Pretty decent piece by
Jonah Keri on Grantland today. The case, in a nutshell, is that we need new statistical milestones. Here's a quote (I added the emphasis):
Derek Jeter is the spawn of Zeus, riding a lightning bolt of greatness down from Mount Olympus to enrich our excruciating daily existence. His 3,000th hit was a gift to all of humanity, a moment that temporarily ended all wars, solved world hunger, and gave us the greatest gift of all: umpires who don't have their heads six feet up their own asses.
But that's Jeter. On the day he retires, he'll go down as one of the greatest players ever to play the game, perhaps the third-best shortstop. Derek Jeter was an all-time great long before he cracked his 3,000th hit.
Not so for other players creeping up on that number. If Johnny Damon plays two more seasons, he stands a chance to reach 3,000. If teams keep finding reasons to play Omar Vizquel, he could hit 3,000 by his 48th birthday. Unless you bet on baseball or get busted for steroids, 3,000 hits earn you automatic induction into the Hall of Fame, and a taste of immortality. A decade from now, we could be admiring bronze plaques for Damon and Vizquel alongside those of Ruth and Mays.
A little smarmy at first, but I think it's a solid point. Players are, I think, probably playing longer, and some of these grand milestones are far less grand. A lot of these numbers have been hit as much by players in the last 20 years as they had in the 70 or 80 years before (depending on the specific number and time frame, but you get the idea).
Anyway, 3,000 hits ain't what it used to be. But 3,500, or whatever Jeter might end up with, would be a fair sight more impressive. But you've simply got to dock him for the way he's atrophied in shortstop (even compared to his mediocrity there in most of his prime), and the fact that, to get there, he'll probably have to keep playing even though he's become a liability.