When Alex Rodriguez passes Willie Mays in home runs ...

It may happen this weekend at Yankee Stadium against the Mets.  If so, Yankee fans will undoubtedly stand and cheer.  A lot.  Especially if it helps to drive the Mets back into oblivion.

Rk	Player	HR	From	To	Age	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	RBI	BB	IBB	SO	HBP	SH	SF	GDP	SB	CS	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	Pos	Tm
1	Barry Bonds	762	1986	2007	21-42	2986	12606	9847	2227	2935	601	77	1996	2558	688	1539	106	4	91	165	514	141	.298	.444	.607	1.051	*78H/D9	PIT-SFG
2	Hank Aaron	755	1954	1976	20-42	3298	13941	12364	2174	3771	624	98	2297	1402	293	1383	32	21	121	328	240	73	.305	.374	.555	.928	*9783DH/45	MLN-ATL-MIL
3	Babe Ruth	714	1914	1935	19-40	2504	10622	8399	2174	2873	506	136	2214	2062		1330	43	113		2	123	117	.342	.474	.690	1.164	971/H83	BOS-NYY-BSN
4	Willie Mays	660	1951	1973	20-42	2992	12496	10881	2062	3283	523	140	1903	1464	192	1526	44	13	91	251	338	103	.302	.384	.557	.941	*8H/39675	NYG-SFG-NYM
5	Alex Rodriguez	658	1994	2015	18-39	2583	11406	9867	1930	2952	522	30	1980	1253	92	2092	169	16	101	240	322	76	.299	.384	.558	.942	65D/H3	SEA-TEX-NYY
6	Ken Griffey	630	1989	2010	19-40	2671	11304	9801	1662	2781	524	38	1836	1312	246	1779	81	8	102	199	184	69	.284	.370	.538	.907	*89DH/73	SEA-CHW-CIN
7	Jim Thome	612	1991	2012	20-41	2543	10313	8422	1583	2328	451	26	1699	1747	173	2548	69	1	74	165	19	20	.276	.402	.554	.956	3D5H	CLE-PHI-CHW-LAD-MIN-BAL
8	Sammy Sosa	609	1989	2007	20-38	2354	9896	8813	1475	2408	379	45	1667	929	154	2306	59	17	78	202	234	107	.273	.344	.534	.878	*98D/H7	TEX-CHW-CHC-BAL
9	Frank Robinson	586	1956	1976	20-40	2808	11742	10006	1829	2943	528	72	1812	1420	218	1532	198	17	102	270	204	77	.294	.389	.537	.926	97D3H8/5	CIN-BAL-LAD-CAL-CLE
10	Mark McGwire	583	1986	2001	22-37	1874	7660	6187	1167	1626	252	6	1414	1317	150	1596	75	3	78	147	12	8	.263	.394	.588	.982	*3/HD59	OAK-STL

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 4/24/2015.

Mays had 1,000 plus more at bats than Rodriguez has now.  Rodriguez hit a 477 foot homer this season, so he still has the power.

But the Yankee owners have a beef with A-Rod over this specific issue, passing all time greats in career home runs.

A-Rod, just donate the bonus money to charity. Call out Levine and the Steinbrenner Kids. Thursday, January 29, 2015

Steinbrenner Kids: add tacky to dumb and lazy: trying to void A-Rod's bonus.  Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Is this driven by family hanger on Randy Levine, club president of the New York Yankees?  ...

Motive: petty vindictiveness and self loathing that they gave A-Rod a new contract that they now regret.
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The Yankees are now a ship of fools.  Yankee fans will deliver that message when they support A-Rod as he achieves historic milestones in home runs and other totals, including 3,000 hits and 2,000 RBI, both of which he is now likely to reach this season.  In fact I think even opposing fans will cheer if A-Rod does these things on the road.

What fools denigrate their own brand and product?  Who devalues their biggest star?

Alex Rodriguez’s Quest Is Going, Going ... Unobserved
By BILLY WITZ APRIL 22, 2015 New York Times

DETROIT — The Yankees seem to have never met a moment they could not monetize...

Rodriguez, whose surprisingly successful return from a yearlong doping suspension has been the dominating story line of the Yankees’ young season, is nearing fourth place on baseball’s career home run list ... leaving him two home runs behind Willie Mays’s 660...

Not only are the Yankees declining to celebrate Rodriguez’s impending achievement, though, they are all but ignoring it.

Yankees officials refused to explain their handling of the situation, but it is widely understood in baseball that they are tiptoeing around a potential legal showdown with Rodriguez over a series of $6 million bonuses they do not want to pay him because of his use of performance-enhancing drugs...

If Rodriguez reaches 660 at Yankee Stadium — the team is returning home for six games, beginning Friday against the Mets — it could be particularly awkward...

How Yankees management will handle it is even less certain. Will there be an announcement on the scoreboard? Will the game be stopped to acknowledge Rodriguez’s achievement? Or will the moment pass as if it never happened? If the Yankees, caught between paying homage to their brand and the bottom line, fail to strike the proper tone, not to worry: With Rodriguez now 48 hits from 3,000 for his career, they may soon get another chance.
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The ship of fools is sinking.  Yankee TV ratings have plummeted down to a near tie with the Mets.  See my previous post.