jojo
04-14-2012, 01:54 PM
Alex Rodriguez stands tied with Ken Griffey Jr at 630 career home runs and AROD may very well pass Jr during this weekend series.
This is an interesting moment in baseball history for a lot of reasons. Two homegrown Mariners and former teammates stand together at a milestone that by anyone's definition is rarefied air. Can you imagine that lineup in the old Kingdome? It's interesting for Reds fans because Jr is about to be bumped to sixth all time by one of the few players that we might now reasonably imagine will bump Jr given the downturn in offensive production over recent years and Dunn's affair with the dreaded three outcome cliff. Jr's place in history seems much more defined as his greatness seems to be settling comfortably on "all time" lists and in the annals of Reds history. Then there is the obvious storyline with most believing Jr got 630 honest while AROD's 630 is a bloated product of an artificially potent offensive era. Don't hold your breath waiting for mlb to highlight that storyline though.
But looking ahead, there are just 4 names left in front of AROD and those names are three parts legendary fabric of the game's history and one part infamy-Willie (660), Babe (714), Hank (755), and Bonds (762). This is huge.
As of this moment, AROD is 133 homeruns short of the all time record. Assuming no injury issues, AROD has a very good shot at passing Mays this season. Then AROD still has 5 seasons left on his contract. AROD is clearly in decline but the calculus isn't incredibly daunting.
What do you think, are we watching history unfold concerning one of the most magical milestones in baseball or is AROD's tank springing a leak that won't let him make it to the finish line?
This is an interesting moment in baseball history for a lot of reasons. Two homegrown Mariners and former teammates stand together at a milestone that by anyone's definition is rarefied air. Can you imagine that lineup in the old Kingdome? It's interesting for Reds fans because Jr is about to be bumped to sixth all time by one of the few players that we might now reasonably imagine will bump Jr given the downturn in offensive production over recent years and Dunn's affair with the dreaded three outcome cliff. Jr's place in history seems much more defined as his greatness seems to be settling comfortably on "all time" lists and in the annals of Reds history. Then there is the obvious storyline with most believing Jr got 630 honest while AROD's 630 is a bloated product of an artificially potent offensive era. Don't hold your breath waiting for mlb to highlight that storyline though.
But looking ahead, there are just 4 names left in front of AROD and those names are three parts legendary fabric of the game's history and one part infamy-Willie (660), Babe (714), Hank (755), and Bonds (762). This is huge.
As of this moment, AROD is 133 homeruns short of the all time record. Assuming no injury issues, AROD has a very good shot at passing Mays this season. Then AROD still has 5 seasons left on his contract. AROD is clearly in decline but the calculus isn't incredibly daunting.
What do you think, are we watching history unfold concerning one of the most magical milestones in baseball or is AROD's tank springing a leak that won't let him make it to the finish line?