"I mean, yeah, at first it was sort of difficult," Sweeney says.  "I had hit over 40 homers in my second year in the bigs.  And all I'd hear about were the big-market players, like Griffey and Thomas and [Derek] Jeter."

He tips his cap and laughs, sitting back in his chair.  "I was still just a dumb rookie then.  After every game I would check MLB.com for my latest stats, and watch Baseball Tonight to see whether I'd be on it.  And, you know, every once in a while they'd give me the obligatory mention.  It wasn't much, but it was still pretty neat."

~ continue ~

"Baseball Tonight"
September 3, 2025
Greg Myers, Peter Gammons
Courtesy: ESPN

MYERS: ...those homers in Kansas City this afternoon, by the way, were Sweeney's 45th through 51st of the year. Now on to the AL East, where the Yankees are still sitting --

GAMMONS: (interjecting) To me, it's really incredible that Sweeney --

MYERS: (interjecting) atop the division but still have the O's in their rear-view mirror. 

GAMMONS: You know, a lot of people seem to be forgetting about what a season Mike Sweeney is --

MYERS: (interjecting) But Orioles fans shouldn't get optimistic just yet.  The Yankees' Derek Jeter is one of the most blisteringly dynamic players in baseball today, and has really kicked it into high gear as of late.  As of his last at-bat he's hitting a scorching .291, including .295 with runners in scoring position, and is mounting a serious 20/20 threat.

GAMMONS: (inaudible)