With tonight's All-Star Game shining the spotlight on Major League Baseball, the sport has been having a banner year so far.

This season has the makings of one of the greatest in history and we're only halfway home.

So far:

• Houston Astros second baseman Craig Biggio eclipsed the 3,000-hit mark, a hallowed number that all but guarantees a player's place in the Hall of Fame.

• Sammy Sosa, once a star slugger who gave baseball a shot in the arm in 1998 when he and Mark McGwire went on to assault the single-season home run record, left in near disgrace after floundering with the Orioles two years ago.

He returned with the Texas Rangers in 2007 and is among the top RBI leaders in the American League. He belted his 600th home run recently and he's talking about reaching 700.

• Toronto Blue Jays slugger Frank Thomas reached the 500 home-run plateau, another magical benchmark for the Hall of Fame.

• New York Yankees pitch Roger Clemens, who already sports plenty of Hall of Fame credentials, notched his 350th victory, becoming one of only eight players to do so. He also has more than 4,000 strikeouts and seven Cy Young awards.

That's only the tip of the iceberg of what major leaguers have in store. Here's what to look for in the second half:

• Obviously, San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds' chase of the all-time home run record held by Hank Aaron will be of interest.

Heading into the break, Bonds needs four to tie Hammerin' Hank. This has always been considered baseball's hallowed career number. Now many fans look to "755" with more interest because of Bonds, who, along with Sosa and McGwire, is linked to the steroid use era.

• Talking about home runs, the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez with 494, the Chicago White Sox's Jim Thome with 486 and Boston's Manny Ramirez with 481 all have the potential to join Thomas with 500 home runs this year.

Also, Cincinnati Reds outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. is 14 away from joining Sosa in the 600-homer club.

• New York Mets pitcher Tom Glavine is three wins shy of the 300-win mark, another slam dunk for pitchers looking to gain entry into the Hall of Fame.

Some people will say that 3,000 hits, 500 home runs or 300 wins shouldn't guarantee a spot in Cooperstown.

I still believe that when it comes to 3,000 hits, and 300 wins are golden. Those show amazing longevity and consistency, even if you limp to it at the end.

Home runs, well, that will be a great source of debate. Are home runs, which may have been inflated since the late 1990s by steroid use, easily attainable?

When you start getting into larger numbers, it's still hard to overlook the feat itself. Bonds, Griffey, Sosa and Thomas, along with Rodriguez, Thome and Ramirez, have always had power in their arsenal.

Numbers may have jumped up for some, but the power was always there. This season, baseball has a chance to revel in all its milestones.

In turn, the fans should embrace it.

Sam Tallarico is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.