On Sunday, Jim Thome slugged a 490-foot blast against the Royals that helped propel the Twins to victory. The homer got people talking, particularly because it was Thome's 596th career dinger, bringing him closer to becoming the 8th Major Leaguer to reach the 600 club. When he reaches that mark, Thome will become the 5th player in the past decade to get there. While Thome has earned the distinction over the course of a 21-year career, some commentators are wondering if his pending accomplishment forces us to reassess what 600 homers means anymore. Here, a rundown of the best takes on Thome's coming milestone:
600 isn't what it used to be: "Thome, unfortunately, is walking, swinging proof of how devalued home-run totals are today," says David Steele at Aol Fanhouse. The club is "less than half as exclusive now as it was just a decade ago." We've been here too many times before of late. "Now, Thome might as well be hitting them in a vacant lot. The feat is watered down beyond recognition."
We should be celebrating him: "Now, here's how special Thome is. He played during the stained 'steroid era' with Bonds, Sosa, A-Rod and Griffey. Griffey and Thome have never been accused of using anything by a credible source nor tested positive. Bonds, Sosa and A-Rod have. It should make us appreciate this impending feat that much more," says Matt Snyder at CBS Sports. "Instead, the hype doesn't seem to be building nearly as much as it should [...] Whatever the reason, we need to rectify it."
He's one of the greats: "He won't be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but he's a lock to be elected, says Bob Matthews in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. "Some statistical plateaus should be worthy of automatic induction to the Hall of Fame: 3,000 hits; 550 home runs (used to be 500); 1,500 RBI; 300 victories. His 600th homer will only further seal the deal "Thome won't be recalled as one of the 80-or-so best players of all-time, but he was productive enough for long enough to be a cinch future Hall of Famer."
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Bonds*, MacGuire*, Sosa*
* = Doped up steroid users who hit alot of home runs unaturally.
Of course, I will get the cheesy argument that you still have to hit the ball but, the chemical difference provided to the body can take a roped line drive double into a home run, or routine pop fly at the warning track into an HR 5 - 6 rows deep. The point is, any player who used steroids cheated and deserve no recognition for there inflated artificially obtained stats PERIOD. Just as doping is ruining cycling, baseball has already been.
There was no way MLB was going to go backwards and offer up a sport with a lot of skinny, but in shape mostly, athletes hitting singles and doubles with the average pitcher's ERA in baseball going back down to 3.33 (both leagues) and the NL home run champ at 37 per year.
If you believed they were doing it in the 90's then just look at how much bigger they are now. Personally I wouldn't mind them just approving the thing already instead of this constant cloud of a lie that puts a strain on players, managers, front office and media alike.
If you're upset with me (as others have been) and can't wait to demand my "proof" of it don't waste your fingers, I have none. However I'd put this to any baseball fan: Just look at the size of the players today and the way home runs fly out of the parks and the way pitchers can't seem to get anybody out (unless they are a strikeout pitcher). If PED's truly left the sport we'd be back to what the players looked like in an episode of This Week in Baseball from 1988.
If by great one means never having loyalty to any one team and constantly offering his "services" to the highest bidder and also by great one means that by moving around so much he has been able to get his hands on tons PED's over the years and bulk up like an NFL linebacker.
So yes, he's great.
not to mention by wearing his socks the way they ought to be.