Imrem: Baseball fun is a run toward '56'

How much fun it would be if longshot Jackie … Bradley … Jr. continued to extend his hitting streak.

What a great name he has. A great baseball name. Maybe not as great as Babe Ruth or Mickey Mantle or Willie Mays but great just the same.

Like Joe DiMaggio.

Jackie … Bradley … Jr. can only hope to be mentioned in the same sentence as Joltin' Joe.

If the Red Sox outfielder registers a hit Tuesday night at home against the Rockies, he'll be exactly halfway toward DiMaggio's record streak of 56 straight games with at least 1 hit.

It's too soon for much buzz, but if Bradley gets to 30 it'll be time to notice that No. 55 could come June 23 at Boston against the White Sox and No. 56 the next night at Texas.

If Bradley's run reaches 35 it'll be time to squint, rub your chin and go "hmmm" over and over on social media.

DiMaggio's 75-year-old record is baseball's most hallowed now that all the major home run marks have been tainted by performance enhancers.

It's worth rooting for Bradley to persist because little can sustain excitement like the quest for 56.

Consider that throughout "Farewell My Lovely," the film adaptation of Raymond Chandler's classic detective novel, grizzled private eye Philip Marlowe was obsessed with DiMaggio's streak:

"Would he hit safely in every game forever? It seemed that way. And why not? He was only 26 and playing baseball in the sunshine. He heard little boys cheer … not cry."

Jackie … Bradley … Jr. is 26 years old, too, but the comparisons end there. DiMaggio was on his way to the Hall of Fame and Bradley began this season as a .213 hitter for his emerging career.

"Marlowe identifies with DiMaggio's record," indiwire.com noted, "not out of talent, but the player's ability to soldier on, one hit a day."

Another analysis observed that Marlowe could follow DiMaggio's feats during the day, when all games were played, before navigating L.A.'s dark side at night.

Jackie … Bradley … Jr. isn't a likely candidate to chase 56. He bats down in the Red Sox's batting order, and batters at the top get that extra at-bat if might take to extend the streak.

But Bradley currently is hitting .342, so maybe he'll keep this run going deep enough to be noticed.

The long baseball season can use a subplot to sustain interest until the stretch run begins.

You know, like in 1978 when Pete Rose - another great baseball name and a great player to go with it - captured the nation's imagination.

As Rose "soldiered on" game after game, day after day, week after week, TV networks began breaking in to update his at-bats.

Imagine the tweets and posts if social media were around 38 years ago when Rose reached 44 before his compelling summer page-turner ended.

Rose falling short is just another reason many experts believe "56" is baseball's one record that won't be broken.

But they're wrong because the unbreakable records are Cal Ripken Jr.'s consecutive games streak and Cy Young's 511 career pitching victories.

DiMaggio's? Some player sometime will come along and be phenomenal enough for a couple of months to surpass "56."

Jackie … Bradley … Jr. doesn't figure to be that guy, but hopefully it'll be someone with a great baseball name.

mimrem@dailyherald.com