661

History was made last night. Alex Rodriguez hit home run number 661, moving him past Willie Mays and into sole possession of 4th place all time. 

It's been a bumpy ride of late for Rodriguez, serving his year long suspension last year for a positive steroid test. Then with the Yankees vowing not to pay him his bonuses for when he hit 660 & 661. For an athlete that could never stay out of the medias eye, he has done a remarkable job keeping calm and contributing at the ripe age of "almost 40." 

As a diehard Yankees fan, I've always loved A-Rod, the numbers he put up with the team, leading them to the World Series in 2009, and always being a great teammate. I grew up with he and Jeter on that side of the infield. The steroids hit me pretty hard, I guess you could say he was something of an idol to me prior to that. 

I still like A-Rod and think he's still got it, for the first time in years he has something to prove, he wants to show everyone age doesn't matter yet, and that he doesn't need performance enhancers. Regardless, Rodriguez was the single most gifted and talented baseball player in the modern era. Steroids don't make you hit home runs, you still have to have the ability to time a 96 mph fastball and hit it. Steroids just improve your focus and increase your muscle tone. 

 

There will never be another A-Rod, for better or worse, he changed the game. 

But as a Yankee fan, and a fan or baseball. Keep hitting Alex, keep hitting