Jim Thome 600 Home Runs!

Jim Thome. Congratulations on becoming the eighth member of the 600 home run club!

Here comes the truth. I didn't know about Jim Thome before he came to Minnesota. I had never heard his name, or if I had, it didn't register. I know, I know... and I call myself a baseball fan. Jim Thome deserves better.

I was watching on Monday night when the Twins caged the Tigers and Thome hit his 599th and 600th. It was great, so awesome to watch. I got to thinking about Thome and the legacy he is living and the era during which he is living it. Last year Rodriguez hit his 600th home run while Jeter hit his 3,000th hit this year. From the media craze, you would think neither one of those great accomplishments (yes, they are great) had ever happened before. The attention granted to these two players was overwhelming and held spots on ESPN for days if not weeks.

I had heard of Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez and not because of their accomplishments alone, but because of the media. From what I understand, Jeter is a great guy both on and off the field; I am not trying to take away from that. No, I am attempting to draw, what should be a parallel between all great players.

What Thome does, he does so well and because of that, deserves more of a 'congratualtions'; Thome deserves the respect of baseball fans across the nation. As a baseball fan myself, I will try to do the same for the greats of other teams. After all... that's what Jim Thome would do.

Please, celebrate Derek Jeter, but don't forget to celebrate the accomplishments of Thome and players like Thome. Jeter said this of Thome and his 600th, "I was happy for him. That's quite an accomplishment; 600 home runs. Jim is one of the nicest guys you'll meet in baseball. I've played against him for what seems like forever. It's something he should be extremely proud of. You can't say enough good things about his as a person. He's a great player and a good guy." Though Jeter himself sent 'congratulations' Thome's way,  it appears that too often the boy next door is overshadowed. This is a clear indication of that.

Every interview conducted and every article written about Thome and his 600th home run talks of his outstanding demeanor, his overall kindness and competitiveness. Thome is the all-around package and deserves every bit of fame and support for the rest of his career and beyond.

ARod also sent a 'congratulations' to Thome, but that mostly just makes me mad so I'll only mention it.

The only disappointing aspect of this story is that you can now place Thome in the same breath as Bonds, Rodriguez and Sosa. Despite everything, Thome is seen as guilty by association because the aforementioned three had to go and blow it for the rest of the MLB's greatest home run hitters.

Despite that association, I believe Thome will go down as one of the greatest players both on and off the field that has played the game of baseball.

Hey Rodriguez, you wanna bet on it?

Let's continue the discussion of media bias later. Right now, let's just wish Thome the best while making it clear that no other player deserves the attention more than Jim Thome of the Minnesota Twins. Congratulations, Thome.