Congratulations are in order, I guess. Sammy Sosa blasted his 600th HR last night and now he pretty much has to go into the Hall of Fame, right? Or not. 600 home runs doesn't mean what it used to.
He's only the fifth player to reach 600 and the first three to do it were immortals: Aaron, Ruth, and Mays. The problem is the fourth (and fifth ... though probably not the sixth*) to do it is as much the product of shady science as he is talent and effort. Hard to applaud known cheaters just because they're getting away it.
So Sosa cracks 600 and Bonds will get 756 sometime this summer ... and all I can think about is whether the records should get an asterisk next to them, or if the typographical dagger† would be more appropriate.
* Ken Griffey, Jr. will probably be the sixth and while he's played through the era, I don't think there's widespread suspicion around him. At least not as much as around A-Rod.
† Because it looks like a syringe.
