Breaking the Records

I think it would be safe to say that 25-year-old Cleveland Indians center fielder Michael Brantley will never be a household name as a baseball player like Joe DiMaggio is. But in as little as 34 games from now, he might just be mentioned in the same breath as the legendary Yankees outfielder for many baseball years to come.

There are many numbers in baseball that we all recognize immediately and know what they mean. 2,141, 715, 755, 762, 61*, 70, 1947, 1908, 4,256, 511, 42 and last but not least, 56

56 is Joe DiMaggio's hit streak number, and Brantley is the player who has come closest to reaching that number this season. You may say "C'mon, Brad, Brantley's current hit streak is only at 22 games, you can't possibly think he'd break that record at this point." Lots of guys get to 22 game streaks, and no one has come close to 56 in a row in many years.

The point I'm trying to make here is not that I think Brantley will break the record, but I want to know how you would feel if he actually did? Wouldn't that kind of be a bummer? Wouldn't that just feel weird? A mediocre player on a mediocre team breaks the long-cherished record of one of the games all-time greats? I mean, i think its completely possible. Just go out and get a hit. It's one of those records that doesn't take an entire, spectacular career to achieve. It just takes being spectacular for two months.

It makes me understand how people felt about Rodger Maris breaking Babe Ruth's record of 60 homers in a season. The Babe was a legend, and to have his record fall to this guy, not even the star player on his own team at the time, I can see where the derision came from.

Will Michael Brantley break the record? I highly doubt it, and if he did, I think we'd all feel kind of weird about it. The last person to seriously challenge the record was Pete Rose, when he it safely in 44 straight. He was the Hit King. If he would have broken it, that would have made sense. So not to knock on Michael Brantley, but...HIM? Say it ain't so.

I suppose if he did break it, that maybe he would become a household name among baseball fans. Maybe he would become huge star? It's hard to say would become of Michael Brantley if he did it. Perhaps in 20 years, it would make sense that he broke the record? Only time will tell.