Do Roger Maris or Albert Belle belong in the HOF

[skil55voy]

I was 5 years old growing up in Detroit when Roger broke Babe's record. None of the adults around me wanted Roger to break the record. I can remember laying in front of our Emerson black and white TV and seeing the scroll across the bottom of the screen announcing Roger's 56th homer, his 57th 58th etc.. as he hit them. Even though most people were against him, he did it anyway. He became a hero to me because he did it anyway. I don't think anybody was ever in a zone like he was that year. I read an article where Norm Cash said that his 1961 season was like no other. He said that everything he hit just seemed to drop in. Don't care about the Hall of Fame. Roger had one of the great years in baseball, surpassing a bigger than life legend. Just a working guy who swung the bat like nothing anybody had ever seen. 159 hits - 61 were home runs. Incredible.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by skil55voy

I was 5 years old growing up in Detroit when Roger broke Babe's record. None of the adults around me wanted Roger to break the record. I can remember laying in front of our Emerson black and white TV and seeing the scroll across the bottom of the screen announcing Roger's 56th homer, his 57th 58th etc.. as he hit them. Even though most people were against him, he did it anyway. He became a hero to me because he did it anyway. I don't think anybody was ever in a zone like he was that year. I read an article where Norm Cash said that his 1961 season was like no other. He said that everything he hit just seemed to drop in. Don't care about the Hall of Fame. Roger had one of the great years in baseball, surpassing a bigger than life legend. Just a working guy who swung the bat like nothing anybody had ever seen. 159 hits - 61 were home runs. Incredible.

You don't think Babe Ruth was in a zone when he hit a mere 60 (with a much higher batting average)? Or Hornsby when he hit .424 or whatever it was? Yes it was a great achievement, but let's not be too hyperbolic about it.

[packs]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

You don't think Babe Ruth was in a zone when he hit a mere 60 (with a much higher batting average)? Or Hornsby when he hit .424 or whatever it was? Yes it was a great achievement, but let's not be too hyperbolic about it.

I think the difference is nobody was upset when Ruth hit 60. The public probably loved it. Almost no one wanted Maris to hit 61. His achievement was in the face of ridiculous odds and against the wishes of a public who was mostly against him. The closer Maris got to the record the worse the abuse was. I highly doubt Ruth got too many death threats on his way to 60.

If you want to put the public's feeling toward Maris into perspective, only 23,000 people showed up to see if he would break the record and the commissioner didn't even attend.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by packs

I think the difference is nobody was upset when Ruth hit 60. The public probably loved it. Almost no one wanted Maris to hit 61. His achievement was in the face of ridiculous odds and against the wishes of a public who was mostly against him. The closer Maris got to the record the worse the abuse was. I highly doubt Ruth got too many death threats on his way to 60.

If you want to put the public's feeling toward Maris into perspective, only 23,000 people showed up to see if he would break the record and the commissioner didn't even attend.

OK, but he's playing baseball, not fighting in a battle with live rounds. Let's not overdramatize it?

[packs]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

OK, but he's playing baseball, not fighting in a battle with live rounds. Let's not overdramatize it?

I can only speak for myself, but if I'm trying to accomplish something and strangers are telling me they'll kill me or my family, it might make it harder for me to accomplish what I'm doing.

[brian1961]

Upon the headstone of Roger Eugene Maris are three words:

AGAINST ALL ODDS

There were more than a few strong reasons why that phrase was put on his tombstone. With the lifetime / career qualifications that are in place, Roger will never be in the MLB Hall of Fame, but as I wrote before, his extremely hard-earned and deserved single-season major league home run record needs to be restored once and for all. It's frickin' out of line to assert Roger Maris's record is tainted. Taint so! Barry Bonds's mark has been questioned by many since the year he supposedly hit them, and nobody can seem to get to him to discover the truth behind his numbers.

Roger Maris is from my era, and I'm not ashamed to say I am biased towards him, and to the many others who legitimately achieved slugging fame.

We have no say anyway, so let's call it a day, and go back to collecting, and enjoying our heroes. --- Brian Powell

[Peter_Spaeth]

[QUOTE=brian1961;1863671]Upon the headstone of Roger Eugene Maris are three words:

AGAINST ALL ODDS

There were more than a few strong reasons why that phrase was put on his tombstone. With the lifetime / career qualifications that are in place, Roger will never be in the MLB Hall of Fame, but as I wrote before, his extremely hard-earned and deserved single-season major league home run record needs to be restored once and for all. It's frickin' out of line to assert Roger Maris's record is tainted. Taint so! Barry Bonds's mark has been questioned by many since the year he supposedly hit them, and nobody can seem to get to him to discover the truth behind his numbers.

Roger Maris is from my era, and I'm not ashamed to say I am biased towards him, and to the many others who legitimately achieved slugging fame.

We have no say anyway, so let's call it a day, and go back to collecting, and enjoying our heroes. --- Brian Powell[/QUOTE

frickin' out of line -- pun intended?