600 is the loneliest number for Alex Rodriguez

The number 600 seems awfully lonely these days. No matter how hard it tries, nobody seems to care quite enough about it.

Alex Rodriguez has, as we stand today, 598 career home runs. That is two shy of the magic number, but you wouldn’t necessarily know that unless you are the hardest of hardcore baseball fans.

That is because seemingly nobody is talking about it. The “countdown” has been nonexistent, which is really quite strange since one need look no further than the single-season chase of Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa in 1998, and again in 2007 with Barry Bonds, to see how obsessive baseball culture can be when it comes to counting down home run milestones.

Even Rodriguez’s 2007 season, which saw him closing in on the 500 homer milestone, resulted in New York tabloids using entire pages, or even sections, to chronicle the chase. A glance at the Daily News’ Web site on Monday had two mentions of A-Rod’s current chase: A small graphic on the bottom-left corner of the site and a headline in the news stack buried lower than, among other things, a story about the New Jersey Devils as well as retired hoops stars Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley.

What gives?

The revelation of rampant steroid use is surely one reason. Modern feats don’t seem nearly as impressive when they are artificially enhanced; it’s the reason so many fans around the world were outraged when a cartoonishly beefed-up Bonds broke the career home run mark. And unlike Bonds, Rodriguez has openly admitted steroid use during his career, leaving no doubt that some of his career totals are inflated.

Of course Rodriguez’s reputation — both on and off the field — precedes him. However, the real reason that Rodriguez is approaching this milestone with such little acclaim is thanks to the team he plays for.

The Yankees have always been about winning, first and foremost. That’s what sells tickets at home. Upon entering Yankee Stadium, the first thing that comes into sight is the No. 27 alongside the Yankees insignia. If you didn’t know how many championships the Bombers have before coming, well you certainly will by the time you leave.

The culture has always been about winning with the Yankees, but now, as they try to win the second of back-to-back titles that the team hopes will propel it to yet another dynasty, everyone on the team seems to be putting aside all personal goals. Derek Jeter is closing in on 3,000 hits (although it is highly unlikely he will get there before sometime early next year), and Andy Pettitte is approaching 250 career wins as well. Ask either of them, and it would be the furthest thing from their mind.

A-Rod has gone through a plethora of personal issues since that day almost three years ago when he blasted long ball No. 500.

• He went through a highly publicized and messy divorce.
• He divulged his steroid use to a national audience.
• Then, he became a postseason hero, and eventual World Series champion.

I believe that the order in which those things happened, followed by the anonymity of his milestone chase, is no small coincidence. Before he had a World Series ring to his name, Alex Rodriguez was the ultimate “me” player. That has changed with a championship; it was seemingly the height Rodriguez needed to attain for him to shed his ego.

Since then, the scandalous tabloid headlines have dwindled, and generally speaking, the only news you hear about A-Rod is positive news. Except of course for the chase for 600. And for that he has his maturity, and the Yankees, to thank.