Alex Rodriguez is on the verge of a pretty remarkable career achievement.  600 home runs.  Only 6 baseball players in the long history of the sport have reached that mark: Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Ken Griffey Jr., and Sammy Sosa. 

ARod will become the youngest player to hit the number.  He is 35.  The bigger picture?  He is 163 from tying Barry Bonds, 164 from passing him.  Based on his current path, you'd think it will take him 5-6 more seasons. 

One question: Will he get there?  Bigger question: Will "we" be cheering for him? 

When Aaron passed Ruth, he was cheered against by many.  When Bonds passed Aaron, he was cheered against by most. 

The time and setting and culture had a lot to do with attitudes toward the person who was doing the chasing.  I can't paint an accurate picture of what the world of baseball, sports, or America will look like in 2015, but I do know this, neither ARod nor Bonds would win a popularity contest. 

I am one that roots for history to be made.  I want to see records fall so that I can say I was watching when they fell.  I remember where I was when Marino, Favre, Manning, and Brady set passing records.  I remember Emmitt Smith and Jerry Rice breaking records.  I can recall Ripken, Hershiser, and Bonds.  Kareem, Magic, Stockton, Kobe, and more.  Individual marks.  Team records.  One game.  Season records.  Career achievements.  I find watching them exciting.  So I will "root" for ARod.  Will you?

ARod is disliked?  Hated?  Is he more or less than Bonds?  How will people decide?  Will his admitting his cheating help or hurt?  Will his being a Yankee help or hurt? 

Will we even get the chance to decide?  I am not sure, but I would lean towards no.  He is pretty far off from the mark and I am not sure he is as driven to get there as Bonds was.  His HR numbers are down this year, with only 16 at this point.  And he is now (I guess) not using drugs anymore and coming off a hip injury from a year ago.  If I had to bet, I don't think he'll get to Ruth, will probably finish right at 700.

So, you can debate in your own mind if you would choose ARod as the lesser of two evils or not, but I am not sure you'll get the chance.

I've said before, and my opinion has not changed, the Hornets have nothing to gain by trading Chris Paul.  He is their best chance to have a winner.  He is their best player.  I think they'd be dumb to trade him.  However, if Paul absolutely wants out, and won't play and forces the Hornets hand, then let's talk.

It is an absolute no-brainer for Orlando to try to get him.  CP3 is the best PG in basketball, terrific on both ends of the floor, and only 25 years old.  And he compliments Dwight Howard, forming a duo that could dominate the league for the next 5 years.

Can the Magic get him?  Yes, I think this is what they'd have to do though.

Vince Carter's expiring $17.3 million deal, Jameer Nelson's 3 year, $22 million deal, Marcin Gortat's 4 year, $28 million deal, and either Ryan Anderson or Daniel Orton would be dealt.  That totals about $31 million for the upcoming season.  It totals just over $70 million.

Here is what the Magic would get in return: Chris Paul's 2 year, $31 million deal with a player option, Emeka Okafor's 4 year, $52 million deal, and James Posey's 2 year, $13.5 million deal.  That totals about $33 million for the upcoming season.  It totals just over $96 million.

NEW ORLEANS PERSPECTIVE:

If the Hornets are to make the mistake, because they have to, in trading their best player, they need to at least save money and get talent back in the process.  Smaller deals don't make any sense from the New Orleans perspective with the Magic because it doesn't allow them to shed salary.  In some ways, Jameer actually may hurt the deal because they may not want to commit the time and money to him, and might rather go with Darren Collison as their starter.  Everything else probably would be appealing to the Hornets.  A young player in Anderson or Orton that could see an expanded role with the team moving forward.  Gortat starts at center next to David West.  Vince would start for a year and then they'd rid themselves of a lot of money.  And Jameer Nelson at worst is a nice 1-2 punch at point with Collison and they may move him to another team for another different piece.

ORLANDO'S PERSPECTIVE:

The Magic would have to be willing to take the bad contracts back.  That is the negative, but for a team spending so much money already, it seems to be a gamble you must take to secure one of the best players in the World.  And as far as it affects the team, this is better than any scenario that would have brought the Magic Bosh, Boozer, or Amare honestly.  Why?  Because you actually get a big back in the deal!  The Magic would actually improve their roster up front in addition to landing CP3.  The starting lineup would likely feature Paul, JJ, Q, Lewis, and Dwight.  You'd have Duhon, MP, Posey, Bass, and Okafor off the bench.  That...is...impressive.  If you wanted to go big, you could just start Rashard at the small forward and Okafor at the power forward.  Q, Posey, and MP are interchangeable at the 2 and 3.  JJ could also come off the bench.  Basically, it would be a complete team and one certainly capable of winning the East and a NBA title this year, and beyond. 

