Roger Maris
Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2011 5:28 am
This year is the 50th anniverary of the 1961 season. Billy Crystal has immortalized the '61 season in his movie. But for fantasy players and baseball nerds, the movie didn't cut deep enough.
From a logistical point of view, Roger Maris was a product that blended perfectly with the short porch in right field at Yankee Stadium. Maris swing was short and compact. A dead pull hitter, not one of his 61 home runs were hit to the opposite field. Maris was a line drive hitter. Not a real home run hitter. Ironic, yes. The difference for him was that many line drives found the first five rows of seats at Yankee Stadium.
Statistically speaking, the stars aligned for Maris that season. He never came close to hitting 61 before or after that season. Hitting 39 home runs in 1960 and 33 in 1962 were the only two years that he would even hit over 30 home runs.
He walked more than he struck out during his prime years.
He certainly was not feared by opposing pitchers. During that 1961 season, he hit both third and fourth in the order, switching with Mickey Mantle. He received zero intentional walks. Mantle had nine.
He walked less than 100 times, yet scored a league leading 132 times. In fact, he won a mini triple crown that year, leading the league in home runs, rbi, and runs.
The press was brutal in New York. Fans were swayed by what they read. Newspapers were the major source of information in 1961. Any information that wasn't on the 'Evening News' on television had to be gleaned from newspapers. That meant close to 100% of baseball news came from print.
New York's writers were infamous in their love for Babe Ruth. His legend only made larger by these writers. Joe DiMaggio wrestled with it his first few years in New York. Mantle was not accepted either. The papers labeling him as dumb and a 'hick who can hit'. It wasn't till a few years into their careers that both DiMaggio and Mantle were accepted by the press. Maris never received that acceptance.
In 1961 with both Maris and Mantle looking like they had a chance to break the Babe's record, New York press invented a rivalry between the two players. None existed. Mantle found the situation amusing, but of course, he was the guy in the white hat. Maris became quiet and withdrawn. Polite with the press and teammates, he preferred to spend time alone as the two battled. His hair started falling out. He got hives.
When Mantle was in the Ruth chase, the press labeled the team, 'Mantle's team'. When Mantle dropped out near the end of the season with a hip problem. The press turned the rivalry from Maris-Mantle to Maris-Ruth. They questioned whether Maris was a 'true Yankee' and intimated that the record would be tarnished if Maris broke it. This, after Maris was named the A.L. Most Valuable Player the year before.
Thanks to the press, Maris was never treated as a conquering hero.
The Commisioner at the time was Ford Frick. He tried to apply an asterisk after Maris '61' in record books. During Ruth's day, a 154 game season was played, during Maris time, it had been moved to 162 games.
Frick was a baseball writer and close friend of Ruth, back in the day.
Maris said he felt as if he were poisoning baseball's record books and sometimes wished he'd never broken the record.
The retiring of Maris uniform number nine was even somewhat an after thought for the Yankees. They retired his number 23 years later, only after Craig Nettles, who also wore number nine, had been traded to another club.
Maris had also been diagnosed with cancer the year before, which also may have played in the decision.
Only five players in baseball have hit 60 home runs. Ruth, Maris, McGwire, Sosa, and Bonds. If the public were to decide asterisk now, Maris would be hardly a consideration.
With the advent of technology, hardly anything gets by a baseball fan these days. For the most part, fans draw their own conclusions and aren't led by any one source. A good thing.
Maris accomplishment was one for the ages and he never got the credit that was due him.
So, 50 years later, from a kid that lived 3,ooo miles away and who you helped catch the 'baseball bug', here is some credit, Roger.
And, 50 years later, from that same adult who is a self professed baseball nerd and fantasy nut, my admiration.
[ February 13, 2011, 12:00 PM: Message edited by: DOUGHBOYS ]
From a logistical point of view, Roger Maris was a product that blended perfectly with the short porch in right field at Yankee Stadium. Maris swing was short and compact. A dead pull hitter, not one of his 61 home runs were hit to the opposite field. Maris was a line drive hitter. Not a real home run hitter. Ironic, yes. The difference for him was that many line drives found the first five rows of seats at Yankee Stadium.
Statistically speaking, the stars aligned for Maris that season. He never came close to hitting 61 before or after that season. Hitting 39 home runs in 1960 and 33 in 1962 were the only two years that he would even hit over 30 home runs.
He walked more than he struck out during his prime years.
He certainly was not feared by opposing pitchers. During that 1961 season, he hit both third and fourth in the order, switching with Mickey Mantle. He received zero intentional walks. Mantle had nine.
He walked less than 100 times, yet scored a league leading 132 times. In fact, he won a mini triple crown that year, leading the league in home runs, rbi, and runs.
The press was brutal in New York. Fans were swayed by what they read. Newspapers were the major source of information in 1961. Any information that wasn't on the 'Evening News' on television had to be gleaned from newspapers. That meant close to 100% of baseball news came from print.
New York's writers were infamous in their love for Babe Ruth. His legend only made larger by these writers. Joe DiMaggio wrestled with it his first few years in New York. Mantle was not accepted either. The papers labeling him as dumb and a 'hick who can hit'. It wasn't till a few years into their careers that both DiMaggio and Mantle were accepted by the press. Maris never received that acceptance.
In 1961 with both Maris and Mantle looking like they had a chance to break the Babe's record, New York press invented a rivalry between the two players. None existed. Mantle found the situation amusing, but of course, he was the guy in the white hat. Maris became quiet and withdrawn. Polite with the press and teammates, he preferred to spend time alone as the two battled. His hair started falling out. He got hives.
When Mantle was in the Ruth chase, the press labeled the team, 'Mantle's team'. When Mantle dropped out near the end of the season with a hip problem. The press turned the rivalry from Maris-Mantle to Maris-Ruth. They questioned whether Maris was a 'true Yankee' and intimated that the record would be tarnished if Maris broke it. This, after Maris was named the A.L. Most Valuable Player the year before.
Thanks to the press, Maris was never treated as a conquering hero.
The Commisioner at the time was Ford Frick. He tried to apply an asterisk after Maris '61' in record books. During Ruth's day, a 154 game season was played, during Maris time, it had been moved to 162 games.
Frick was a baseball writer and close friend of Ruth, back in the day.
Maris said he felt as if he were poisoning baseball's record books and sometimes wished he'd never broken the record.
The retiring of Maris uniform number nine was even somewhat an after thought for the Yankees. They retired his number 23 years later, only after Craig Nettles, who also wore number nine, had been traded to another club.
Maris had also been diagnosed with cancer the year before, which also may have played in the decision.
Only five players in baseball have hit 60 home runs. Ruth, Maris, McGwire, Sosa, and Bonds. If the public were to decide asterisk now, Maris would be hardly a consideration.
With the advent of technology, hardly anything gets by a baseball fan these days. For the most part, fans draw their own conclusions and aren't led by any one source. A good thing.
Maris accomplishment was one for the ages and he never got the credit that was due him.
So, 50 years later, from a kid that lived 3,ooo miles away and who you helped catch the 'baseball bug', here is some credit, Roger.
And, 50 years later, from that same adult who is a self professed baseball nerd and fantasy nut, my admiration.
[ February 13, 2011, 12:00 PM: Message edited by: DOUGHBOYS ]