Will Roger Maris ever get into the HOF?

[toppcat]

It would be interesting if the HOF ever decided to honor meritorious individual seasons or feats with some kind of honor. You could have things like No Hit Vandermeer's back to backs, Maris in '61, etc.

[jayshum]

Originally Posted by toppcat

It would be interesting if the HOF ever decided to honor meritorious individual seasons or feats with some kind of honor. You could have things like No Hit Vandermeer's back to backs, Maris in '61, etc.

This is already done in the museum portion of the Hall of Fame. The plaque gallery contains plaques for the inducted Hall of Famers. The rest of the museum contains plenty of information, displays and memorabilia recognizing the history of baseball including records, individual feats and accomplishments, etc.

[Popcorn]

I’m usually tuff on HOF inductees but I think he deserves it. They basically “maris” proofed baseball after his 61 season.

The hr record was always the most important stat in sports for a 100 years and he owned it. I’d put him in.

[brian1961]

Hey Gary, that's a nifty Roger Maris Hartland Statue, introduced in 1961 I believe, right after Roger's 1960 MVP season. The company did the same for the National League MVP, Dick Groat. Groat is the most notorious scarcity among Hartland baseball statues.

It was about 1971 or 72. A cross-country buddy of mine, Fred, had me over for supper. I noticed he had a Roger Maris Hartland on display, which immediately caught my interest. All alone, it was probably a cherished childhood gift that still meant something to him. Anyways, I tried a couple of times that evening to get him to sell it to me. He quietly refused each time----good for him! Deep down, I wouldn't want to deprive a dear friend of something that meant a lot to him. As it turned out, that was the closest I ever came to a Maris Hartland. I hope my buddy Fred is doing well, and still has his Hartland Rajah! Thanks for showing that beautiful statue to us, Gary. All the best to you, Brian Powell

[John1941]

The Hall of Fame is not really a hall of fame. That's just what it's called. It is an honor for the best players, not necessarily the most famous. The two things, at least in my opinion, should not be mixed up.

Roger Maris, though he was definitely famous, just did not have a long enough peak to be worthy of enshrinement.

[jchcollins]

The all or nothing line that the HOF has come to represent has gotten pretty silly. I wouldn't have a problem with Maris getting in, but there are plenty of players who are a lot more deserving that still aren't. Dick Allen. Minnie Minoso. Gil Hodges. Tony Oliva...the list goes on. He's a pretty weak choice based on career numbers for an OF. Would we be having this conversation, perhaps even with the 61 homers - had Maris been playing in Kansas City or Cleveland still at the time? Probably not. As has already been mentioned, he is already treated like a HOF'er in our hobby and he has been for decades. Just like Munson, Rose, and a few others. It kind of doesn't matter.