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Last summer's storied home run race between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa will, almost without a doubt, be considered the most remarkable finish to a season in the history of the game. But now that Big Mac is the single-season home run king and will probably be around only a few more years, that leaves what some would call the most historic baseball record, the career home run mark of 755 set by Hank Aaron, who, interestingly enough, never hit 50 or more long balls in a season.
The other day while in an out-of-town collectibles shop in search of McGwire and Sosa figurines, I stumbled across the July issue of Beckett Sports Collectibles and Autographs. On the front cover was a list of numbers and a photo of Ken Griffey Jr. These numbers are the projected stats, calculated by the guys at Beckett, for Junior at the conclusion of the 2009 season.
The numbers indicate that Junior, after 21 seasons, will finish his career with 771 home runs, 2,236 RBIs, 690 doubles, 3,302 hits and a lifetime batting average of .306.
For someone to hit 771 home runs in a career seems somewhat farfetched. Well, maybe not after last year, but to tell you the truth, I'm all for it.
You see, right now Junior is closing in on 400 career home runs. If he stays around for 10 more years and hits the projected 771, he could average just 40 ding-dongs a year and still get close to 800.
Don't get me wrong. When Babe Ruth hit 60 homers some 70 years ago, it was the greatest thing to happen to our nation's pastime. It was even more impressive for Roger Maris to smash 61 in 1961. For McGwire and Sosa to launch 70 and 66 is almost unthinkable.
Sosa already has hit the 30 mark this year. If the 29- year-old Cub, who is on pace to match the 66 he hit last summer, goes into a streak like he did in June 1998 when he hit 20 home runs, he'll be pushing to break McGwire's mark of 70 ... one year later.
I don't think the baseball world can handle the single-season record falling after just one year. These 60-home run seasons are going to happen all too often from here on out. And if that happens, what McGwire and Sosa did last season wouldn't amount to a hill of beans.
It's like I was telling a friend the other day. The first time you ride that seven-loop roller coaster, all these emotions are running through your body and it's just the greatest feeling. Once you get that first time under your belt, you're ready to go again and again and again. And by the time you've ridden 10 times it doesn't mean anything.
And in a way that's what's happening to baseball. Besides Sosa's 32 home runs, Jose Canseco has 30 and Griffey Jr. 28 as we close in on the All-Star break. And we can't forget McGwire and Houston's Jeff Bagwell, who have 26. And the sad thing is, it won't be anything new in a couple of years when these gargantuous, lumber-swinging men are pushing 40-plus home runs by the All-Star break.
And that's what would make Griffey Jr. breaking "Hammerin' Hank's" record so special. For one thing, it would be a breath of fresh air. You know, something different. And two, the career mark is all about consistency. The most home runs Aaron ever had in a season was 49. He has to be considered the greatest home run hitter of all time because he did it over the course of his career, not just one magical season of 70.
So Junior, aim for the fences, but let the record come to you and you'll go down as the greatest home run hitter of all time. And you don't even have to hit 71 home runs in one summer.
I just pray that nobody ever breaks Cy Young's record for most pitching wins, Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak, Pete Rose's record for hits in a career, or even Cal Ripken's iron man streak of 2,632 consecutive games played. That's a roller coaster I couldn't bring myself to ride.
