Ready for some BASEBALL!?

Here we are, only one month away from yet another season of Major League Baseball. What kind of season will 2008 be? Will it be one for the ages? Will it be one to be forgotten? Will it be drowned out by - or will it drown out - all of the steroids non-sense? Each week for the next several weeks, will be a part of a "What to Watch for in 2008" series. This week, we will discuss milestones!

• MILESTONES. 2007 saw a numerous amount of milestones reached - some even on the same day. Whether it was a 500th home run, 3000th hit, or 300th victory, 2007 was a milestone season. There probably won't be as many in '08, but we should still see a bunch of future Hall-of-Famers reach important milestones.
  
• Ken Griffey Jr. is only seven home runs shy of becoming just the sixth player in history to hit 600. He would join the company of Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and the latest man to reach 600, Sammy Sosa (who hit number 600 in 2007). Remember when Griffey was an almost "lock-a-chino" to surpass Aaron and be the new home run king? Those were the good ol' days...
• Last season, Frank Thomas, Jim Thome and Alex Rodriguez all reached 500 career home runs. This year, while there might not be another trifecta, we should see two more sluggers reach the magical number of 500. Gary Sheffield (480) and Manny Ramirez (490) are well in reach of the plateau and should each surpass 500.
  
• If Greg Maddux can muster up another 15-game win season, he will pass Kid Nichols for 7th all-time with 362 victories. But even if he is only able to come up with 10, he will have passed Roger Clemens (who most likely will not be throwing any fastballs anytime soon) for 8th all-time.
• Randy Johnson could become the next, and potentially the last in a long time, to reach 300 career wins. He enters 2008 with 284 victories, and if he is able to stay healthy the entire season, he should be able to get the need 16 wins.
• Mariano River has seen a slight decrease in his saves total since 2004, but he still has saved more than 30 games in every season since 1997, safe for 2002 when he saved 28. If he can save just 35 more games for the Yankees, he will tie Lee Smith for second all-time with 478. However, Rivera may be hard-pressed to catch current leader, and current Padres' closer Trevor Hoffman, who begins the season with 524 saves.
• Barry Bonds' career is probably all but over. Between aging, injuries, and some steroid conversations, Bonds will have a hard time finding a job, assuming he actually wants one. But if he does sign on with a team, his next milestone would be 3,000 hits. Bonds ended 2007 with 2,935 career hits, which puts him only 65 off the pace. Aside from his injury-shortened 2005 season, Bonds has never failed to accumulate 65 hits in a single season. 3,000 hits would only solidify an already Hall of Fame career.
• Several players are within 2,500 hits and should reach that mark in 2008. Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez should make it to 2,500 within the first week of the season, as he sits only five hits away. Kenny Lofton (2,428), Thomas (2,408) and Sammy Sosa (2,409) also have the potential to reach 2,500 hits this season.
• Some additional milestones that have the potential of being reached: Jeff Kent, 41 RBIs needed for 1,500; John Smoltz, 25 strikeouts away from 3,000; Griffey, 55 and Sheffield 60 Runs away from 1,600.