Do You Appreciate 600?

I thought I made my post about Ken Griffey Junior’s achievement, but I have more to say. I know that this is supposed to be a happy, celebratory, moment. If anyone has ever deserved this, it’s him. It’s the crowning moment of a brilliant career. So why do I feel so somber?

There was something almost surreal about the game. I tuned in to watch Edinson Volquez do something special, and instead I was greeted with history. I consider myself somewhat of a baseball junkie, I write about it for free - if that tells you anything about my dedication- and my motives behind tuning in had nothing to do with a man sitting on the cusp of defining his brilliance. Only six men have reached this platoo, yet it seemed that no one cared.

I know this happened on the road, but I’m not sure it would have been much different if it occurred in Cincinnati. I wasn’t expecting time to stop like it did for Cal Ripken or Mark McGwire, but I was expecting something, anything. Yet, there was nothing. If you had got to the stadium or tuned in late, you wouldn’t have even known it happened. The game didn’t stop, there was no speech, and the crowd didn’t go particularly crazy, even the scuffle for the souvenir ball was minimal. It was like, well, it was just another day at the office.

Does anyone realize the impact of this moment? We’re talking about 600 homeruns. We’re talking about one of the greatest players the game has ever seen reaching a major milestone. There should have been something: a firework, a balloon, anything. It just seemed disrespectful. This is a milestone that was considered impenetrable just a decade ago. Have we gotten to the point where these things just don’t matter? Have so many power records fallen over the last decade that this all seems routine now? Has the parade of players blown up players spoiled us, the baseball fan, to the point that we no longer appreciate things that are truly special?

It’s a shame that Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and Barry Bond’s assault on the record book has made it so that we don’t really appreciate the truly special athletes anymore. Yes, if Griffey had stayed healthy he would have likely been approaching a much more sacred milestone last night, and this adds to the somberness of the moment. But this was the pursuit of a real athlete, not one that was created in a laboratory like Frankenstein. Unfortunately Victor Conte and his associates have created an atmosphere where we no longer recognize the precious moments unfolding before our eyes.

Why should anyone care about 600 when we just got done watching 755 fall? 600 is routine, it’s went down three times in the last decade. The thing is, after Alex Rodriguez gets done, it may be a long time before another player approaches the mark. Especially considering that MLB is cracking down on the use of PEDs. It may take some time, but one day people will truly appreciate what happened on June 9, 2008 when Griffey turned on the curve ball offered to him by Mark Hendrickson.

If the game had been played on a level playing field over the last 20 years, the all-time homerun list would likely read: Hank Aaron 755, Babe Ruth 714, Willie Mays 660, Ken Griffey Jr. 600. I don’t know if anyone can truly appreciate that, but if nothing else, hopefully people remember who did it the right way, and who didn’t. I’ll take Ken’s 600 over Barry’s 762 any day.

Who knows, if Griffey can find a little luck, something that has eluded him throughout his career, he has an outside shot at reaching 700. He’s already 38, and his production has slowed considerably, but if he decides to stick around for four or five more years he could easily join Ruth and Aaron at 700.

Oh, yeah, and Bonds too.

See Also: Ken Griffey Jr. Hits 600 (Video)
What Should have Been: Ken Griffey Jr.