Four active players - Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro and Ken Griffey Jr. - participated in a ceremony Monday honoring the living members of the fraternity.

In this era of diluted pitching staffs, bulked-up batters and smaller ball parks, the revered offensive milestone that has served as a one-way ticket to the Hall of Fame is taking a hit itself.

"Any time you can hit 500 home runs, I don't care what generation you play in, it's a special and lofty place to live," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "The 500 home runs and the 300 wins are something to really hold onto."

Six players since 1996 have hit their 500th career home run, and more are on the way.

The list of 300-game winners? That has remained nearly untouched the past 14 years.

"There's so much against (winning 300), whether it be the ballparks, the offensive era, six-inning starts or five-man rotations," Mets left-hander Tom Glavine said. "It's harder. It's harder now to win games."

Roger Clemens, while playing for the Yankees last season, became the first pitcher since Nolan Ryan in 1990 to win his 300th game.

Four-time Cy Young Award winner Greg Maddux shut out Milwaukee Saturday and is now three wins from joining Clemens and 20 other pitchers with 300 career wins. Glavine, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, lost to Philadelphia Saturday and is holding at 258 career wins.

Four other pitchers - Randy Johnson, Mike Mussina, Kevin Brown and David Wells - have more than 200 wins but probably will not reach 300.

Does Glavine worry that falling short of 300 will affect his chances for election to the Hall of Fame?

"Yeah, I do," he said. "But you know what? It doesn't consume me. That doesn't mean if I don't win 300 games I can't get in. I think there are some things that come into play.

"In the meantime, you try to win as many starts as you can and pile that number up as high as you can get it."

THE CLINCHER: Aside from a disappointing 44-44 record at the All-Star break, what else led to manager Jimy Williams' firing by the Astros last week?

Losing three out of four against the Dodgers July 8-11 apparently clinched the decision.

"The team just seemed to take on that defeated, desperate kind of attitude," Houston general manager Gerry Hunsicker said. "To me, that's the biggest thing we're looking to change, the attitude of this club."

AS IS: Among those making a rare public appearance Monday at Minute Maid Park was Mark McGwire.

The retired Cardinals slugger bristled when asked about taking androstenedione, an over-the-counter supplement recently banned by baseball and its players' union, during the 1998 season when he broke the single-season home run record.

A day later, commissioner Bud Selig said McGwire's legacy should not be diminished because of his use of the supplement.

"I've been asked, 'Would you put an asterisk next to (his record) and I've said, "Absolutely not,' " Selig told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "He did what he did."

OVER THE HILL?: One player who seemingly has managed to elude the aging process will turn 40 years old Saturday.

Don't expect Barry Bonds, who hit .365 with 23 homers and drew 131 walks in the first half, to make a big deal out of it.

"It just means I'm turning 40," Bonds said. "Why should it mean something? Women make a big deal out of their age. Men don't make a big deal out of their age."

It's when Bonds is off the field that age becomes an issue.

"In baseball terminology, yes, I am old," he said. "I play a lot of games. There's a lot of mileage on this body. If you're not tired, then you're not playing baseball."

Odds and ends

• Rockies first baseman Todd Helton said last week that he was hospitalized for three days this winter with symptoms of West Nile virus, and that half of the 24 pounds he gained last offseason were a result of being ill with what turned out to be a nasty virus.

• A disappointing 37-48 first half by the Orioles has raised questions about manager Lee Mazzilli's job security. He's in his first season.

• Even though the Pirates finished the first half strong, they still are expected to trade free-agents-to-be Kris Benson and Jose Mesa before the deadline. "I think we've made positive strides as an organization," general manager Dave Littlefield said. "But the goal is to win a world championship, and we're still far away from that."

Garnering praise?

At first glance, the Houston Astros' hiring of Phil Garner to replace Jimy Williams looks like a change for the sake of change. After all, Garner has a career 708-802 mark in 10-plus seasons of guiding the Milwaukee Brewers and Detroit Tigers in and around the second division. Indeed, the hiring had old boy network written all over it: veteran (i.e., retread) manager, popular former Astros player. But at second glance, Garner might be the right fit for a team that needs a quick turnaround. To wit:

• In 1991, the Milwaukee Brewers finished 83-79 under Tom Trebelhorn, fourth place behind the Blue Jays in the AL East. In 1992, Garner's first season, the Brewers finished 92-70, a nine-game improvement, second behind the Jays.

