August 17th update

Jim Thome Joins Elite Group

• Jim Thome of the Minnesota Twins, became the 8th player in Major League Baseball history to hit 600 home runs on Monday night. He joins an elite group of power hitters in the lore of baseball history (Aaron, Bonds, Ruth, Mays, Griffey, Sosa and Rodriguez... the list isn't long).
• For most of the history of baseball the 600 home run club has been almost mythical, but with the explosion of steroids in the 90's the feat has been somewhat cheapened. From 1876 to 2002 only 3 players reached that plateau. Thome becomes the 5th player since then to hit his 600th. Of those 5 players, only Thome and Ken Griffey Jr. have never had any rumors of steroid use which makes his accomplishment even more extraordinary.
• Thome will make it into the MLB Hall of Fame soon after he retires. On the field, he will be remembered as one of the all-time great mashers, but off the field his enduring legacy is as one of the nicest players in baseball, a true class act. The outpouring of affection for Thome from friends and former teammates has been incomparable and he has been visibly touched.
• Thome has returned the favor, speaking favorably about many who helped him reach his milestone, including current Phillies manager Charlie Manuel who actually managed Thome twice; once in Philadelphia and once when they were both in the Cleveland Indians' minor league system about 20 years ago.


Wednesday spotlight: Chris Johnson

• Although he was barely recruited coming out of high school and only drafted at the end of the first round because of a record-breaking 40 yard dash time, Chris Johnson seems set to become the highest paid RB in the NFL.
• The Tennessee Titans intended to use Johnson as the speed half of their "Smash and Dash" duo with LenDale White providing the yin to Johnson's yang when they drafted him out of East Carolina in 2008. However, White struggled with conditioning and Johnson immediately played too well to split time. With Incredible Flash caliber speed being his primary weapon, Johnson became only the sixth player to rush for 2000 yards finishing with 2006 rush yards in 2009 as well as a record setting 2509 yards from scrimmage (rushing + receiving yards).
• Last year he finished with a "modest" 11 TD and 1364 rushing yards, which placed him only 7 yards from 3rd place in the NFL. This brings us to his contract situation, where his attitude is probably worded best by Cuba Gooding Jr's character in Jerry Maguire (and rightfully so).
• Despite being one of the best young players in the NFL, Johnson's base salary is only $800'000 for 2011, which is dwarfed by other RB's salaries, such as Adrian Peterson will be making $10.2 million this year.
• The Titans have offered him a deal that would make him the highest paid RB ever, but that's not enough apparently as Johnson wants to be paid in the $13 million range according to multiple sources. Will the Titans pay? It's worth noting that they cut ties with former "franchise" player Vince Young after he got on the owner's bad side, although our guess is that Tennessee and Johnson will come to an agreement in the coming days.