![]() He may not have had the career numbers the Hall covets, but what he did in 1961 was Hall of Fame worthy.Was what Roger Maris did in 1961 really "Hall of Fame worthy"? He hit one more home run that did Babe Ruth in 1927, and three more home runs than did Jimmie Foxx in 1932 and Hank Greenberg in 1938.Įxcepting his home run total, Maris's 1961 season was not extraordinar y-and it wasn't even the best offensive season overall in the AL.Ī 698 590 159 16 61 132 141 94 167 6.9. Surely your "love of baseball" and "decent IQ" can see that? Or are you still confusing name recognition with fame? Quote Players who were great for their entire careers are cheapened by f- in-the-pan who were great for just a fraction of their careers, no matter how much name recognition they have. The Baseball Hall of Fame isn't for those who were great for one season, no matter how historic. Stolen bases aren't as sexy as home runs, but Wills too was named an MVP for that historic season. Guess what? So was Maury Wills's 1962 season, when he broke Ty Cobb's single-seaso n stolen base record. Roger Maris was a journeyman ballplayer with two excellent seasons (his 1960 season was the other), one of which was historic. ![]() Maris was a Yankee challenging a Yankee legend, Ruth, while eclipsing Yankee golden boy Mickey Mantle on the media center stage of New York City. And your endorsement of Maris hinges on that fact-his fame derives ONLY from establishing a historic statistic. So, yes, the Hall of Fame, at least for players, is very much a Hall of Stats. Maris's only claim to fame is that in 1961 he broke Babe Ruth's single-seaso n home run record. And you are also perpetuating the fetish of the home run. You have assumed that media hype and Andy Warhol's 15 minutes of fame are the same as genuine, lasting fame. However, you and your wife have confused name recognition with fame. Genuine fame as recognized by the Baseball Hall of Fame comes from sustained and lasting accomplishme nt, not from isolated or temporary achievements like Roger Maris's. Should be Inducted As A: New York Yankee.Vote Percentage Received for the Hall of Fame: 1974: 21.4.Other Points of Note: Other Top Ten MVP Finishes: (Won the 1960 & 1961 AL MVP)Ģ Top Ten Finishes (bWAR for Position Players)Ģ Top Ten Finishes (Win Probability Added)ĥ Top Ten Finishes (Championship Win Probability Added).Highest Slugging Percentage (1) (AL) (1960) Highest bWAR for Position Players (1) (AL) (1960) The Sporting News Player of the Year (1) (1961) Major Accolades and Awards: World Series Rings (3) (New York Yankees 1961 & 1962, St.Played For: Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees, St.Country of Origin: Hibbing, Minnesota, U.S.A.This could very well remain the biggest Hall of Fame debate this side of Rose and Shoeless Joe. He may not have had the career numbers the Hall covets, but what he did in 1961 was Hall of Fame worthy. Roger Maris basically had two great seasons, a couple of good ones and a remaining career that was basically average. Maris would break one of the most coveted records in sports despite a nation cheering against him, and though he did not have the most statistically perfect season, it may have been the hardest one ever accrued. Granted, the media attention was not the same as it is in this era of ESPN and the internet but the pressure on the Midwest farm kid had to be unbearable. He broke the record in an era of no PEDs, he broke it with sportswriters constantly writing about how they didn’t want him to and he did so when his own fans cheered against him and wanted the more popular Mickey Mantle to be the one to chase down the Bambino. Think of the adversity in which he accomplished it. However, it would be on the strength of that 1961 season where he shocked the entire sporting world with his assault on Babe Ruth’s Home Run record. Roger Maris was not a one season wonder as it is often forgotten that he won the 1960 AL MVP before his legendary season and helped the Cardinals win the World Series in 1967.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |