Jim Thome admits he sometimes wonders if it all really happened.
Thome: "I've hit 600 homers. You'd never dream of doing something like that."
But there he is...eighth on the all time home run list with 604. Only 25 players have driven in more runs than Thome's 16-hundred-74. And he has a career on-base percentage of .403, among the top 50 all-time.
Thome grew up in Peoria, Illinois where every boy's passion was basketball.
Thome: "In the midwest, Illinois, Indiana, you were a basketball player if you were an athlete. And I realized very quickly that baseball was where I needed to be."
He certainly had the genes. His grandfather, aunt and uncle are in the Peoria sports hall of fame for their softball skills. And his father Chuck, Jr. was legendary as a hitter. The skill and the ambition were passed on:
Thome: "you know one thing about my dad, he never complimented me when I wanted it. When I didn't do something that he felt was right, he would not compliment me just to compliment me. And I think over time that helped me learn the game. It helped me know when I did something well it was because I did something well.'
And he did a lot of things well in Cleveland. He set a club record for walks with 127 in 1999. Over 12-plus seasons, he hit more than half his 604 home runs, including seasons of 49 and 52 just before free agency took him to Philadelphia, Chicago and Minnesota. He returned to Cleveland in late August when the Indians claimed him off the waiver wire.
He said returning to the clubhouse at Progressive Field gave him goosebumps and brought back memories of those he played with on the great teams in the 90s. Like troubled slugger Albert Belle:
Thome: "Best focused, hard core player I've ever been around. He wanted to win, he wanted to do well. And if anything got in his way, he didn't care."
Manny Ramirez, care free and immensely talented. Sandy Alomar, a good friend who'll be a great manager. Kenny Lofton an electric player who lit up the clubhouse. And second baseman Carlos Baerga.
Thome: "This guy just knew how to make you laugh. Whether you landed in a city, whether we got to the ball park at seven in the morning, I mean this guy just enjoyed life."
For Thome, the most enjoyable night of his baseball life came in Detroit when, still playing for the Twins, he hit his 600th home run.
Thome: "the one thing thought of going around first base was my mom, to be honest, because of what she meant and knowing how happy she would have been at that time. And then you get to home plate and you see your teammates and your family . It was just a moment that time stopped...time stopped and you want to savor every moment."
Indians broadcaster Tom Hamilton took pains to point out that Thome did it all in the steroid era without resort to performance-enhancing drugs. If the sluggers tainted by the steroid scandal were removed from the all-time home run list, Thome would be fifth right behind Aaron, Ruth, Mays and Griffey.
Not that Thome himself is all that impressed.
Thome: "I'm just a baseball player. I'm a baseball player that's been very blessed and fortunate to be successful."
Paul Cox, 90.3.