Getting to 500

In the next few days Manny will reach the magic plateau for getting in the Hall (not like he didn’t belong there already, mind you). Ramirez currently has 496 home runs; this tally becoming evident when in the eighth inning his blasted shot went over the wall like the 495 before it.

I’ve always been amazed at Manny’s power. Even to opposite field, this guy has always been a true power hitter. And, it should be mentioned, without being brought into the scandal of steroids. In Tom Verducci’s piece for SI.com, he points to Griffey Jr. and Frank Thomas, two players in particular who have risen above the scandal and become the true Hall of Famers in an otherwise scandalous era. While I’m not 100% convinced that Griffey is safe from eventual scrutiny (or found documents suggesting he did something), I do believe that it’s time to recognize that there still exists (and always have) players who can play at such a high level without succumbing to the evils of PEDs.

I’m not sure that Manny will play out the full extent of his next contract, regardless of where he signs, but I am pretty sure that he’ll get to his personal goal of 600 home runs.