In the current "Sports Illustrated" Rick Reilly has written a very interesting column on Roger Maris "Seeing 61 In A New Light". In the article he basically says that the whole steroid issue in baseball has finally helped Roger to gain respect twenty years after his death. So much that he may be considered for the Hall Of Fame finally for being able to break the record cleanly. If you've seen the movie "61" with Barry Pepper playing Roger you got to see how this guy who loved baseball was treated like dirt by baseball and even Yankee fans who liked Mickey Mantle better. Roger broke Babe Ruth's single season home run record of 60 in 1961 but did it in eight more games. So baseball put an asterik next to his record which was unfair. You'll find the article on page 92. It's a great read.

Thank you for bringing up an interesting topic. I have always been mixed on whether or not Roger Maris should have been elected for the Hall of Fame. 61* is indeed an excellent film--I have the DVD. Of course, the biggest knock on Maris is the fact that while he did have huge numbers in 1960 and 1961, he wasn't as productive in other seasons. He is a lifetime .260 hitter (his best batting averages were .283 in 1960 and .281 in 1964). As for home runs, besides hitting 61 in 1961, he did hit 39 in 1960 and 33 in 1962. However, he never hit more than 28 in any of his other 12 seasons. His three 100+ RBI years were also 1960 through 1962. Baseball-reference.com states this about Maris: "the greatest player not in Hall, no player achieved more with less appreciation from fans or writers. Won consecutive MVP's, a great defensive [outfielder], his departure started the Yanks' darkest era. His 61 HR's stood as the mark longer than any other since 1900." The Yankees and Maris did eventually come to friendly terms in 1984 (a year before his death) as the Yankees retired #9 for good. I think that Maris and Don Mattingly will go down as the great Yankees to never get into the Hall of Fame. Incidentally, I posted an interesting link to those who believe or do not believe that Maris should be elected.

Elect Roger Maris

That quote was actually from a sponsor, not the site itself.

Anyway, I've never thought that Roger Maris deserves to be in the Hall. You put him in, Juan Gonzalez should go in. Yes, Maris did have three good years, but even people who get three MVP trophies and then go on to post numbers below league averages do not belong in the Hall. If people like Ron Santo can't get elected to the Hall of Fame, Maris shouldn't even get a second thought.

I think a Hall of Famer player should have a career's worth of qualifications and not just a couple of tremendous years. I'm not sure Maris qualfies based on his career.

After responding to this post I had to watch 61 again. God thats a good movie.