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Gilbert MainesAs Scottopotamus so aptly started this thread, baseball fans have a tremendous ability to reject the breaking of cherished records. Certainly 60>61 is an excellent example of this. Once the 162 game asterisk was removed the rationalization among many fans was that Maris was a fluke. He never approached that level of HR production prior to nor since 1961, while Ruth had seasons of 54 + 59 HR before achieving 60.
And baseball history appeared to bear this rationalization out. No one approached 60 again for over thirty more years, until McGuire.
In my very humble opinion, McGuire's accomplishments at the conclusion of the 20th century, particularly when coupled with those of Sosa and Bonds were exactly what many baseball fans needed to release our cherished hold on the Babe's 60, and usher in the "good new days".
Specifically, after a couple of seasons in which he hit 52 + 58 HR, McGuire moved the bar up in 1998. No longer were we talking about home run production in the 60s. Setting a new season record would now require greater than 70 HRs. And to put the icing on the cake, McGuire finished out the century in 1999 with another 60+ season which gave him a average production for the last four years of the century of over 60 HRs. Four consecutive year average above Ruth's best season.
But is even this demonstration strong enuff to sway a die hard Ruth fan? It does not matter, because Sosa and Bonds duplicated this feat. That is, in 1998 Sosa also hit over 60 homeruns and he repeated that feat in 1999. 2000 was an off year for Sosa (50 HR) but he came back the following year to hit >60 and have an average four year production over 60 HR. In that last year, Bonds hit >70 HR, thereby establishing that McGuire was no fluke.
Babe Ruth's 60 home run record was accomplished and ended in the 20th century.
And McGuire played a big role in this.
Although it is easy to focus on what McGuire has not done in his baseball career, it is difficult for me to believe what he has done. That accomplishment makes him famous to me, and deserving of the Hall (which is a hall of FAME).
08-25-2004, 06:06 AM
20th Century Baseball
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