Should Roger Maris' 61 Home Runs Be Reinstated As The Single Season Record?

[Brian Damage]

NEW YORK -- Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa both topped Roger Maris' single-season home run mark of 61 in 1998. Barry Bonds broke McGwire's record with 73 homers in 2001.

But because of the steroid allegations surrounding McGwire, Sosa and Bonds, Roger Maris' sons believe that their father should still have the single-season record.

"I think there needs to be a distinction," Randy Maris said on Saturday. "Obviously, unfortunately I think major league baseball turned an eye to that era."

Randy and Roger Maris Jr. were at Yankee Stadium with other members of the Maris family to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Roger Maris' 61st home run, which he hit on Oct. 1, 1961.

Maris set the single-season home run mark with that blast, besting Babe Ruth's mark of 60 set in 1927.

Randy Maris believes baseball needs to make note of the fact that Bonds, McGwire and Sosa have been linked to steroids.

"We appreciate everything Mark (McGwire) did ... with respecting my dad and stuff like that. But it's got to be noted," Maris said. "If you look at, since they started drug testing, where are the numbers now? It just hasn't been there. So there's definitely, there's got to be some kind of distinction you can do."

Added Randy Maris' brother, Roger Jr.: "The family feels that it's his record. I also know that's arguable with a lot of people, but that's just how we feel."

Last January, McGwire admitted he used steroids when he broke baseball's home run record with a 70-homer season in 1998. Bonds and Sosa were also reportedly linked to steroids use, but neither has admitted to using now-banned substances during their playing days.

The New York Times reported that Sosa tested positive for a banned substance in 2003. The Times said Sosa is one of 104 players who tested positive in baseball's anonymous 2003 survey. Sosa hit 66 homers in 1998, then belted 63, 50, 64 and 49 homers in his next four seasons. McGwire had a 65-homer season in 1999.

Bonds was tried in federal court earlier this year on charges he lied to a grand jury when he denied knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs. A jury found Bonds guilty of obstruction of justice for giving an evasive answer under oath more than seven years ago about alleged use of a banned substance. They could not reach a decision on the remaining charges Bonds faced.

Two of Mickey Mantle's sons were also at Yankee Stadium on Saturday to commemorate Maris' 61st home run, along with former teammates Whitey Ford, Yogi Berra and Bob Cerv. Mantle and Maris engaged a season-long home run race in 1961. Mantle finished with 54 home runs.

"Roger, to us, is still the single home run leader for one season with 61 home runs," David Mantle said. "That's how we feel because some of the stuff that has happened and changed (in the game), I don't agree with."

Randy Maris and Roger Maris Jr. also argued that their father belongs in baseball's Hall of Fame.

"I just think too many people get fixated on the one year," Randy Maris said. "Hitting 61 was actually a curse because everybody goes, 'Hey, he was just a one-year guy.'"

Added Roger Maris Jr.: "Three years in a row he was pretty much as good a player there was in the game, if not arguably the best."

Maris finished with a .260 batting average, 275 home runs and 851 RBIs. He had season averages of 23 homers and 73 RBIs, which were, of course, affected by years in which he was injured.

http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/stor...s-homer-record

[Marvo301]

I think there definitely needs to be asterisks beside the names Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, and Mark McGwire in the record books and acknowledgement the Roger Maris is the *legitimate* record holder. And Roger Maris SHOULD be in the hall of fame!

[Brian Damage]

Originally Posted by Marvo301

I think there definitely needs to be asterisks beside the names Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, and Mark McGwire in the record books and acknowledgement the Roger Maris is the *legitimate* record holder. And Roger Maris SHOULD be in the hall of fame!

Agreed!

[catlover79]

I say yes!!! Why ISN'T Roger Maris in the HOF, anyway???

[Tweety]

Originally Posted by catlover79

I say yes!!! Why ISN'T Roger Maris in the HOF, anyway???

I actually don't think that Maris' career was really of HOF quality, especially for an outfielder. His career was actually relatively short (1,463 games, not even ten seasons worth).