Will it happen?

It's up to the Hornets.  They can ignore the trade request, or they can shop him around and send him wherever they want.  He doesn't have a no-trade clause or anything like that, so the Hornets will take back the best possible package. 

Portland could offer Marcus Camby, Joel Przybilla, Andre Miller, Jerryd Bayless, and Nicholas Batum for CP3 and Okafor. 

Dallas could offer Caron Butler, Tyson Chandler, Roddy Beaubois, and DeShawn Stevenson for CP3, Okafor, and Posey. 

New York.  Well, they don't have the assets to land anything more than CP3, which makes no sense for the Hornets.

There could be other teams that jump in, but going off CP3's list, that is what you got.  What is the best deal?  I'd rank them Orlando, Portland, Dallas.  The Magic get a slight edge because they can take back Posey's contract and offer a young big in Gortat. 

Soooooo, will it happen?

I hope it doesn't for the Hornet's sake, but if it must, then it probably will.  It could be another team, one Chris Paul hasn't come up with yet, like San Antonio or Houston or somewhere else.  But, until something happens, just keep hoping Magic fans.  A title could be on the line.

There have been six players in NFL history to rush for 2000 yards in a single season. 

OJ Simpson did it in a 14 week season in 1973.  In 1984 Eric Dickerson hit the magic mark.  But what is amazing is that in the pass happy modern-day NFL that we've had 4 men hit 2000 since 1997!  Barry Sanders, Terrell Davis, Jamal Lewis, and last season, Chris Johnson. 

I think that is pretty remarkable in an era that features 3, 4, and 5 wide reciever formations routinely, we've seen 4 guys rush for that many yards. 

Could we see it again in 2010?  Here are the top candidates:

Chris Johnson.  He has that extra gear that makes a big difference.  He turns 20 yard gains into 50 yard touchdowns.  Those add up over the course of a season.  He returns with basically the same team around him intact giving him a real chance to be the first player with two 2000 yard seasons under hit belt.

Adrian Peterson.  His yards were down last season, but so were his carries.  The Vikings no longer have Chester Taylor to steal carries, and AD still has break your neck power and breakaway speed that can get him in the neighborhood of 2000.

Steven Jackson.  He keeps cranking out impressive seasons with no passing attack and no weapons around him.  He's talented enough to have a shot.

Shonn Greene.  Laugh if you want, but his own health might be his biggest obstacle.  Thomas Jones, old and slow, managed 1400 last year in a run-first attack.  Greene is young and fast.  He could have a real chance behind that Jets offensive line and better passing game.

Frank Gore.  He certainly showed he can turn a short run into a long gain last year going for two 80 yard runs against Seattle, the first to accomplish that in a game since Barry Sanders.  He just has to stay healthy.  The Niners offense features him and should be much better this year.

Jamal Charles.  I doubt it, but he does have the great speed that made him a fantasy beast down the stretch.  Averaged almost 6 yards a rush last year!  Of course, now he also has competition in Thomas Jones.

DeAngelo Williams or Jonathon Stewart.  Both guys are terrific in their own right, but they chop each others stats in half.   They each averaged over 5 yards a carry last season.   If one goes down, or away, then the other would have a chance.

Felix Jones.  The super dark horse because of his situation and injury history.  He did rip off 5.9 per carry last year and is a home-run threat each time he touches it, but will he ever get to, or earn the right to touch it more.

It's the in thing this summer.  Everyone is doing it.  It has become Cool to hate the Heat.

3 friends have decided to play together.  They are considered 3 of the top 15 players in the World.  They've gotten some of their friends to come play with them too.  They should be good.  Real good.  And most everyone seems to hate something about it.

Either you hate how good they'll be.  Or you think they'll be good, so you hate on how they'll get along and hope/think they'll self-destruct.

You hate that they each didn't choose to carve their own path.  You hate how they went about the process (Wade and Bosh filming reality shows, and LeBron, well, being a reality show upon himself).  You hate that they won't play each other. 

You hate because your team is going to have to play them.  You hate because your team missed out signing one of them.  Or maybe two.

