Experiencing History. Thome's 600th Homer.

Willie Mays, Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and Ken Griffey Jr., these are the names that will forever be engrained in baseball fans minds. Those four men are all members of the 600 Home Run Club, and the only four without links to steroids.

The addition of Jim Thome brings that number to five. 

It was a homer that put the game well out of reach, but the fans in Comerica Park stood and game the Minnesota Twins slugger Jim Thome a well-deserved ovation, he had just made history. He became just the eight player in the history of the game to hit 600 career home runs. Seeing something like that in person is a one in a lifetime event, and I can count myself as one of those who was there.

Thome has been in the league for twenty seasons, jumping from team to team but in almost every stop setting home run records. He holds the record for most home runs for both the Cleveland Indians and the Chicago White Sox. In each of his stops he brought his blue-collar attitude and just put his head down and played the game as it should be played.

The burden that Thome will have to bear is that he played through a dark time in baseball; the steroid era. This era has tainted so many to have come out of it and it is still being felt today. In 2010, Jose Bautista came from nowhere to hit 50+ home runs and the first thing many thought was; is he on steroids?

Thome has never had that shadow cast over him and for good reason, he has stated that his father had told him if he ever took steroids that he would beat him. That's the mentality that more players need to have in this day.

While he has never been in the spotlight for very long, Thome is without question a future Hall of Famer. He has gone into every clubhouse and he has made it better. Teammates and opponents alike both characterize Thome as one of the nicest people in the league. Thome responded to this characterization by saying he treats people the way he expects to be treated.

At his press conference following the game Thome again showed his true colors when he said; "If you dream big enough, there's nothing you can't do."

Not only is this man kind and a great teammate, he is a great family man as well. Following his 600th blast to left field at Comerica Park he was greeted at home plate by his wife and children and his father. The man who had threatened to beat him if he ever took steroids was able to embrace his son who had just passed into history.

Maybe if Thome had played in New York or Boston people would be more excited about his accomplishment, but having watched him demolish my Tigers for my entire life I can say I am proud to have been in the crowd when he reached that mark. 

Congratulations Jim, you deserve it.

"Remember kid, there's heroes and there's legends. Heroes get remembered, but legends never die."