600 home runs just aren’t what they used to be

Alex Rodriguez rounded first base in the first inning on Wednesday afternoon after watching his 600th home run ball sail into Monument Park at Yankee Stadium. No fans could reach it. That meant the precious piece of cowhide was his, free of cost.

A-Rod’s reaction to this moment? He glanced into the Yankees dugout and shrugged sheepishly, a fitting reaction for a player who has garnered so much criticism, especially over the last half-decade of his career in Pinstripes.

As he took the field in the second inning, the fans who had paid good money to see history gave him a rousing ovation. Reluctantly, Rodriguez waved at the crowd and looked down. As the applause reached a crescendo, Rodriguez removed his hat and waved it dismissively at the crowd that wanted so much to celebrate a moment, a moment that is — and will continue to be — shrouded in controversy.

For someone who will indelibly become the face of the Steroid Era, Rodriguez’s indifferent response was both appropriate and revealing. Only six other men in history (and .05 percent of people ever to put on a Major League Baseball uniform) had ever attained the milestone he had just reached. And yet, Rodriguez seemed merely relieved and aloof, much like most of the baseball world was now that he had (finally) gotten there.

Flash back three years to the day of his 600th homer when A-Rod reached the 500 home run club, and we’ll see odd symmetry between the two days. Back on August 4, 2007, Phil Hughes was starting for the Yanks in a day game in the Bronx, just like Wednesday. Alex Rodriguez had similarly struggled through several at-bats since home run No. 499, and appeared to be pressing as he approached the hallowed 500th home run. Then, in the first inning, he connected for a home run that sent the fans into frenzy. Only this time, A-Rod, seemed like a jubilant schoolboy who had just homered to give his team a win at the local Little League field. He smiled and soaked the moment in, absorbing the crowd’s cheers like they were blasts or freezing cold water sprayed from a Super Soaker in the dog days of the New York summer.

He acted, in his words, ‘like a goofball rounding the bases.’

Now, back to this Wednesday once again. Alex Rodriguez seemed to forget about his home run just about as quickly as the ball left his bat and was deposited over the center field fence. One can’t help but ask: Why the subdued celebration, Alex? You only hit your 600th home run once, right?

There are several reasons for his behavior, but most fans would point to the moment in 2009 when Rodriguez admitted steroid use over a three-year portion of his career. Now his home run milestones don’t have the same meaning. The Rodriguez that hit home run No. 500 had not yet admitted using performance enhancers nor won a World Series yet. Now, his hunger to win another title outweighed his tendencies towards vanity and self-absorption (apparently, winning a World Series with the Yankees is all it takes to change one’s perspective on life, team and individual accomplishments).

Rodriguez, both before and after home run No. 600, referenced being in a “different place now” than he was three years ago.

Of course none of us can truly dissect and analyze Rodriguez’s motives without actually reading his mind. All we can do is sit back, watch and decide for ourselves whether or not this matters in the grand scheme of baseball history.

Thankfully, we have Rodriguez’s shoulder shrug to help us navigate our way to a verdict.

Tags: 600 home runs, Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees