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Post by inger on Sept 20, 2022 10:48:17 GMT -5
I didn't see it remarked anywhere that ten days ago would have been Roger Maris's 88th birthday. He died from lymphoma in 1985 at the age of 51. The generally celebratory coverage of Judge's pursuit of Maris's record is in marked contrast to the largely negative and dismissive coverage in 1961. In some ways some of the pressure on Maris subsided after he failed to hit 60 in 154 games as The Babe did. Maris went into game 154 in Baltimore with 58 home runs. That game was given a then very rare national prime time broadcast. Other than the regular Saturday afternoon Game Of The Week, the World Series and the All Star Game, there were no nationally televised games back then, so doing this was highly unusual. Maris did hit number 59 off of Milt Pappas in the fourth inning, but his last three at bats were against side-winder Dick Hall and knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm, both of whom gave Maris a lot of trouble, and Roger failed to hit number 60 in Commissioner Ford Frick's mandated limitation, meaning whatever Maris did over the last eight games would be listed as a separate record. Here's how dismissive the media and the public were. None of the Yanks remaining eight games were televised nationally. The Yanks played the last five games at home, and no crowd exceeded 25,000. Maris hit home run number 60 off of Baltimore's Jack Fisher (who also gave up Ted Williams's last AB home run) in Game 159 and the next game, Ralph Houk finally acceded to Maris and gave him the day off for Game 160! Maris had been asking for a day off starting with Game 155 -- the Yanks actually played 163 games that year because of an April tie against Baltimore (Maris did not homer), but this was offset by the 1927 Yankees playing 155 games, also because of a tie. Only about 8,000 fans showed up for this game anyway, and they did not know beforehand that Maris would be out. Maris said this day, which he spent with his wife relaxing in the city, was his favorite day of the entire season. We all know Maris hit number 61 off of Boston's Tracy Stallard in the final game of the season. There were just over 23,000 in the stands, most of them jammed in right field for the pull-hitting Maris. That clip that always gets played of Phil Rizzuto making the call was actually the radio broadcast dubbed over the TV footage. Red Barber made a much more subdued call on TV, as was his fashion, but you rarely hear that played. I remember that day, a beautiful Sunday afternoon, being frustrated because in good weather it was harder to pull in distant TV signals and we could not get a decent picture on WPIX from New York, about 100 miles away. I had to listen in the field behind our house on my Silvertone Six Transistor radio, so I did at least get to hear Scooter's call. It was very exciting, although the vast majority of Yankee fans and even Yankee players wanted more for Mantle to be the one to do it. Once Mickey went down with his injury, the players totally backed Roger, no one more so than Mantle. And in the end, the fans seemed to be pulling for Maris. The media was a different story. BTW, that crowd of 23,000 was nearly three times the number who saw Babe hit number 60 in 1927, breaking his own record of 59 set in 1921. Of course, it was the fourth time he had set a single-season record, so maybe the fans were a bit jaded. In 1961, there were still a lot of people around who had seen Babe play and were devoted fans -- a kid of 12 in 1927 would only have been 46 -- and that contributed to the negativity. One point I haven't heard much made of is that Judge could become the first non-chemically enhanced player to hit 61 within 154 games. An issue only for oldsters, I suppose. I have no interest in numerology, but there is something quirky about beating 61 homers in 1961 61 years later. Anyway, I'm glad Roger Maris's name is popping up more than it has since that farcical 1998 steroid shootout between McGwire and Sosa. He deserves to be remembered for giving baseball fans a thrilling season. As Judge is doing now. If only we could forget Bonds, Sosa, and McGwire. I have. I mean, I’ve stuck them in a closet… can’t forget. Can’t forgive… |
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Post by kaybli on Sept 20, 2022 12:35:30 GMT -5
I didn't see it remarked anywhere that ten days ago would have been Roger Maris's 88th birthday. He died from lymphoma in 1985 at the age of 51. The generally celebratory coverage of Judge's pursuit of Maris's record is in marked contrast to the largely negative and dismissive coverage in 1961. In some ways some of the pressure on Maris subsided after he failed to hit 60 in 154 games as The Babe did. Maris went into game 154 in Baltimore with 58 home runs. That game was given a then very rare national prime time broadcast. Other than the regular Saturday afternoon Game Of The Week, the World Series and the All Star Game, there were no nationally televised games back then, so doing this was highly unusual. Maris did hit number 59 off of Milt Pappas in the fourth inning, but his last three at bats were against