We're switching to a different format the next two weeks for Baseball Weekly. Instead of our usual Adobe .pdf files - we are putting MLB Weekly up on the ‘Blog Page.’ It’s also a little smaller because a lot of my time lately has been spent focusing on the upcoming football season. But don’t worry you die-hard fans of America’s Pastime. Come October, we’ll be back with exclusive, in-depth previews of each playoff series in both the National League as well as the American League, plus a breakdown of the World Series. For now, let’s review the weeks that was and some of the milestones achieved…

Within the past week, three significant milestones were achieved in Major League Baseball. New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez hit his 500^th career home run; New York Mets left-hander Tom Glavine won his 300^th career game; and the record of all records – San Francisco Giants left fielder Barry Lamar Bonds smashed home run #755, 756 and 757 to become baseball’s all-time Home Run King, passing Henry ‘Hank’ Aaron.

Personally, I’m not one that detests Bonds or likes him – I’m kind of split down the middle. Barry coming out and saying the record isn’t tainted means nothing. Commissioner Bud Selig said it all on Saturday night when he stood up, put his hands in his pockets without an applause and sat back down with the same dull, halfway-befuddled look on his face. Selig also didn’t make an appearance when Bonds broke Aaron’s record at home against the Washington Nationals a couple nights later.

My feeling on Bonds is this:  he’s a Hall-of-Famer without a doubt. Greatest to ever play the game? Hardly. Not even the best player to wear a Giants uniform in my opinion as Willie Mays remains top in my book. There will be more to come out about Bonds, his alleged steroid use, etc. For now, congrats to him, but I wasn’t one cheering or booing. My reaction was really no reaction one way or the other, except that there’s been too large of a focus on the individual achievement than the team goal in this case. Case and point……

What kind of got lost in the shuffle of the whole Bonds celebration on Tuesday night was the fact that San Francisco blew yet another lead in the eighth inning, this time to an inferior Nationals club (inferior if you go by roster talent; not hustle + intangibles). It was the Giants’ 23^rd loss by the bullpen – most in the Majors. As mentioned a few times before, San Fran has a rotation to build with for the future – featuring the likes of Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Noah Lowry and even the grossly overpaid Barry Zito. Their lineup is old and needs to get better, but one or two solid free agent acquisitions next off-season and they can be competing again for a playoff spot and division title. Unless they decide to bring back Bonds.

While I doubt Bonds returns, one thing is for sure – each day that goes by he becomes more of a part-time player and less useful of one. Even though he’s driving the big ticket sales just on his home run chase as opposed to the normal scenario when a team is having success, Bonds’ appeal will soon start to diminish. And from a competitive standpoint, the Giants will be better off when he’s gone………

As for the man who has the best chance to pass the record that now belongs to Bonds (asterisk for you Bonds haters aside), A-Rod is beginning to be accepted by the Yankee fans. He received a very warm reception on Saturday when he hit #500, and as the case was with Bonds, he was able to take a huge sigh of relief because the weight was lifted off his shoulders. It took a long while, but it’s starting to happen as his outstanding numbers during the regular season can’t continue to be overlooked by his lack of productive postseason performances in pinstripes. However, won’t be viewed in the same light as Yankee hitting greats like Babe Ruth, Roger Maris, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Lou Gehrig, Reggie Jackson and current teammate Derek Jeter until he delivers in a key playoff spot. If the Yankees streak of consecutive playoff appearances extends yet again, which it appears it may very well, A-Rod should have his second MVP award in three years.

Of the three future Hall-of-Famers that achieved milestones over the weekend, the lone one with a World Series ring is Glavine, who won a Championship as a member of the Atlanta Braves, the team he spent most of his career with before his departure to the Big Apple. Glavine picked up the 300^th win on Sunday night against the Chicago Cubs. He joined Warren Spahn and Early Wynn as the only pitchers in baseball history with a minimum of 300 career wins and never 200 strikeouts or more in a season. Glavine will never be remembered as a hard-throwing lefty, but has been a class-act, consistent (18 years of 10 victories or more) and in many ways is forever linked with Greg Maddux and John Smoltz as part of that great trio the Braves had for several seasons.

A handful of players will have an opportunity to threaten for 500 career home runs, some may even approach Bonds’ record if they’re fortunate enough to stay around that long and be healthy. But in today’s era where pitchers are watched with a close, careful eye and are on pitch counts as well as full rest, winning 300 games is a truly special accomplishment. The next 300-game winner may not come for a decade, given the fact it takes longevity, consistency and being injury-free for most of a career. Young pitchers in baseball have a tough time their level of effectiveness while shying away from the DL. Glavine hasn’t made fewer than 25 starts in a season since his rookie year of 1987. That’s dependable.

*** In his outfield debut with the St. Louis Cardinals, Rick Ankiel – now seven years removed from his Major League pitching debut back at the age of 19 in 2000 – smacked a 2-1 pitch on Thursday night against the San Diego Padres into the stands out in right field, helping the Red Birds to a 5-0 win. Considered a bona-fide star prospect when he was called up to the Majors, Ankiel was best remembered for throwing nine wild pitches in four innings during the Cardinals’ 2000 postseason exit to Atlanta. If the defending Champs have one more run left in them, it’ll have to come with Ankiel making a valuable contribution…with the bat.

*** Alfonso Soriano of the Chicago Cubs went on the disabled this week, thus a big blow for Lou Piniella and company just when they were making a nice charge at a division crown.  Chicago will have to try and keep pace in the NL Central without him because that division may not produce two playoff teams. In other words, if they don’t win the division then the Wild Card to me will be a longshot and far from a guarantee.

*** For the first time since 1966, the Dodgers have been shutout in three straight games, plummeting from tops in the NL West to fourth place. So what did the sputtering Dodgers decide to do to fix their anemic offense that’s starting to play worse than the Padres’? Go out and acquire pinch-hitter extraordinare Mark Sweeney from rival San Francisco. LA’s age in their lineup is starting to show while their pitching cools off, and it could cost them a chance at a third playoff berth in four years.

*** How good is Mets closer Billy Wagner? He kept his team from being swept at home by the Braves, their arch nemesis in the National League East and a club that has had their number this season. Wagner came in the ninth inning Wednesday night with the bases full, no outs and Atlanta trailing by only one and slammed the door shut to preserve a key divisional win. The last six years, batters are 3-for-24 against Wagner with the bases loaded. But great teams, ones that go on to win a pennant and World Series, usually make a win like that stick. The Mets failed to do that in a Thursday afternoon rubber match with Atlanta, despite jumping out in front on the red hot Tim Hudson. A three-run homer by Chipper Jones, followed by a solo blast via the bat of Mark Teixeira (how good was that pickup?) put Atlanta ahead for good, and in the ninth inning with the Mets making another rally, Willie Harris made his second terrific grab out in left field, not only coming up with what could be the play of the year, but robbing New York of forcing extra innings.