When I was a kid, I got excited when George Bell hit 26 homers in '84 and then 28 in '85. Jesse Barfield's 40 in '86 seemed unreal, and Bell's 47 in '87 felt Ruthian. When I was growing up, 40 homers meant something very, very special.
At some point in the mid-90s, 40 homer seasons lost their zest. 17 players hit 40+ homers in 1996. That surge continued through 2006 when 11 players hit 40+. Finally, things seem to have gone back to normal.
Only two players will hit 40 homers this season. That's our Jose Bautista and New York Yankee Curtis Granderson. 40 homers means something again.