side-winder Dick Hall and knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm, both of whom gave Maris a lot of trouble, and Roger failed to hit number 60 in Commissioner Ford Frick's mandated limitation, meaning whatever Maris did over the last eight games would be listed as a separate record. Here's how dismissive the media and the public were. None of the Yanks remaining eight games were televised nationally. The Yanks played the last five games at home, and no crowd exceeded 25,000. Maris hit home run number 60 off of Baltimore's Jack Fisher (who also gave up Ted Williams's last AB home run) in Game 159 and the next game, Ralph Houk finally acceded to Maris and gave him the day off for Game 160! Maris had been asking for a day off starting with Game 155 -- the Yanks actually played 163 games that year because of an April tie against Baltimore (Maris did not homer), but this was offset by the 1927 Yankees playing 155 games, also because of a tie. Only about 8,000 fans showed up for this game anyway, and they did not know beforehand that Maris would be out. Maris said this day, which he spent with his wife relaxing in the city, was his favorite day of the entire season. We all know Maris hit number 61 off of Boston's Tracy Stallard in the final game of the season. There were just over 23,000 in the stands, most of them jammed in right field for the pull-hitting Maris. That clip that always gets played of Phil Rizzuto making the call was actually the radio broadcast dubbed over the TV footage. Red Barber made a much more subdued call on TV, as was his fashion, but you rarely hear that played. I remember that day, a beautiful Sunday afternoon, being frustrated because in good weather it was harder to pull in distant TV signals and we could not get a decent picture on WPIX from New York, about 100 miles away. I had to listen in the field behind our house on my Silvertone Six Transistor radio, so I did at least get to hear Scooter's call. It was very exciting, although the vast majority of Yankee fans and even Yankee players wanted more for Mantle to be the one to do it. Once Mickey went down with his injury, the players totally backed Roger, no one more so than Mantle. And in the end, the fans seemed to be pulling for Maris. The media was a different story. BTW, that crowd of 23,000 was nearly three times the number who saw Babe hit number 60 in 1927, breaking his own record of 59 set in 1921. Of course, it was the fourth time he had set a single-season record, so maybe the fans were a bit jaded. In 1961, there were still a lot of people around who had seen Babe play and were devoted fans -- a kid of 12 in 1927 would only have been 46 -- and that contributed to the negativity. One point I haven't heard much made of is that Judge could become the first non-chemically enhanced player to hit 61 within 154 games. An issue only for oldsters, I suppose. I have no interest in numerology, but there is something quirky about beating 61 homers in 1961 61 years later. Anyway, I'm glad Roger Maris's name is popping up more than it has since that farcical 1998 steroid shootout between McGwire and Sosa. He deserves to be remembered for giving baseball fans a thrilling season. As Judge is doing now. Great post pipps! |
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Post by inger on Sept 20, 2022 13:57:50 GMT -5
I didn't see it remarked anywhere that ten days ago would have been Roger Maris's 88th birthday. He died from lymphoma in 1985 at the age of 51. The generally celebratory coverage of Judge's pursuit of Maris's record is in marked contrast to the largely negative and dismissive coverage in 1961. In some ways some of the pressure on Maris subsided after he failed to hit 60 in 154 games as The Babe did. Maris went into game 154 in Baltimore with 58 home runs. That game was given a then very rare national prime time broadcast. Other than the regular Saturday afternoon Game Of The Week, the World Series and the All Star Game, there were no nationally televised games back then, so doing this was highly unusual. Maris did hit number 59 off of Milt Pappas in the fourth inning, but his last three at bats were against side-winder Dick Hall and knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm, both of whom gave Maris a lot of trouble, and Roger failed to hit number 60 in Commissioner Ford Frick's mandated limitation, meaning whatever Maris did over the last eight games would be listed as a separate record. Here's how dismissive the media and the public were. None of the Yanks remaining eight games were televised nationally. The Yanks played the last five games at home, and no crowd exceeded 25,000. Maris hit home run number 60 off of Baltimore's Jack Fisher (who also gave up Ted Williams's last AB home run) in Game 159 and the next game, Ralph Houk finally acceded to Maris and gave him the day off for Game 160! Maris had been asking for a day off starting with Game 155 -- the Yanks actually played 163 games that year because of an April tie against Baltimore (Maris did not homer), but this was offset by the 1927 Yankees playing 155 games, also because of a tie. Only about 8,000 fans showed up for this game anyway, and they