46

So I’m driving home from vacation and turn on the Tigers-Twins game (thanks, XM) just in time to hear Jim Thome hit his 600th home run. I had to smile even though it was for Minnesota – though the fact that it came against first-place Detroit helped too.

Everything you hear about Thome is that he’s a great guy; he was the runaway leader for nicest guy in baseball in Sports Illustrated’s poll of ball players. And he’s never mentioned in connection with steroids unlike three of his fellow 600 Club members (Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriquez, and Sammy Sosa). At 40 years, 353 days, Thome is the oldest guy to hit 600, but did it in the second fewest at bats (8,137) behind Babe Ruth (6,921). For those of you who haven’t memorized the list the others are Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, and Ken Griffey, Jr.

For me, the Thome memory that stands out the most is his home run to win the tie-breaker game with the Twins, 1-0. That was the last time the White Sox made the post-season, though they’ve still got a chance this year.

While I was gone, the Sox played the bottom feeders – the fourth-place Twins, the last-place Orioles, and the last-place Royals – and won eight of ten games. (Check the back issues of The Update. The Sox always do well when I’m on vacation and not posting.) That brought them back to .500 and 3.5 games behind the Tigers. It’s the seventh time this season they’ve been at the break-even mark, with 0-0, 2-2, 7-7, 42-42, 43-43, and 52-52 being the others. Two surprises: that gap of 70 games between 7-7 and 42-42 and the fact that they haven’t been over .500 since April 15, when they were 7-6.

They say that every team wins 60 games and loses 60 games, but it’s what happens in those other 42 that makes the difference. Well, the Sox have won their 60 and lost their 60. Now, it’s time for the difference makers. I figure they need to win 87 to take the division, which means they have to go 27-15 the rest of the way. Tonight’s the night to start. Go Sox; Beat Cleveland!