Why in 1961 Did America Have The Heart For One Hero? {Video}

In 1961 the price of gas was $.31-a-gallon, and the cost of a house was $17,200. A lot has changed in 50 years, we have seen gas become nearly $4-a-gallon, and many houses going for over $200,000, also we have seen the landing on the moon, birth of the Internet, cell phones, and not to mention steroids. Steroids has cast a dark shadow on baseball, we truly do not even know who deserves the credit of hitting the most home runs in a season, and other records for matter of fact.

Who is the true single-season home run king? Is it Barry Bonds who hit 73 in 2001, or the 1998 home run chase for 61 that yielded Mark McGwire, and Sammy Sosa hitting 70 and 66 respectively. How about a name most people do not know in the sports world, Roger Maris. What most people do not know is 50 years ago to this date, the baseball world watched as Mickey Mantle and Maris chased down the ever popular Babe Ruth record of 60 home runs in a season, which Ruth hit in 1927. Even though Ruth hit 60 home runs in only 154 games played in a season, and in 1961 baseball extended their season from 154 games to the now 162 game format.

Mantle was the name in baseball. The Mick was heir replacement of Joe DiMaggio in Center field, and Maris was soft-spoken man born in Hibbing Minnesota, and grew up in Fargo North Dakota. If any one should of broken the record, it should of been Mantle, yet ever since Mantle's rookie year he had trouble staying healthy, which would cost him the chance at truly cementing his numbers as one of the greatest players to ever play the game, and placing his name along side Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Ty Cobb, Ted Williams.

In 1961 while Mantle and Maris were chasing down the 'Great Bambino" the then Commissioner of baseball Ford Frick announced that if any record broken after the game 154, would have an asterisk next to it. What made it worse was that the media in New York were very protected over the Babe's record, and tried to start a rivalry between the M&M boys. In 1956 Mantle persuade the Babe record, but fell short only hitting 52 home runs, and across New York media outlet, there seemed to be a big sigh of relief once Mantle fell short.

For almost nearly the whole season both Mantle, and Maris were ahead of the Ruth's pace, which then sprung a mass revolt against Maris, because if somebody should break the record, then the people wanted to see Mantle break the Babes record. Most people who have read about baseball's past, and the 61 chase have never realized what Maris went through that year. Maris received death threats, angry letters, and even being "booed" at his home park. Yankee fans were very passionate about saying that if anyone should break that record it should be a "true Yankee". What that means is that Maris who was born on the Iron Range, and played his previous years at Cleveland and Kansas City was not a true Yankee, and Mantle on the other hand, was groomed in the Yankee farm system, and played along side of one of the most famous Yankees ever in DiMaggio, which makes Mantel a Yankee.

Why did America have the heart for only one hero? was it because Mantle had that smile that made many women blush in the Bronx or was it because Maris was some guy who would never surpass 300 career home runs?

With the last 20 years of baseball having this big elephant in ever corner of every Major League park called steroids. Sports writers, and fans began asking who is the true home run king? Barry Bonds holds both the single season and career home runs records. Who deserves the bragging rights of these records?  Hank Aaron who also broke the Babes record of 714 career home runs in 1974 saw his record become demolished by steroids in 2007 when Bonds hit 756 breaking Aarons' record.

Should baseball steep in and rewrite the record book, by disqualifying Sosa, McGwire, Bonds? McGwire already confessed that he used "Roids" and with Sosa and Bonds being investigated about using performance-enhancing drugs(steroids). Should Bud Selig(current Commissioner of MLB)  hand back the records to Maris, and Aaron? Selig has been very passionate about not changing baseball way of life, which in other words means that he wont do anything about the records that have been shattered by steroids.

50 years have passed since Maris and Mantle chased the American cult hero in Ruth, yet we rarely ever hear about Maris. It seemed like baseball fans and baseball historians plan-and-simple just threw Maris into the bin of forgotten baseball players. Which is completely unfair; America should go dumpster diving, and go looking for one of the best players to ever put on a uniform in Maris. His numbers do not scream hall of fame caliber, but if you dig deep, and read about what Maris went though in that summer of 61, and not to mention Maris never took performance-enhancing drugs, he belongs in the hall where Mantle, Ruth, Gehrig, resides in Cooperstown, New York.

Steroids have tarnished the sport of baseball and its record books, its time to give back what belongs to those players that have seen their records demolished by steroids. What is even more sad about Roger Maris is that in 1991, the then Commissioner of baseball Fay Vincent announced that the asterisk next to Maris record be removed, granting Maris the record that he earned in 1961, yet Maris died in 1984, he never saw his record truly become his.