did not know beforehand that Maris would be out. Maris said this day, which he spent with his wife relaxing in the city, was his favorite day of the entire season. We all know Maris hit number 61 off of Boston's Tracy Stallard in the final game of the season. There were just over 23,000 in the stands, most of them jammed in right field for the pull-hitting Maris. That clip that always gets played of Phil Rizzuto making the call was actually the radio broadcast dubbed over the TV footage. Red Barber made a much more subdued call on TV, as was his fashion, but you rarely hear that played. I remember that day, a beautiful Sunday afternoon, being frustrated because in good weather it was harder to pull in distant TV signals and we could not get a decent picture on WPIX from New York, about 100 miles away. I had to listen in the field behind our house on my Silvertone Six Transistor radio, so I did at least get to hear Scooter's call. It was very exciting, although the vast majority of Yankee fans and even Yankee players wanted more for Mantle to be the one to do it. Once Mickey went down with his injury, the players totally backed Roger, no one more so than Mantle. And in the end, the fans seemed to be pulling for Maris. The media was a different story. BTW, that crowd of 23,000 was nearly three times the number who saw Babe hit number 60 in 1927, breaking his own record of 59 set in 1921. Of course, it was the fourth time he had set a single-season record, so maybe the fans were a bit jaded. In 1961, there were still a lot of people around who had seen Babe play and were devoted fans -- a kid of 12 in 1927 would only have been 46 -- and that contributed to the negativity. One point I haven't heard much made of is that Judge could become the first non-chemically enhanced player to hit 61 within 154 games. An issue only for oldsters, I suppose. I have no interest in numerology, but there is something quirky about beating 61 homers in 1961 61 years later. Anyway, I'm glad Roger Maris's name is popping up more than it has since that farcical 1998 steroid shootout between McGwire and Sosa. He deserves to be remembered for giving baseball fans a thrilling season. As Judge is doing now. Great post pipps! Just a typical Pipps post. Full of perfect memories, the right adjectives. We take them for granted some times because he delivers so consistently. Unlike me, he hasn’t gone off the deep end yet… 🤓 |
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Post by desousa on Sept 20, 2022 15:03:20 GMT -5
I didn't see it remarked anywhere that ten days ago would have been Roger Maris's 88th birthday. He died from lymphoma in 1985 at the age of 51. The generally celebratory coverage of Judge's pursuit of Maris's record is in marked contrast to the largely negative and dismissive coverage in 1961. In some ways some of the pressure on Maris subsided after he failed to hit 60 in 154 games as The Babe did. Maris went into game 154 in Baltimore with 58 home runs. That game was given a then very rare national prime time broadcast. Other than the regular Saturday afternoon Game Of The Week, the World Series and the All Star Game, there were no nationally televised games back then, so doing this was highly unusual. Maris did hit number 59 off of Milt Pappas in the fourth inning, but his last three at bats were against side-winder Dick Hall and knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm, both of whom gave Maris a lot of trouble, and Roger failed to hit number 60 in Commissioner Ford Frick's mandated limitation, meaning whatever Maris did over the last eight games would be listed as a separate record. Here's how dismissive the media and the public were. None of the Yanks remaining eight games were televised nationally. The Yanks played the last five games at home, and no crowd exceeded 25,000. Maris hit home run number 60 off of Baltimore's Jack Fisher (who also gave up Ted Williams's last AB home run) in Game 159 and the next game, Ralph Houk finally acceded to Maris and gave him the day off for Game 160! Maris had been asking for a day off starting with Game 155 -- the Yanks actually played 163 games that year because of an April tie against Baltimore (Maris did not homer), but this was offset by the 1927 Yankees playing 155 games, also because of a tie. Only about 8,000 fans showed up for this game anyway, and they did not know beforehand that Maris would be out. Maris said this day, which he spent with his wife relaxing in the city, was his favorite day of the entire season. We all know Maris hit number 61 off of Boston's Tracy Stallard in the final game of the season. There were just over 23,000 in the stands, most of them jammed in right field for the pull-hitting Maris. That clip that always gets played of Phil Rizzuto making the call was actually the radio broadcast dubbed over the TV footage. Red Barber made a much more subdued call on TV, as was his fashion, but you rarely hear that played. I remember that day, a beautiful Sunday afternoon, being frustrated because in good weather it was harder to pull in distant TV signals and we could not get a decent picture on WPIX from New York, about 100 miles away. I had to listen