What an Amazing Weekend to Be a Baseball Fan

Major League Baseball recently enjoyed one of its most historic weekends ever. Fans witnessed three major milestones in two frenzied days. Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, and Tom Glavine all secured their place in baseball history.

Alex Rodriguez got it all started on Saturday afternoon by belting his 500th career home run. Rodriguez is by far the youngest player to reach the five hundred home run plateau. Since entering the big leagues with Seattle in 1995, Rodriguez has been consistently excellent. The fact that Rodriguez is so good and so young makes people feel that Alex Rodriguez is just getting his home run barrage started.

Barry Bonds joined the fun Saturday evening, hitting his 755^th career home run. That pulled him even with Hank Aaron as baseball's all-time home run king. For the last few years, Bonds has pursued Aaron's record amid much controversy. The fact that he managed to hang in there and reach Aaron's home run total is a sign of his resilience.

On Sunday night, the historic weekend was capped off with Tom Glavine's 300^th career win. Glavine's feat is very impressive because he compiled these wins in what has become known as the 'hitter's era' in baseball. Smaller ball parks and many other factors have made life as a major league pitcher difficult. Glavine has been unaffected. Much like any player who reaches a major milestone, Glavine got there through longevity and consistency.

So, how exactly do these accomplishments rank amongst each other?

Alex Rodriguez's entrance into the 500 home run club is very impressive, especially when you consider his age. 500 home runs, however, is losing its luster. Already this season, Frank Thomas joined the 500 home run club and Jim Thome could join as well. The 'hitter's era' of baseball is producing a ridiculous number of players who will join the 500 home run club.

Tom Glavine's 300^th career win is an amazing feat and should be cherished by baseball fans because there's no telling when it will happen again. Randy Johnson is near 300 wins (he currently sits at 284), but his age and ailing back will likely prevent him from getting there. In this 'hitter's era' of baseball, it will become more and more rare to see a pitcher reach a milestone.

The most impressive feat of the weekend, however, belongs to Barry Bonds. Whether you love him or hate him, 755 home runs is something you just don't see too often. Alex Rodriguez figures to be the only active player who could feasibly make a run at Bonds on the all-time home run list and he's still more than 250 home runs behind. It is unfortunate that Bonds' polarizing personality and off-field controversies have taken away from his amazing accomplishment.

One of the fun things about baseball is debating how various accomplishments stack up against each other. This weekend's events have given baseball fans a lot to discuss. The first weekend in August of 2007 will long be remembered and talked about by baseball fans.