• In 1999, the Detroit Tigers finished 70-91 under Buddy Bell, 26 games behind Cleveland in the AL Central; in 2000, under Garner, they were 79-83, a nine-game improvement, 16 games behind Cleveland.

So, Astros fans can read some hope in Garner's otherwise lackluster career stats. For now, that is. But when it comes to hiring Garner, the 'Stros might want to rent, not own. In 1993, Garner's second season in Milwaukee, the Brew Crew slipped to 69-93; in 2001, a year after his "honeymoon" in Detroit, the Tigers went 66-96.

All-Star HR duos

Teammates with home runs in the same All-Star Game:

Players	Team	Year
Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz	Bos	2004
Steve Garvey and Jimmy Wynn	LA	1975
Ken Boyer and Stan Musial-x	StL	1960
Gus Bell and Ted Kluszewski	Cin	1954
Al Rosen and Larry Doby-y	Cle	1954
Vic Wertz and George Kell	Det	1951
Frankie Frisch and Joe Medwick	StL	1934

x-second All-Star Game of 1960

y-Rosen hit two home runs in the game

Hot corner

Jaret Wright, Braves: The right-handed starter has quietly become the comeback story of the season. Wright, a World Series hero for Cleveland in 1997 as a 21-year-old rookie, has battled back from years of arm problems to become a key part of the resurgent Braves' starting rotation. On Thursday, Wright held the Montreal Expos to three hits in seven innings of an 8-0 Atlanta victory; for the year, Wright is 7-5 with a strong 3.34 ERA.

Not-so-hot corner

Seattle Mariners: When they say it's better to trade a guy a year too early than a year too late, the Mariners could be a case in point. The aging-but-expensive club has floundered this season, and, though the M's received a bounty of good young players from the White Sox for Freddy Garcia last month, they have mostly been stuck with aging-but-expensive players. The club already has dumped ill-advised offseason pickup Rich Aurilia (while watching Carlos Guillen, the shortstop it cast aside for Aurilia, become a star in Detroit), and last week did the same with John Olerud and Pat Borders.

MLB power rankings

1. N.Y. Yankees	Rotation shaky; grip on division firm.
2. St. Louis Cardinals	Rolen running away with MVP.
3. Boston Red Sox	Vying with you-know-who for Unit.
4. Chicago Cubs	Prior not hurt, thankfully.
5. L.A. Dodgers	Lineup looking up; rotation might be problem.
6. San Diego Padres	Peavy's return provides a lift.
7. Chicago WS	Dark horse in Big Unit sweepstakes.
8. Texas Rangers	Hershiser working wonders with pitching.
9. Minnesota Twins	Miffed about All-Star snubs.
10. S.F. Giants	Bonds will turn 40 on Saturday.
11. Oakland Athletics	Time for Billy Beane to work the phones.
12. Anaheim Angels	Vlad keeps ailing Angels in race.
13. Philadelphia Phillies	Millwood deal not a steal after all.
14. Atlanta Braves	Estrada deal not a calamity after all.
15. Florida Marlins	Beckett's blister keeping champs in check.
16. Cincinnati Reds	Buyers or sellers? Buyers or sellers?
17. N.Y. Mets	Hanging in there in weak division.
18. Milwaukee Brewers	Sheets emerges among NL's elite.
19. Houston Astros	Can "Scrap Iron" salvage season?
20. Cleveland Indians	Big Three: C.C., Westbrook, Lee.
21. Detroit Tigers	Pudge steaming toward batting title.
22. Tampa Bay D-Rays	Wild card still a possibility.
23. Pittsburgh Pirates	Jason Bay: The next Brian Giles.
24. K.C. Royals	Juan Gone, aptly enough, nowhere to be seen.
25. Toronto Blue Jays	Phelps showing signs of life.
26. Seattle Mariners	Youth movement at hand.
27. Baltimore Orioles	Tejada sure looked good in HR Derby.
28. Colorado Rockies	Mountainous mess.
29. Arizona Diamondbacks	Everybody out of the pool!
30. Montreal Expos	Woe, Canada.

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Information from other news organizations and submitted by other baseball writers was used in this report.

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