in the field behind our house on my Silvertone Six Transistor radio, so I did at least get to hear Scooter's call. It was very exciting, although the vast majority of Yankee fans and even Yankee players wanted more for Mantle to be the one to do it. Once Mickey went down with his injury, the players totally backed Roger, no one more so than Mantle. And in the end, the fans seemed to be pulling for Maris. The media was a different story. BTW, that crowd of 23,000 was nearly three times the number who saw Babe hit number 60 in 1927, breaking his own record of 59 set in 1921. Of course, it was the fourth time he had set a single-season record, so maybe the fans were a bit jaded. In 1961, there were still a lot of people around who had seen Babe play and were devoted fans -- a kid of 12 in 1927 would only have been 46 -- and that contributed to the negativity. One point I haven't heard much made of is that Judge could become the first non-chemically enhanced player to hit 61 within 154 games. An issue only for oldsters, I suppose. I have no interest in numerology, but there is something quirky about beating 61 homers in 1961 61 years later. Anyway, I'm glad Roger Maris's name is popping up more than it has since that farcical 1998 steroid shootout between McGwire and Sosa. He deserves to be remembered for giving baseball fans a thrilling season. As Judge is doing now. Wonderful post, pipps. To me, your words are an ode to a time and place that was so long ago, but brings back our own cherished memories. Thank you. I turned 6 in the summer of 61' and couldn't wait until the next morning to see what Mantle/Maris did the night before. Most of the time, our morning newspaper only had a partial box score, but it always showed who hit homers. We got an afternoon newspaper too, so I would grab it as soon as it came. Also saw them play on the Game of the Week on Saturdays with Dizzy Dean and Pee Wee Reese calling the games. I still get excited thinking about that season. When Mantle got hurt and couldn't play I was bummed, but still had Maris to root for. Then they won the WS, I was unbelievably happy, but my father, older brother and two grandfathers were Sox fans and couldn't have been more miserable. I think what Judge is doing this season is even more impressive. He's been so consistent and carried the team for much of the year. Maris had Mantle hitting behind him, but Judge has had no one who compares. Why teams in the playoff hunt still pitch to him is a real head scratcher. |
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Post by pippsheadache on Sept 20, 2022 15:21:06 GMT -5
Just a typical Pipps post. Full of perfect memories, the right adjectives. We take them for granted some times because he delivers so consistently. Unlike me, he hasn’t gone off the deep end yet… 🤓 You are far too kind. You bring up so many people who stir up the old memory banks, making it like hitting off of a tee. I am pretty sure you aren't anywhere close to the deep end. And my memory is in inverse proportion to the distance of the subject at hand! 1961 is easy. 2021 -- have we been there yet? |
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Post by pippsheadache on Sept 20, 2022 15:41:59 GMT -5
I didn't see it remarked anywhere that ten days ago would have been Roger Maris's 88th birthday. He died from lymphoma in 1985 at the age of 51. The generally celebratory coverage of Judge's pursuit of Maris's record is in marked contrast to the largely negative and dismissive coverage in 1961. In some ways some of the pressure on Maris subsided after he failed to hit 60 in 154 games as The Babe did. Maris went into game 154 in Baltimore with 58 home runs. That game was given a then very rare national prime time broadcast. Other than the regular Saturday afternoon Game Of The Week, the World Series and the All Star Game, there were no nationally televised games back then, so doing this was highly unusual. Maris did hit number 59 off of Milt Pappas in the fourth inning, but his last three at bats were against side-winder Dick Hall and knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm, both of whom gave Maris a lot of trouble, and Roger failed to hit number 60 in Commissioner Ford Frick's mandated limitation, meaning whatever Maris did over the last eight games would be listed as a separate record. Here's how dismissive the media and the public were. None of the Yanks remaining eight games were televised nationally. The Yanks played the last five games at home, and no crowd exceeded 25,000. Maris hit home run number 60 off of Baltimore's Jack Fisher (who also gave up Ted Williams's last AB home run) in Game 159 and the next game, Ralph Houk finally acceded to Maris and gave him the day off for Game 160! Maris had been asking for a day off starting with Game 155 -- the Yanks actually played 163 games that year because of an April tie against Baltimore (Maris did not homer), but this was offset by the 1927 Yankees playing 155 games, also because of a tie. Only about 8,000 fans showed up for this game anyway, and they did not know beforehand that Maris would be out. Maris said this day, which he spent with his wife relaxing in the city, was his