Allan H. (Bud) Selig, Commissioner
245 Park Avenue, 31st Floor
New York, NY 10167
(212) 931-3800
Dear Mr. Commissioner:
This weekend, packed full of individual milestones, received much attention and scrutiny. Everything associated with Barry Bonds tying Hank Aaron’s record has been analyzed and re-analyzed for the better part of the last two years, especially when Bonds has been healthy. Alex Rodriguez’s 500th homerun was quite the story as well. It all developed with the special balls being used for both milestones, and the rainout game that would’ve meant Rodriguez’ 499th in Kansas City was technically his 500th.
Well, the makeup game came and went, ironically right in the middle of long homerless streak for Rodriguez, pitting him once more against the Royals in search of longball number 500. This time, obviously, he got it. Another interesting tidbit about the whole thing is that Rodriguez’s first major-league homerun came against, none other than, the Royals. Also in the mix was Tom Glavine, seeking his 300th victory, a feat he finally achieved on Sunday, but not before the media finally had a small field day with him being stuck on 299. Throw in the fact that he’s a lefty, and his company becomes even more elite.If you break it all down to sole achievement though, nobody’s feat is as big as Pete Rose’s eclipsing Ty Cobb’s hit record. He did it as a switch-hitter, without steroids, and not in an age where homeruns likely happen three times more frequently than they used to. He did it in an era saturated with humility and steamrolled beyond the immediate thresholds of the previous mark. Those two facts alone are worth considering his re-connection with the game.
Pete Rose. Cooperstown. Today they are their own sentences. It would be nice to see them joined as one.
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