We’ve seen some major historical moments in baseball in the last few days.
First, Alex Rodriguez became the youngest man to hit the 500-homerun mark, doing so at 32 years and eight days old. There are no guarantees that he’ll break Hank Aaron’s all-time mark of 755 taters, but even if he never plays another game it’s a remarkable accomplishment.
Next, Mets lefty Tom Glavine became the latest pitcher (and maybe the last) to win 300 games. The way the game is played and managed these days, a 15-win season is a big deal, and doing it 20 times is just about unthinkable.
Two very big moments. Two great players. And now, listen to me carefully: during this historical stretch of days, nothing … else … happened. Got it? Good.
Categories: Politics/Law/Government
Progressive Culture | Scholars & Rogues 
What are you fretting about? A-Rod’s gonna obliterate Asterisk’s record in due time. Especially if, as he reaches his fatass sluggard years, he starts on Barry’s cream regimen.
I hate the Yankees and A-Rod is a bush-league punk. So even if he does, there’s little solace in it….
Sports has been shifted under the category of “guilty pleasure” for me. Wouldn’t feel guilty about it if, because of the size of their salaries — and heads, e.g., Bonds (literally, in his case), they weren’t now in the same category as the super-rich.
Part of baseball’s appeal was that everyman could identify with the players. Not so much because of their low salaries, but because the fans’ body types weren’t that different from the players’. Now we’re in an age of Supermen.
If you don’t like A-Rod, Sam, you must have been happy that Cynthia (you know, the one who went to the park one day with “f**k you” imprinted on the back of her shirt) Rodriguez showed up late and missed his 500th.
In an aside, I happened to be at Yankee Stadium the day in 1967 that Mickey Mantle hit his 500th (and limped around the bases).
I agree with Russ Wellen’s comment about baseball’s appeal coming from identifying with the everyman. I’d go further and say people identified with it because it’s a sport almost everyone could play. You don’t have to be tall, thin, or even well-conditioned to play some catch in the backyard.
Times have changed though. Rich baseball players are no longer everymen. There’s very little left to identify with. People have changed, too. As Americans get fatter and more sedentary, it’s no wonder Poker ratings have soared on sports channels.
A-Rod may be a punk, but I’d rather see a punk on top of the home runs list than a cheat. This sport has had so many black eyes over the years, that it’s become unwatchable.
I had a piece all ready – one of my rhapsodic musings on baseball and life – called *756.
Than you go and point out an obvious way of handling this….