favorite day of the entire season. We all know Maris hit number 61 off of Boston's Tracy Stallard in the final game of the season. There were just over 23,000 in the stands, most of them jammed in right field for the pull-hitting Maris. That clip that always gets played of Phil Rizzuto making the call was actually the radio broadcast dubbed over the TV footage. Red Barber made a much more subdued call on TV, as was his fashion, but you rarely hear that played. I remember that day, a beautiful Sunday afternoon, being frustrated because in good weather it was harder to pull in distant TV signals and we could not get a decent picture on WPIX from New York, about 100 miles away. I had to listen in the field behind our house on my Silvertone Six Transistor radio, so I did at least get to hear Scooter's call. It was very exciting, although the vast majority of Yankee fans and even Yankee players wanted more for Mantle to be the one to do it. Once Mickey went down with his injury, the players totally backed Roger, no one more so than Mantle. And in the end, the fans seemed to be pulling for Maris. The media was a different story. BTW, that crowd of 23,000 was nearly three times the number who saw Babe hit number 60 in 1927, breaking his own record of 59 set in 1921. Of course, it was the fourth time he had set a single-season record, so maybe the fans were a bit jaded. In 1961, there were still a lot of people around who had seen Babe play and were devoted fans -- a kid of 12 in 1927 would only have been 46 -- and that contributed to the negativity. One point I haven't heard much made of is that Judge could become the first non-chemically enhanced player to hit 61 within 154 games. An issue only for oldsters, I suppose. I have no interest in numerology, but there is something quirky about beating 61 homers in 1961 61 years later. Anyway, I'm glad Roger Maris's name is popping up more than it has since that farcical 1998 steroid shootout between McGwire and Sosa. He deserves to be remembered for giving baseball fans a thrilling season. As Judge is doing now. Wonderful post, pipps. To me, your words are an ode to a time and place that was so long ago, but brings back our own cherished memories. Thank you. I turned 6 in the summer of 61' and couldn't wait until the next morning to see what Mantle/Maris did the night before. Most of the time, our morning newspaper only had a partial box score, but it always showed who hit homers. We got an afternoon newspaper too, so I would grab it as soon as it came. Also saw them play on the Game of the Week on Saturdays with Dizzy Dean and Pee Wee Reese calling the games. I still get excited thinking about that season. When Mantle got hurt and couldn't play I was bummed, but still had Maris to root for. Then they won the WS, I was unbelievably happy, but my father, older brother and two grandfathers were Sox fans and couldn't have been more miserable. I think what Judge is doing this season is even more impressive. He's been so consistent and carried the team for much of the year. Maris had Mantle hitting behind him, but Judge has had no one who compares. Why teams in the playoff hunt still pitch to him is a real head scratcher. Thank YOU Desousa. You are most gracious. Yes, we were so dependent on those next day newspaper accounts, and the various graphics showing where M&M stood in relation to Babe Ruth. It was excitement on a daily basis. Ooh, it had to be tough being surrounded by Sox fans. Although the Sox weren't very good back then (unless you mean the White Sox, in which case, yeah, under The Senor Lopez they were a constant pain.) Do you remember Maris and Mantle appearing on "The Ed Sullivan Show"? It would have been sometime in September, and there was a terrible canned routine they gamely put up with. The one part I remember is Ed asking them "who do you consider your most difficult opponent?" and with perfect timing, Roger and Mickey pointed at each other and said "him." For sure you had to be there. A great story about M&M on the evening after Roger hit number 61. From the book "Roger Maris: Baseball's Reluctant Hero" by Tom Clavin and Danny Peary (excellent book BTW.) After a celebratory dinner with his wife, Maris met up with his apartment mate Bob Cerv to visit their mutual roomie Mick at Lenox Hill Hospital. As Maris walked in, Mantle greeted him with "I hate your guts." But to your other point -- I agree Judge is performing at a higher rate than Maris did in 1961. Roger was a great athlete and outstanding all-around player, but Judge is off the charts. Maris's OBP that year was .372 and his OPS+ was 167. Judge as of today has an OBP of .419 and an OPS+ of 213, which would rank among the top OPS+ numbers ever. And having Mantle behind you in the order is quite a step up from anybody Judge has had behind him all year. It's one of those hackneyed stats, but worth repeating, that Maris didn't have a single intentional walk that year. Although for whatever reason, he was HBP seven times to zero for Mantle. Maybe that's kind of an IBB. |
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Post by domeplease on Sept 20, 2022 16:14:31 GMT -5
l Aaron Judge stick around in New York?
