Thome Hits 600th HR, Goes Virtually Unnoticed

When Barry Bonds hit his record breaking HR, cameras were flashing and it was an absolutely media circus.



When Derek Jeter hit his 3,000th hit, again it was another media circus covered by all sporting outlets everywhere.



But when former Phillies Jim Thome hit his 600th homerun last week, only the eighth player in MLB player to do so, it was almost as if it went unnoticed.



I think that for the most part, we sadly value the flashy athletes who make a lot of noise on and off the field and fail to give proper recognition to a guy who like Jim Thome who is one of the best guys in all of baseball. Thome never did steroids, never got into trouble off the field, and is one of the most humble guys to ever play the game. He respects his opponents and his opponents respect him. He has the admiration of both former and current players and yet the days leading up to his record breaking night were barely even covered on ESPN.



Sadly in this day and age we value athletes like TO and Ochocinco because they are at the end of the day entertaining. Their antics on and off the field keep us guessing and we like to watch and stay entertained.



In reality we should value an athlete like Jim Thome because he plays the game the right way and shows us how to lead our lives as well. He is a family man, a humanitarian and is one of the most respectable players in the game today.



I remember being bat boy one year in Spring Training and talking to Jim Thome in the dugout. I was in awe as he was at the time of my favorite players. He politely told me to tuck in my shirt as only a true gentleman would.



Thome’s time in Philadelphia was a special time. He ushered in a new era as the leader of the the Phils as they settled into their new home at Citizens Bank Park. He hit his 400th homerun with the Phils and he began to make baseball in Philadelphia respectable again. Thome was the Phillies first big free agent signee in a while and it was a statement by the Phillies front office that they were beginning to get serious about winning. People got interested in the Phillies once again and Thome was a big part of that.



After hitting homerun number 600, Thome credited Charlie Manuel as one of the greatest influences in his career. He credits Charlie for instilling a strong work ethic in him and always believing that he could be great. Manuel was Thome’s manager in Cleveland and also in Philadelphia and clearly Manuel had a big impact on Thome’s career.



Unfortunately not many people were even aware that Thome was going for his record breaking 600th homerun. It went under the radar because Thome is not a flashy all-about-me athlete. He is humble and respectable and it is sad that we are not teaching our kids to model their games and lives after a guy like Thome. We know who TO and Barry Bonds are, but some people have no clue who future hall of famer Jim Thome is. He is one of the best homerun hitters of all time and one of the best guys to ever play the game.



On Monday the Minnesota Twins placed Jim Thome on trade waivers. According to Jim Salisbury of csnphilly.com,



“Thome would have to get past 28 teams on waivers before the Phillies could put in a claim. It is likely some contending team would have an interest in adding Thome’s bat and put in a claim. Thome does have a no-trade clause, so he could refuse to go to the team that claimed him.”



Thome’s no-trade clause is key. Even though the Phillies are so far down on the list, Thome can reject any deal and he is reportedly interested in re-uniting with his former team to make a World Series run.



Although it is somewhat unlikely, I would love to have Jim Thome coming off the bench as a pinch hit power threat. The Phillies have until August 31st to acquire Thome who could add to this already potent offense.