Never has an historical moment been less special.
From perfect games to hitting streaks and everything in between, milestones have become commonplace in Major League Baseball. However, the next history-making event that will take place is one that no one is talking about. And if anyone is talking about it, they are discussing how no one is talking about it.
A-Rod, you have no one to blame but yourself.
On the verge of being the seventh player in MLB history to reach the 600 home run plateau, Alex Rodriguez is arguably receiving the least fanfare and media coverage of the previous six to hit this mark. When he is getting the attention for this feat, it is stuffed in the middle of SportsCenter broadcasts, being seen as an afterthought rather than the extraordinary accomplishment it should be.
The reason A-Rod is not getting the focus from the media is simple: he took steroids.
Since the Yankees third baseman finally admitted in early 2009 that he did, in fact, use performance-enhancing drug during his time with the Texas Rangers, people have taken everything Rodriguez has said and done with a grain of salt.
Sure, he's hit 599 home runs, but could he have without the use of steroids? The time he spent in Texas were arguably his best years statistically, so there are some doubts. But this singular moment is much more than a statistical matter.
A-Rod is the first person to be in this historical position while it was fully known that he took steroids. He is chasing this monumental achievement, but the fans and the league know full well he used an outside advantage to get ahead. Barry Bonds went through similar circumstances, but he stood by his stance that he never used these PEDs. In A-Rod's case, it was a fact.
So, have people gotten behind him? Not really. Outside of the Bronx and its surrounding fanbase, you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who was cheering on the veteran slugger or even remotely caring about the eventful home run.
The media has acted likewise. They are covering the feat, but as minimally as possible. There has been some coverage, including at-bats that could be his 600th, discussion on his place in history, and so forth. However, in order for it to come to the forefront of sportscasts and news programs, he had to be at 599. Not 597. Not 598. He had to be as close as possible so the media could not use so much time on him. Maybe they don't want to cover someone who admitted to "cheating," but while it is official and legal, it has to be covered. It's a cross between human emotion and factual happenstance. It's big news, but not as big as it could have been.
Once Rodriguez hits the homer, then what? Things may get a little interesting once he approaches 700. With that figure being much closer to the overall record held by Bonds (or Hank Aaron, depending on who you ask), the coverage will increase. It used to be one of the most heralded records in sports, and still is to an extent, so not hopping along for the ride as a fan or a media outlet would be downright asinine.
Nevertheless, A-Rod is not getting the attention he so desperately craves, and it may be driving him nuts inside. But, he has to live with the consequences of his actions, and he'll get all the attention he wants once the numbers 714 and 755 come into play. It's just a matter of the attention being more positive or negative. Outside of the tri-state area, I'm going to with the latter.
You did this to yourself, Alex. But then again, you may not have hit this many home runs if you didn't do this to yourself in the first place. Quite the paradox, huh.
Such is life. And baseball.
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