The slugging outfielder rejected a seven-year, $213.5 million contract before Opening Day and will become a free agent after the season.
Yankees president Randy Levine hopes Judge decides to re-sign with New York and remain in the Bronx for years to come.
Levine spoke about re-signing Judge on FOX News Radio’s The Brian Kilmeade Show:
“We’re going to try our very, very best to sign him. We think the world of him. We think he’s a great player. We think he’s a great Yankee. And you know, that’s something that will happen in the off-season. … We’re going to put our best foot forward and try and keep him. We know his worth to the franchise. We know his worth to the Yankees. He’s been carrying us and doing it with great poise and dignity. And we’ll see what happens in the off-season. It won’t be for a lack of trying.”
Judge leads MLB with 59 home runs, just two shy of the club and American League record of 61, set by Roger Maris in 1961. But to Judge, the home run king is Barry Bonds, who reportedly used performance-enhancing drugs while on the way to hitting 73 home runs in 2001.
Levine said:
“Well, I think that the record book says it’s Bonds. I think that’s what he says. And until the record book gets changed, it’s Bonds.”
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Post by acuraman on Sept 20, 2022 16:58:47 GMT -5
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Post by rizzuto on Sept 20, 2022 17:14:41 GMT -5
I didn't see it remarked anywhere that ten days ago would have been Roger Maris's 88th birthday. He died from lymphoma in 1985 at the age of 51. The generally celebratory coverage of Judge's pursuit of Maris's record is in marked contrast to the largely negative and dismissive coverage in 1961. In some ways some of the pressure on Maris subsided after he failed to hit 60 in 154 games as The Babe did. Maris went into game 154 in Baltimore with 58 home runs. That game was given a then very rare national prime time broadcast. Other than the regular Saturday afternoon Game Of The Week, the World Series and the All Star Game, there were no nationally televised games back then, so doing this was highly unusual. Maris did hit number 59 off of Milt Pappas in the fourth inning, but his last three at bats were against side-winder Dick Hall and knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm, both of whom gave Maris a lot of trouble, and Roger failed to hit number 60 in Commissioner Ford Frick's mandated limitation, meaning whatever Maris did over the last eight games would be listed as a separate record. Here's how dismissive the media and the public were. None of the Yanks remaining eight games were televised nationally. The Yanks played the last five games at home, and no crowd exceeded 25,000. Maris hit home run number 60 off of Baltimore's Jack Fisher (who also gave up Ted Williams's last AB home run) in Game 159 and the next game, Ralph Houk finally acceded to Maris and gave him the day off for Game 160! Maris had been asking for a day off starting with Game 155 -- the Yanks actually played 163 games that year because of an April tie against Baltimore (Maris did not homer), but this was offset by the 1927 Yankees playing 155 games, also because of a tie. Only about 8,000 fans showed up for this game anyway, and they did not know beforehand that Maris would be out. Maris said this day, which he spent with his wife relaxing in the city, was his favorite day of the entire season. We all know Maris hit number 61 off of Boston's Tracy Stallard in the final game of the season. There were just over 23,000 in the stands, most of them jammed in right field for the pull-hitting Maris. That clip that always gets played of Phil Rizzuto making the call was actually the radio broadcast dubbed over the TV footage. Red Barber made a much more subdued call on TV, as was his fashion, but you rarely hear that played. I remember that day, a beautiful Sunday afternoon, being frustrated because in good weather it was harder to pull in distant TV signals and we could not get a decent picture on WPIX from New York, about 100 miles away. I had to listen in the field behind our house on my Silvertone Six Transistor radio, so I did at least get to hear Scooter's call. It was very exciting, although the vast majority of Yankee fans and even Yankee players wanted more for Mantle to be the one to do it. Once Mickey went down with his injury, the players totally backed Roger, no one more so than Mantle. And in the end, the fans seemed to be pulling for Maris. The media was a different story. BTW, that crowd of 23,000 was nearly three times the number who saw Babe hit number 60 in 1927, breaking his own record of 59 set in 1921. Of course, it was the fourth time he had set a single-season record, so maybe the fans were a bit jaded. In 1961, there were still a lot of people around who had seen Babe play and were devoted fans -- a kid of 12 in 1927 would only have been 46 -- and that contributed to the negativity. One point I haven't heard much made of is that Judge could become the first non-chemically enhanced player to hit 61 within 154 games. An issue only for oldsters, I suppose. I have no interest in numerology, but there is something quirky about beating 61 homers in 1961 61 years later. Anyway, I'm glad Roger Maris's name is popping up more than it has since that farcical 1998 steroid shootout between McGwire and Sosa. He deserves to be remembered for giving baseball fans a thrilling season. As Judge is doing now.  |
