As Albert Pujols nears 500 HRs, does anyone even care?
It's sure getting harder and harder to impress us these days.
Here we are, on the brink of one of the most magnificent milestones in all of sports, and it seems nobody cares.
Just 25 men in Major League Baseball history have ever hit 500 homers in their lifetime, and here's Los Angeles Angels first baseman Albert Pujols ready to join them after hitting No. 496 on Monday night.
Yet it's getting all of the acclaim of an NBA triple-double.
What has happened to us?
"I don't know what has happened.'' Hall of Fame president Jeff Idelson tells USA TODAY Sports. "It should be front and center. There have almost been 18,000 players who have played our game, and only 25 have hit 500 homers.
"We've had a string of power hitters achieve the mark in the past decade, but that shouldn't diminish how big of a mark it really is.''
The trouble, of course, is that the steroid era has dulled our senses and watered down the excitement.
Just four players hit 500 home runs by 1965, but in the last 15 years, 10 new members joined the 500 club.
We've seen the likes of Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Manny Ramirez, Rafael Palmeiro and Gary Sheffield all eclipse 500 home runs since 1999, and in some cases, 600 and 700 home runs.
We've also seen each of them test positive, or at least be strongly linked to performance-enhancing drugs.
The only players in the last seven years to eclipse 500 or more homers runs with no links to PEDs are Ken Griffey, Jr., Frank Thomas and Jim Thome.
Does anyone remember the moment Thomas hit his 500th homer? How about Griffey's 600th? Thome's?
Anyone?
"I don't think anyone realizes how big of a number 500 is,'' says Fred McGriff, who wound up with 493 home runs. "It's hard to hit 500 homers. But maybe because of the past and what's gone on, it's a little different now.
"I think with Pujols, it was going to be a no-brainer that he was going to hit 600 home runs. He should still get there.
"But now, everyone wants more.''
Let's face it, the only home run records anyone cares about belong to Barry Bonds.
Folks want to see Bonds wiped out of the record book.
We want someone to hit 74 home runs in a single season.
We want to someone hit 763 home runs for their career.
Well, as long as that someone isn't our active home-run leader, the guy hanging out in South Beach on his year-long vacation.
Sorry, we won't be rooting for Alex Rodriguez, who has 654 career homers and once was considered the heir apparent to the home run record before anyone ever heard of Biogenesis.
Rodriguez has a chance to break Bonds' record, but he turns 39 in July, and no one has ever hit 109 homers after the age of 39.
So we turn our eyes to Pujols. If he can average 34 homers in the final eight years of his contract, he can actually pull it off.
Pujols averaged 40 a season in 11 years with the St. Louis Cardinals, and has never hit fewer than 30 in a full season. Yet, he is 34 years old and missed 63 games last season with plantar fasciitis.
"I think we all thought Albert had a chance to hit 700 homers after seeing what he did in St. Louis,'' says McGriff, "but it's been tough for him out in L.A. Maybe that's why he's not getting the attention.
"I'm sure if he was still in St. Louis, they'd be blowing it up pretty good out there.''
Realistically, the only player currently in baseball with even a remote chance to break Bonds' record is Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers.
And, oh, does he have a long ways to go.
Cabrera, 30, with 366 career homers, still needs 397 more to break Bonds' all-time record.
Yet, if you compare Cabrera to Hank Aaron, whose 755 home runs stood as the record from 1974 to 2007, their career numbers are eerily similar at the same age. They have the same exact number of homers, while Cabrera has 47 more RBI with a .321 batting average to Aaron's .320.
"I think someone will come along and break the record,'' Aaron told USA TODAY Sports last month. "Records are meant to be broken. It doesn't matter who you are.''
The trouble is imagining Cabrera maintaining Aaron's consistency. Aaron averaged 37 homers a season for 10 years after turning 30, hitting 40 homers at the age of 39.
Cabrera, who just signed an eight-year, $240 million extension through 2023, must average 40 homers throughout his contract to have a shot.
So, if Cabrera stays healthy, consistent, and maintains his power, he could conceivably break the all-time home run record in 2023 or 2024.
Do we really have to hold our applause until then?
Shouldn't it be acceptable for baseball fans to recognize Pujols beyond a scant mention deep into a highlight show?
The Angels, who have started their scoreboard watch behind the last row of bleachers, have a celebration planned when Pujols becomes the first player since Reggie Jackson to hit his 500th homer in an Angels' uniform. Pujols plans to celebrate by donating several of his items from the 500th home-run game to the Baseball Hall of Fame Museum.
The least we can do is notice.
Follow MLB columnist Bob Nightengale on Twitter at @BNightengale.