Jim Thome Hits 600th Home Run

    Bravo Jim, Bravo!  Too bad ESPN didn't give you the proper coverage of this elite feat like they did for Sosa and A-Rod's 600th or Derek Jeter's 3,000th hit.  It may have to do with Thome never playing in a big sports market like New York or maybe it is because he hit the majority of his home runs during the height of the steroid era.
    Only eight players have ever hit 600 home runs yet we barely heard anything leading up to this historical night for Jim Thome.  We were spoon fed Jeter's road to 3,000 even when he was 20+ hits away.  Why is it that we weren't paying more attention to Jim Thome's road to 600?  He has never tested positive for steroids.  Only Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Alex Rodriguez, Sammy Sosa and Ken Griffey Jr. have accomplished this feat before.  28 players have reached 3,000 hits yet ESPN, and sports media in general, didn't track this accomplishment as if it were as important as Jeter's accomplishment.
    Some people will assume Thome "juiced" since he hit most of his home runs during the height of the steroid era and because he is built like a brick shit house.  But facts are facts.  He has never tested positive for steroids and just hit his 600th home run to be one of seven other guys to do so.  Three other guys in the 600 home run club have either tested positive for steroids or are viewed in the public eye as "juicers".  Those names would be Alex Rodriguez, Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds.  That leaves Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and Ken Griffey Jr., all of whom are baseball gods.  We don't view Jim Thome anywhere close to a baseball god.  Maybe it is because he played most of his career in Cleveland and never got the chance to shine under the bright lights in a city like LA, NY or Boston while he was in his prime.
    Whatever the case may be, ESPN did baseball an injustice by not tracking this incredible achievement as much as they should have.  Perhaps they thought that if they do give this tons of coverage and come to find out Thome was on steroids, both ESPN and MLB would look foolish and be setting a bad example for the kids.  But for now, MLB and ESPN should be ashamed of themselves for not giving Thome the same attention they gave Sosa and A-Rod when they approached the 600 mark.  Players across the league, including WEEI's Lou Merloni, have all said Thome is THE nicest guy in baseball and is a class act.  Too bad ESPN and MLB didn't treat him with the respect he deserves.  This is a truly incredible accomplishment that deserved a lot more media coverage.

    Bonds, Aaron, Ruth, Mays, Sosa, Rodriguez, Griffey Jr., and now THOME.  Cherish this moment because we may not have another 600 home run club member for a long time.  The next possible candidate is Albert Pujols who currently sits at 437 home runs.  Congrats again Jim!