bonds' mastery of the mental game is nothing short of astonishing. At 43, barely hitting .270, he still spooks opposing managers and draws intentional walks. He'll be the HR king soon, and deservedly so. And maybe we'll all watch A-Rod pass him. And what will the pundits call the next 'era' after this one? The Testing Era? The This-Time-It-Counts Era? Ridiculous. I've been fortunate to see, in person, ballplayers from Yaz to Ichiro. All of them were unique, and brought something individual to the game. Can't wait to see what the future holds.
@Mr. Hunsberger - Thanks for stopping by!
@Kent - I tend to agree with you that there will be few, if any more, 300 game winners. The late innings are so specialized now that it's hard to conceive even of many 20+ win seasons.
@M.C. - Thanks for checking out the blog. I find your perspective rare and interesting. It's a little more cynical than the "realist" version I've adopted, that baseball is what it is and we should accept it as such. Personally, I would be in favor of tight testing and no steroids, because I think that purifies the game. But I don't think we will be able to watch the game knowing for sure who is and isn't using for a long time, if ever. Until then, let's just enjoy the game for what it is.
Great article and I agree with you about Bonds. Visit my sports blog at www.phillysports101.blospot.com. It is mostly about natioal stories.
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