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Post by rizzuto on Sept 20, 2022 17:22:15 GMT -5
Wonderful post, pipps. To me, your words are an ode to a time and place that was so long ago, but brings back our own cherished memories. Thank you. I turned 6 in the summer of 61' and couldn't wait until the next morning to see what Mantle/Maris did the night before. Most of the time, our morning newspaper only had a partial box score, but it always showed who hit homers. We got an afternoon newspaper too, so I would grab it as soon as it came. Also saw them play on the Game of the Week on Saturdays with Dizzy Dean and Pee Wee Reese calling the games. I still get excited thinking about that season. When Mantle got hurt and couldn't play I was bummed, but still had Maris to root for. Then they won the WS, I was unbelievably happy, but my father, older brother and two grandfathers were Sox fans and couldn't have been more miserable. I think what Judge is doing this season is even more impressive. He's been so consistent and carried the team for much of the year. Maris had Mantle hitting behind him, but Judge has had no one who compares. Why teams in the playoff hunt still pitch to him is a real head scratcher. Thank YOU Desousa. You are most gracious. Yes, we were so dependent on those next day newspaper accounts, and the various graphics showing where M&M stood in relation to Babe Ruth. It was excitement on a daily basis. Ooh, it had to be tough being surrounded by Sox fans. Although the Sox weren't very good back then (unless you mean the White Sox, in which case, yeah, under The Senor Lopez they were a constant pain.) Do you remember Maris and Mantle appearing on "The Ed Sullivan Show"? It would have been sometime in September, and there was a terrible canned routine they gamely put up with. The one part I remember is Ed asking them "who do you consider your most difficult opponent?" and with perfect timing, Roger and Mickey pointed at each other and said "him." For sure you had to be there. A great story about M&M on the evening after Roger hit number 61. From the book "Roger Maris: Baseball's Reluctant Hero" by Tom Clavin and Danny Peary (excellent book BTW.) After a celebratory dinner with his wife, Maris met up with his apartment mate Bob Cerv to visit their mutual roomie Mick at Lenox Hill Hospital. As Maris walked in, Mantle greeted him with "I hate your guts." But to your other point -- I agree Judge is performing at a higher rate than Maris did in 1961. Roger was a great athlete and outstanding all-around player, but Judge is off the charts. Maris's OBP that year was .372 and his OPS+ was 167. Judge as of today has an OBP of .419 and an OPS+ of 213, which would rank among the top OPS+ numbers ever. And having Mantle behind you in the order is quite a step up from anybody Judge has had behind him all year. It's one of those hackneyed stats, but worth repeating, that Maris didn't have a single intentional walk that year. Although for whatever reason, he was HBP seven times to zero for Mantle. Maybe that's kind of an IBB. In the movie 61, as Maris enters the hospital room, Mantle says nonchalantly, "F... You," to which Maris chuckles. |
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Post by inger on Sept 20, 2022 17:25:41 GMT -5
I didn't see it remarked anywhere that ten days ago would have been Roger Maris's 88th birthday. He died from lymphoma in 1985 at the age of 51. The generally celebratory coverage of Judge's pursuit of Maris's record is in marked contrast to the largely negative and dismissive coverage in 1961. In some ways some of the pressure on Maris subsided after he failed to hit 60 in 154 games as The Babe did. Maris went into game 154 in Baltimore with 58 home runs. That game was given a then very rare national prime time broadcast. Other than the regular Saturday afternoon Game Of The Week, the World Series and the All Star Game, there were no nationally televised games back then, so doing this was highly unusual. Maris did hit number 59 off of Milt Pappas in the fourth inning, but his last three at bats were against side-winder Dick Hall and knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm, both of whom gave Maris a