The baseball milestone I would MUCH rather see achieved *

Steroid Boy is stuck on 754 home runs. A-Rod is stuck on 499. Here is why neither makes much difference.

With Bonds, he used steroids because he’s a little bitch. Save your “there’s no proof yet” argument- he did it. I know it, you know it, he knows it, everyone knows it. The record book might say he has the record, but he will only be considered the Home Run King™ in his own mind and in that of any mindless Giants fan who justifies Bonds simply because he plays for their team. Hank Aaron will always be the king until a legitimate hitter hits 756.

I can’t care about A-Rod achieving 500 for two reasons: first, he’s a Yankee. I can’t support anything any current Yankee player does. If he changes teams, then fine: Go A-Rod, sis boom bah. Yeah, I suppose it’s hypocritical, but so what. The other reason is that there will be many others who will achieve 500 home runs. It doesn’t have the meaning as a milestone that it used to. Sure, the number of people that haven’t and /or won’t come even close to 500 for their career is astronomically greater, but it wasn’t that long ago that there were only about 10-12 players in all of MLB history that had 500 or more home runs. Now there are 21, with Alex Rodriguez soon to be #22. Waiting in the wings are Jim Thome with 489, Manny Ramirez with 488, Garry Sheffield with 478, and a little further back, Carlos Delgado with 424. 500 just doesn’t have the “oomph” it used to in this “chicks dig the long ball” chemically-enhanced era.

I’m looking more forward to Ken Griffey Jr. getting his 600th. He’s a far better person than Bonds and the Yankee Zipper put together; plus, 600 really starts to separate the super-elite hitters (oh, and Barry Bonds) from everyone else.

However, the milestone I’m looking most forward to is Tom Glavine getting his 300th win. Although his being the MLBPA union president (at least he was, if he’s not still) really sticks in my craw, based on my thoughts on the value (or lack thereof) of unions, I’ve always liked Tom Glavine. He’s not loud, flashy, brash, or self-promoting. He’s a simply amazing pitcher. And he’s never played for the Yankees. Yes, I know he plays for the Mets, but the Mets are not the Yankees. That is probably also hypocritical–to so badly despise one team from New York and not the other–but as I said, the Mets are not the Yankees. It’s like in the NBA- like the Clippers, hate the Lakers. It doesn’t have to have a logical explanation, it’s just how it is.

The other reason I’m looking so forward to Glavine’s 300th win is that he quite possibly could be the last one to reach 300 in a long time, if not ever. True, there is actually one more member of the 300 wins club than there currently are in the 500 home runs club, but achieving 300 wins still means something. As addressed before, this is the age of steroids and long balls, plus so many pitchers are blowing out their arms and hence their careers far too early. Randy Johnson is next closest with 284, but with his recent back surgery and his age, it’s not certain whether he’ll even return, let alone stay long enough to get 16 more wins. Next behind El Gran Unidad are Mike Mussina (245), David Wells (235), and Jamie Moyer (225), with Curt Schilling and Kenny Rogers in the 2-dollar teens. Realistically, I don’t think any of them has a shot, mainly based on their ages. Only Mussina, who turns 39 in December, is under 40, which is considered geriatric in pro sports, especially for a pitcher. Bravo to them, to Julio Franco especially, and any other athletes in any sport that thrive so well at such advanced ages. But be realistic.

There are several young bucks who could make a go at 300 IF they can keep their current paces, but again, let’s be realistic. I will be quite surprised if anyone-Sabathia, Santana, Verlander, Willis, or anyone else- comes within spitting distance.

One more hypocritical side note: if and when A-Rod comes close to surpassing whatever {tainted} record Bonds ends up with, even if A-Rod’s still with the Yankees at the time, I’ll be rooting for him like no other.

Hey- my blog, my justifications.

* ADDENDUM 8-15-2007: Legally, it is apparently now my obligation to declare this entire post as total conjecture and opinion. I don’t particularly want to get sued by a man who already has a ton of money as it is. No hard feelings, Mr. Bonds, Sir, I just think you have more important legal battles to focus on than trying to stop what Joe Private Citizen says about you. If saying you did steroids (whether presented as presumed fact or the opinion of the speaker/writer) is genuinely untrue, as you profess it to be, I should think you would want to go after the reporters and broadcasters who have been stating exactly that for many months. Bigger fish to fry and all.