500 HR Club Gains 25th and Most Hated Member

Friday, as Brewers reliever Mitch Stetter hung his head in dejection and Citi Field patrons temporarily rose from their $500 seats, Gary Antonian Sheffield became the 25th - and undeniably most hated - member of the 500 homerun club. Not to take anything away from a rare accomplishment itself; many former big leaguers would’ve killed for 500 hits, let alone homers. But watching Sheffield raise his arms triumphantly whilst breaking into his 500th unimpeded roundtrip jog about the bases, and seeing him barraged by the cheers of his new home fans (fans who likely despised him when he wore his seven previous uniforms) as he took his curtain call, I stopped to wonder… why does this matter? Is it the number 500, a once largely insurmountable...