lot of trouble, and Roger failed to hit number 60 in Commissioner Ford Frick's mandated limitation, meaning whatever Maris did over the last eight games would be listed as a separate record. Here's how dismissive the media and the public were. None of the Yanks remaining eight games were televised nationally. The Yanks played the last five games at home, and no crowd exceeded 25,000. Maris hit home run number 60 off of Baltimore's Jack Fisher (who also gave up Ted Williams's last AB home run) in Game 159 and the next game, Ralph Houk finally acceded to Maris and gave him the day off for Game 160! Maris had been asking for a day off starting with Game 155 -- the Yanks actually played 163 games that year because of an April tie against Baltimore (Maris did not homer), but this was offset by the 1927 Yankees playing 155 games, also because of a tie. Only about 8,000 fans showed up for this game anyway, and they did not know beforehand that Maris would be out. Maris said this day, which he spent with his wife relaxing in the city, was his favorite day of the entire season. We all know Maris hit number 61 off of Boston's Tracy Stallard in the final game of the season. There were just over 23,000 in the stands, most of them jammed in right field for the pull-hitting Maris. That clip that always gets played of Phil Rizzuto making the call was actually the radio broadcast dubbed over the TV footage. Red Barber made a much more subdued call on TV, as was his fashion, but you rarely hear that played. I remember that day, a beautiful Sunday afternoon, being frustrated because in good weather it was harder to pull in distant TV signals and we could not get a decent picture on WPIX from New York, about 100 miles away. I had to listen in the field behind our house on my Silvertone Six Transistor radio, so I did at least get to hear Scooter's call. It was very exciting, although the vast majority of Yankee fans and even Yankee players wanted more for Mantle to be the one to do it. Once Mickey went down with his injury, the players totally backed Roger, no one more so than Mantle. And in the end, the fans seemed to be pulling for Maris. The media was a different story. BTW, that crowd of 23,000 was nearly three times the number who saw Babe hit number 60 in 1927, breaking his own record of 59 set in 1921. Of course, it was the fourth time he had set a single-season record, so maybe the fans were a bit jaded. In 1961, there were still a lot of people around who had seen Babe play and were devoted fans -- a kid of 12 in 1927 would only have been 46 -- and that contributed to the negativity. One point I haven't heard much made of is that Judge could become the first non-chemically enhanced player to hit 61 within 154 games. An issue only for oldsters, I suppose. I have no interest in numerology, but there is something quirky about beating 61 homers in 1961 61 years later. Anyway, I'm glad Roger Maris's name is popping up more than it has since that farcical 1998 steroid shootout between McGwire and Sosa. He deserves to be remembered for giving baseball fans a thrilling season. As Judge is doing now. Mine was not a Silvertone. It was a Motorola. Truth is, though it’s packed away, I still have it and it still works. They made good stuff back then. It was probably somewhere in the neighborhood of $10-$14 dollars. I doubt $14. That seems very high by our standards of the time. If I got that for Christmas, that would have been an extravagant gift. Or my birthday? The same… |
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Post by pippsheadache on Sept 20, 2022 18:05:51 GMT -5
Yep, that's pretty much the Silvertone, available only at Sears! Except mine had a blue chassis and a snappy faux leather carrying case. Great little radio.
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Post by rizzuto on Sept 20, 2022 18:14:28 GMT -5
Yep, that's pretty much the Silvertone, available only at Sears! Except mine had a blue chassis and a snappy faux leather carrying case. Great little radio.  |
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Post by rizzuto on Sept 20, 2022 18:17:58 GMT -5
Yep, that's pretty much the Silvertone, available only at Sears! Except mine had a blue chassis and a snappy faux leather carrying case. Great little radio.   |
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Post by pippsheadache on Sept 20, 2022 18:24:53 GMT -5
Yep, that's pretty much the Silvertone, available only at Sears! Except mine had a blue chassis and a snappy faux leather carrying case. Great little radio. Wow, I'm impressed. That is exactly it. Never thought I'd see that again! That little dynamo could pull in KMOX in St. Louis, WCCO in Minneapolis, WHO in Des Moines and from your town WWL in New Orleans. Among many others. Thanks for the memory Rizz! |
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