Sammy Sosa hit his 600th home run last night. Regardless of what he may or may not have put into his body, this is still a great accomplishment. He joins only Aaron, Bonds, Mays, and Ruth as a member of the 600 home run club. As a Baltimore Oriole fan, it is suprising to see Sosa to return to his masher status considering he hit around .220 for the O-birds two years ago. Where were you then, Sammy?!
Anyway, I think Ken Griffey, Jr. hitting his 582nd home run is a much bigger accomplishment. Why? Because there is no doubt in anyone's mind that Griff NEVER used the juice. Not to mention, he will probably reach 600 this year, after (by my calculations) 2 1/2-3 years taken off of his career by injuries. He has always had the prettiest, most fluid swing ever since he entered the league with the Mariners...and his cap size or biceps have never changed. And how fitting is it that he is about to pass Mark McGwire on the all-time home run list? Big Mac is one of the poster boys of the steroid era, right up there with Bonds and Palmeiro. To see someone who everyone knows is clean about to pass him in the record books, and doing it the RIGHT way, is very refreshing and is GREAT for baseball.
It has been reported by ESPN and the Baltimore Sun that the O's have given Joe Girardi an offer for the managing position. I say that Girardi should grab the O's by their shorts and hold them hostage...it has been a very public ordeal...everyone KNOWS that the Orioles want Girardi...he's their man, especially with Andy MacPhail recently taking the COO position. The Orioles are required to give Girardi whatever he wants...the fans demand it. Hopefully he's stupid enough to take this job, 'cuz we'd love to have him in Birdland!
Speaking of the O's, why is nobody talking about Jeremy Guthrie? He is an All-Star caliber pitcher, with more moves on his two-seam fastball than Usher has on the dance floor. He also has the second lowest ERA since he began his work in the O's starting rotation. His record (3-1) may not suggest it, but he has held opponents to 2 earned runs or less in 9 of his last 10 starts, which includes the GEM he pitched on Mother's Day at Fenway Park...by my counts, he SHOULD be sitting at 9-1 (thank you, bullpen)...thank God All-Star voting for pitchers isn't left up to the fans, and, hopefully, the manager of the AL All-Star Team will recognize Guthrie's dominance of the league come early July. Cleveland, why did you let him go? Frankly, I don't care, but thanks for the gift!
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