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Posted By: Ted Zanidakis

The Mantle fans and the media far outnumbered the cheers for Maris. The kid from Fargo was booed,
and the media pressure was horrendous. Especially when Mickey, who was leading with 54 HR's, went
on the disabled list in the last 2 weeks of the season.

But, when Phil Rizzuto, in the broadcast booth, called (in the Scooter's inimatable fashion), Maris' 61st
HR, it was great. And, as kids, we were really excited and didn't care that he did it in the 162nd game.
It was the media, who made a "big stink" about qualifying Maris' great record-breaking achievement.

TED Z