Maybe you just hate without knowing what you hate, but you see and read a lot of other hate, and it figure it is best to just hate.

Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, writer in NY, radio talk show host in Chicago, blogger in Detroit, TV personality in LA, Joe Schmoe...all hating that LeBron, Wade, and Bosh ended up together. 

And I hate to say this, but everyone of you haters will be watching.  Everyone of you are eager to see the Miami Heat play.  You may hate them and want to see them fail, but you definitely care. 

LeBron, Wade, and Bosh are living the dream in a lot of ways.  They've cast aside individual glory and extra money for happiness, friendship, location, and winning. 

Why does the rule have to be that you have to be a veteran who has never won a title for it to be cool to seek out a championship contender to play for?  Why can't you desire doing that when you are younger? 

Will history really hate on these guys if they win a title?  Two?  Three?  Four?  Five?  More?  Will we not at that point call them champions?  Will we not call them some of the greats of all-time?

Will we just hate them because they chose to play together instead of falling into, being traded or drafted to play with other great players? 

Do we hate Bird because the Celtics drafted McHale and traded for DJ and Parrish?  Do we hate Kareem because the Lakers drafted Magic and Worthy after trading for him?  Do we hate Jordan because the Bulls traded for Pippen and Rodman?  How bout Pierce after the Celtics traded for KG and Allen? 

Are any of those careers or title diminished because of the great players around them?  Are we only hating because the players MADE THE DECISION and not the teams??!??! 

Well, just keep hating, and unfortunately, because I am not a Heat fan, I think Miami is going to give us a lot of reasons to hate them.  Unless you like winners, then you may just change your mind and love them.

Who would you rather take a chance on? 

Shaq, Allen Iverson, or T-Mac?  Would you want your team to bring in Terrell Owens? 

Former great players are the hardest to gauge late in their careers.  Are they willing to sacrafice?  Are they willing to admit they are not what they once were and take on a role?

In the case of the the four guys I mentioned who are looking for work, they all have something in common: They all have burned bridges.  They all are considered risks beyond what their talent brings to the table.  There is a reason they are all free agents and have all played on multiple teams. 

Bringing in a former all-star who is late in his career does work sometimes.  The Miami Heat won a title with Alonzo Mourning and Gary Payton willing to accept lesser roles for the shot at winning.  Ron Artest helped the Lakers this past season.  The Pistons and the Celtics both took chances on Rasheed Wallace.  New England famously reached out for Corey Dillon and Randy Moss. 

So, as you can see, it can work.  And it's always tempting.  You know the player had the talent.  You just don't know how much is left, and if that player is willing to fit in, or do they want to do it their way. 

I think Shaq is probably the safest bet of that bunch.  I thought he did well in fitting in while in Cleveland.  He recognized it was LeBron's team, and accepted a supporting cast role.  Compared to stiffs like Darko and Amir Johnson, I'd take a chance on the Big Fella for half the price.  Atlanta, Denver, and San Antonio seem like the most likely landing spots because they offer similar things: Chance to win, a starting center spot and decent minutes, and for at least the Nuggets and Spurs, an established team leader and coach. 

Iverson and T-Mac are tricky.  I think T-Mac would be willing to take a bench role and could provide quite the weapon off the bench, but he has the greater injury concerns.  Iverson has the bigger heart and less injury concern, but like we saw in Memphis, seems more unwilling to sit back and watch and fit in.  He still thinks of himself as the man which is a problem.  The Bulls and Celtics seem like destinations that make sense for either, especially T-Mac.  I am not sure Iverson will ever play in the NBA again, but Charlotte and New York would be my best guesses.

Terrell Owens spoke recently about loving an opportunity to play in New England with Brady and Moss.  He said he can take a lesser role (like LeBron in Miami) if it gives him a shot at winning.  I think that is a team that could make it work.  I do think there is a little something left in the tank.  I think he can make his 50 catches count more with a great team.  I'd like to say Atlanta, Chicago, Washington, Houston, and San Diego are possibilities, but not sure those teams have the clout to control TO.  Perhaps Pittsburgh could make it work, but that does seem like an odd couple.  Besides, TO is a good guy off the field, Big Ben isn't. 

In the end, I'd rather try to calm a fool, than resurect a corpse.  Teams that are close, should take chances.  It worked for the Pistons (Sheed), Lakers (Artest), Bulls (Rodman) because talent is hard to come by.  The great coaches make it work.