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Mantle batted third and Maris hit cleanup.
But it still worked out to Maris' benefit. What I didn't tell you before was that Yogi Berra usually batted fifth and Moose Skowron was often the number six hitter. Until late in the season Maris got a lot of decent pitches to hit because everyone was a lot more afraid of Mantle and Berra. Mantle and Maris ran neck and neck most of the season until the Mick came up lame late in the season. Otherwise it might have been Mantle with the record despite all the intentional walks and careful pitching. I don't think Maris used anything resembling steroids. He just happened to be on the right team with the right lineup when he happened to have a career year. But it makes you realize that a sudden increase in performance isn't always the result of cheating. Personally, I don't think McGwire knowingly cheated. He was too upfront about his dietary supplements and workout regimen. And he had a history of being a tremendous power hitter from day one. I think his reticence to testify was more over what he knew than what he did. Unlike Canseco, McGwire was the type to follow the unwritten code of silence. I think he's still doing it, no matter what it costs him personally.
posted by
notapoet
on August 20, 2007 at 3:34 PM
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Notapoet
Did Mantle hit behind Maris or ahead of him? If Mantle hit behind Maris, that could help explain his power surge.
posted by
jollyjeff
on August 20, 2007 at 2:48 PM
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Hmmm
I didn't know those things about Maris, notapoet. It does make me wonder.
posted by
jollyjeff
on August 20, 2007 at 2:30 PM
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Oops!
I didn't really think the last comment merited repeating that quickly. I must be getting tired. It's probably time to take a break. And don't take my comments as any kind of personal attack. It's just the sort of thing I do as a professional sports writer who chooses to look at more than the seemingly obvious before I point fingers.
posted by
notapoet
on August 19, 2007 at 11:44 PM
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What evidence do we have that Roger Maris didn't use steroids?
I know that seems ridiculous on the face of it, but let's look at the facts. Maris never hit more than 28 home runs before his MVP season of 1960 when, after a 39 home run season, he was inexplicably given the award over Mickey Mantle. The following season he increased his output to 61 home runs. Two years prior he only had 16 homers and, before going to the Yankees, averaged 22 per season. Let's see, from 16 to 39 in one season, and then from 39 to 61. If any current player had a surge like that every sportswriter in the country would be screaming steroids. Especially when you consider that his career total stalled out at 275 after 12 seasons. Need more evidence? Look at his sudden susceptibility to injuries and dramatic drop off in performance over the rest of his career, a mere 117 home runs in seven seasons (33 of those in 1962). If he had a career like that today wouldn't you suspect steroids?
posted by
notapoet
on August 19, 2007 at 11:40 PM
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What evidence do we have that Roger Maris didn't use steroids?
I know that seems ridiculous on the face of it, but let's look at the facts. Maris never hit more than 28 home runs before his MVP season of 1960 when, after a 39 home run season, he was inexplicably given the award over Mickey Mantle. The following season he increased his output to 61 home runs. Two years prior he only had 16 homers and, before going to the Yankees, averaged 22 per season. Let's see, from 16 to 39 in one season, and then from 39 to 61. If any current player had a surge like that every sportswriter in the country would be screaming steroids. Especially when you consider that his career total stalled out at 275 after 12 seasons. Need more evidence? Look at his sudden susceptibility to injuries and dramatic drop off in performance over the rest of his career, a mere 117 home runs in seven seasons (33 of those in 1962). If he had a career like that today wouldn't you suspect steroids?
posted by
notapoet
on August 19, 2007 at 11:39 PM
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Right you are, jollyjeff. Still, those records will stand and so will
Bonds'. Besides, using drugs to enhance performance has been around for quite some time. It's not going away. I might not personally like it, and I can't stand Barry Bonds simply because of his ridiculous arrogance (he swings a piece of wood at a tiny ball -- big f**king deal and what's to be arrogant about?), but performance enhancers are going to be around and be used and there's nothing anybody will ever do to stop it (unless they invent some way to monitor athlete during their performance).
posted by
saul_relative
on August 10, 2007 at 11:05 AM
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JollyJeff...
It's too bad cheating of all type permeates sports. The bigger the money draw of the sport, the more likely someone is going to try to gain a chemical upper hand. I like Ichiro, but if it were found he was cheating I'd throw him on the same pile as the others you mentioned. As for Micheal Waltrip, he's just goofy and had to take the fall for failing to keep his team from cheating. Do you suppose there is cheating in Sumo Wrestling?
posted by
food4thought
on August 9, 2007 at 10:27 PM
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