But it is kind of interesting that almost everything people said about Maris (things accepted as 'universal truths") was wrong.

People said he was a one year wonder, but how can you be a one year wonder if you win TWO MVP awards? (He also won it in 1960). The 1960 and 61 MVP races, both won narrowly by Maris over Mantle were, at that time, the two closest MVP races in history.

People say that he was average to below average defensive OF'er, but after he left the Yankees, he was still good enough to play RF for two NL championship teams (St Louis in 67 and 68).

People say he was a left handed batter who took advantage of the "short porch" in Yankee Stadium, but the facts are that in 1960, he hit 26 of his 39 home runs on the road, and in 1961, he hit 30 HRs at home, and 31 on the road.

Re: Maris' home run splits: Bill James' theory is that, when Maris got to New York, he knew he was going to have to pull the ball right down the line if he was going to hit any HRs at Yankee Stadium. So that's what he did, he learned to pull the ball right down the line... and that skill actually helped him not only in Yankee Stadium, but in EVERY ball park. So, in a sense, playing at Yankee Stadium did "help" him, but only by forcing him to learn something, and not by simply giving him cheap home runs.


As I said, I don't think Maris' career was long enough to put him in the HOF (because of the fact that his career was so short, he doesn't have great career numbers for an outfielder). He made the All Star team in only 4 different seasons (although games were played 2x/year in three of those seasons, so he played in a total of seven all star games).

One can always run down the Keltner List questions to see where they think Maris ranks among HOF candidates...

1. Was he ever regarded as the best player in baseball? Did anybody, while he was active, ever suggest that he was the best player in baseball?
2. Was he the best player on his team?
3. Was he the best player in baseball at his position? Was he the best player in the league at his position?
4. Did he have an impact on a number of pennant races? (positive and negative impacts should be considered)
5. Was he a good enough player that he could continue to play regularly after passing his prime?
6. Is he the very best player in baseball history who is not in the Hall of Fame?
7. Are most players who have comparable career statistics in the Hall of Fame?
8. Do the player's numbers meet Hall of Fame standards?
9. Is there any evidence to suggest that the player was significantly better or worse than is suggested by his statistics?
10. Is he the best player at his position who is eligible for the Hall of Fame but not in?
11. How many MVP-type seasons did he have? Did he ever win an MVP award? If not, how many times was he close?
12. How many All-Star-type seasons did he have? How many All-Star games did he play in? Did most of the other players who played in this many go to the Hall of Fame?
13. If this man were the best player on his team, would it be likely that the team could win the pennant?
14. What impact did the player have on baseball history? Was he responsible for any rule changes? Did he introduce any new equipment? Did he change the game in any way?
15. Did the player uphold the standards of sportsmanship and character that the Hall of Fame, in its written guidelines, instructs us to consider?


There's no minimum number of "yes" answers that makes a guy a HOFer, but if you don't get many positive answers, then you need to ask why the guy should be in the HOF. Granted, many of the questions are subjective, but so are HOF selections themselves.


Now, having said all that, I don't think that then-Commissioner Ford Frick (who was a long time friend of Babe Ruth) should have put the asterisk next to Maris' name in the record books (there's actually no asterisk, but there is a notation re the 154 vs 162 game schedules of 1927 and 1961). The record should have been Maris' alone.

I also don't think that Maris' 61 should be recognized as the "official" record.

Baseball let a lot of guys cheat. They knew these guys were juiced, but fans were filling the stadiums. That was all that mattered to them. If they were that upset about Big Mac, Sosa and Bonds using steroids, they should have suspended them or banned them for good. But they didn't care.

Fans know that these guys cheated.

This was McGwire's fifth year on the HOF ballot, he's never cleared 24%. So even the writers who lionized these guys are not voting for them in HOF elections.

The records are what they are. We can't treat those home runs as though they never happened. Fans want nothing to do with these guys. Writers want no part of these guys in the HOF. That's punishment enough.

[catlover79]

You bring up some very good points. Don't forget that baseball had that WONDERFUL commissioner, Mr. Selig. The less said about him the better.