The 600 Club

Alex Rodriguez did what he does best with the pressure on - seemingly take forever to come through. But A-Rod finally put one over the fence to momentarily silence his critics (while everyone rants about how his 600th home run is tainted by steroids).

Whether you discredit all steroid-era players or just the ones caught using, the fact remains that Rodriguez is only the seventh player in baseball history to belt 600 homers, not to mention the youngest player to reach the milestone.

Hopefully for Yankee fans, this means A-Rod gets back to his normal self, as the Yankees were busy falling out of first place in the AL East during his chase for No. 600. The question is: how many Yankee fans really wanted to see Rodriguez get there? I'm sure they wanted to see him do well for the team's sake, but I can't remember when a superstar was more hated by his own fans without flipping them off. It's as if A-Rod put every Yankee fans' favorite mug into a Jell-O mold. If Derek Jeter is the Yankees' lovable Zac Efron, then Rodrguez might as well be called Mel Gibson. He is William Wallace!

I'm sure ESPN's producers are more than glad they don't have to worry any more about "checking in on A-Rod's next at-bat." After awhile, people just started getting annoyed with ESPN as much as Rodriguez. Bill Simmons, one of ESPN's columnists, said he screamed after ESPN switched to an A-Rod at-bat in the middle of Matt Garza's no-hitter. Granted, Simmons is a die-hard Red Sox fan, so I'm sure he loves seeing A-Rod succeed about as much as Albert Haynesworth loves running these days.

But now the bigger question - will A-Rod catch Barry Bonds? And if so, who's the more hated home run king? At 35, Rodriguez still has good years left ahead of him, especially since he's already in the AL where he can DH when the time comes. But if Rodriguez hits 30 home runs this year (his 600th put him at 17 for the season) and continues to hit 30 home runs for the next five years, then my math puts him at 763 - one more than the infamous Bonds.

Bonds passed Hank Aaron's longtime mark of 755 amidst a cloud of controversy over the new record's legitimacy. A-Rod was never baseball's most valuable commodity even before his admitted steroid use, but his fans are dwindling like never before. Even with a World Series ring last year and putting his postseason woes behind him, Rodriguez is still unpopular amongst even Yankee fans.

The outside factor that could affect A-Rod's pursuit of 763 - Albert Pujols. The Cardinals' slugger is putting the ball out of the park at an alarming rate, and as long as he stays healthy, Pujols will have a chance at the record even if Rodriguez manages to break it. The difference between Pujols and Rodriguez - everyone loves Fat Albert. Pujols has passed every drug test out there. He's the hitter who can do everything and you can't help but root for him (even if your name's Brad Lidge).

While A-Rod's relationship with Madonna won't land him in the Hall of Fame, hopefully his play on the field will. It's impossible to say just how many players used steroids over the past two decades. You've got a better chance at getting Snooki to do mental math in a jail cell. So, why not just let them all in and accept the fact that baseball had a large, highly-publicized black eye? Nothing a little concealer can't cure.


Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica.

MLB Trade Deadline

Dan Haren's move to the Angels yesterday jump-started perhaps the most anxious week in all of baseball. Every team and their fans are hoping for that one big move (ala C.C. Sabathia heading to Milwaukee to make the Brewers contenders for half a season). Even if your team is already out of the playoff race, the trade deadline offers hope for next year. Think of it as the cute girl finally kissing you on prom night. High school might've sucked, but now you have college to look forward to (I'm talking to you Royals fans).

This is the one week of the baseball season where the Pirates actually have a legitimate chance of making headlines. Plenty of bad deals and failed prospects have kept the Pirates from the postseason since 1992. Back then Sharon Stone uncrossed her legs at will and Disney was in its prime with animated movies (Aladdin that year was a personal favorite). But at least the franchise can build around its new stadium (PNC Park is worth the price of admission if you haven't seen it), while the management continues to keep the Pirates in the National League's cellar.

But at least Pittsburgh has the Big Ben-to-Santonio Holmes connection to cure the city's woes come September. Oh wait. Holmes got suspended and then traded? And Big Ben is scheduled to miss the first six weeks of the season? Ouch. The Penguins can't get back on the ice soon enough. Sidney Crosby means about as much to Pittsburgh right now as Bono does to U2. Although with a guitarist like The Edge, I think the band would still find a way to get by.

Everyone always looks to add the marquee pitcher at the deadline. The big bat is nice, but a starting pitcher can win you a playoff series. With Haren already on his way out of Arizona and the Rangers pouncing on Cliff Lee a few weeks ago, Roy Oswalt's value is higher than ever. The Cardinals and Phillies appear to be at the front of the pack. Oswalt to St. Louis would probably make the Cardinals the favorites to win the NL with a rotation of Carpenter-Wainwright-Oswalt, not to mention the year rookie Jaime Garcia is having for the Cards.

But the Phils are more desperate than ever. With Jamie Moyer's elbow issues, Phillies GM Ruben Amaro will be even more anxious to throw the kitchen sink at the Astros for Oswalt. And with Jayson Werth leaving Philadelphia considered to be a done deal, the Phils have plenty to offer Houston.

This could mean a trade deadline without the Yankees or Red Sox making the rest of the league jealous of their over-sized pocket books. It's like a summer where Will Smith and Johnny Depp both decide not to make a movie. That happened too? But seriously, how happy are Rays fans right now? It's gotta be something close to the satisfaction of watching the overweight bully in middle school get put in time out.

While on the topic of overweight bullies, maybe Prince Fielder and Adam Dunn will find new homes in a couple of days. The Nationals are in need of putting multiple pieces around Strasburg if they want to make his career mean something in D.C. And the Brewers' baseball relevance didn't last too long as they are back in rebuilding mode once again. Personally, I wouldn't be against seeing Fielder waddle around the bases down in Atlanta. But I suppose there's about as good a chance of that happening as FOX becoming a real news station.

Lord, beer me strength.