Because right now I am watching the movie 61 and the people and fans were so cruel to him. Any idea why they were so cruel to him?
2007-05-27 10:18:58 · 11 answers · asked by Larry 4 in Sports ➔ Baseball
Back in 1961 the "Right of Passage" was an unwritten law of nature and it belonged to Mickey Mantle. The old timers loved Ruth and they really had no problem with Mantle breaking the record, but not this "new comer", Roger Maris. (Second year with the Yankees). The younger baseball fans of that day, myself included, looked at Mantle as a god! His speed and power were unmatched in all of baseball. His good looks and sense of humor was compelling to the fans. In our minds he could do no wrong.
As a youngster I liked Maris because he was an outstanding defensive player. This guy had one of the great throwing arms in baseball history. I don't think today's fans really understand that. Maris was a great baseball player. Many say that the worse thing that ever happened to his career is that he broke Babe Ruth's record. Anyway he seemed quiet but for the most part people liked him. Not as much as Mantle but he was never considered a bad guy. The only people who really hated Maris were Babe Ruth's old buddies who were by now occupying many of the top brass positions in baseball. Another person who hated Maris was Ruth's window. She didn't want to see her husbands record broken. She, above anyone else was very cruel to Maris.
Billy Crystal's movie is pretty actuate but not when it comes to the fans. I would say they were mostly indifferent toward Maris until Mantle got "sick" and Roger had a realistic chance to break the record. Then all Yankee fans pulled for him.
2007-05-27 11:20:06 · answer #1 · answered by Yankee Dude 6 · 5⤊ 0⤋
For years, Babe Ruth held the one season record for home runs and he did it as a Yankee. Ruth was then and is till considered by many to be the best all-around ball player ever (I am one).
Roger Maris was a good ball player that came to the Yankees and took advantage of the short right field at Yankee Stadium. That same year, Mickey Mantle made a very strong run at the one season record but he got hurt and missed out on his chance. As he was a life-long Yankee he was more acceptable to the Yankee fans if anyone were to break the record.
That season, 1961, was the first year of expansion to the American League. This was the first season of 162 games rather than the previous 154 games. The Commissioner of Baseball determined that to break Babe Ruth's record it must be done in the same number of games. For years there were two records in the book, Ruth's 60 in a 154 game season as well as Maris's 61 in a 162 game season.
Imagine that, a good ballplayer joining the Yankees, still playing well and having fans boo him.
2007-05-27 10:50:08 · answer #2 · answered by jpbofohio 6 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Because if anyone broke the record, they wanted The Mick to do it. 1961 was only the second season Roger Maris was with the Yankees, and Maris wasn't really a press-friendly guy.
So, Yankees fans felt like a "stranger" was coming in and breaking the record that their beloved Ruth had held for so many years.
2007-05-27 10:37:18 · answer #3 · answered by oysterchowder2004 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Roger was not a superstar,. he was a very good player.
His problem, he played in NY, and he threatened the record of a legend. I remember Roger not as a HR hitter, but as a man you'd want at bat with a runner on 3rd in a close game.
After he was traded to St Louis, he had a very productive career. The St Louis fans and media left him alone. He helped st L win 2 pennants.
Also, the fans felt, if anybody would beat the Babe's record it had to be Mickey Mantle. (There was no animosity between Roger and Mickey. In fact,.they shared an apartment in NY during the season.)
2007-05-27 10:29:36 · answer #4 · answered by mdk 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
classless seventy two team? are you kidding? the 07-08 Pats are the main classless team ever to placed on a jersey. working up the score, up by some TD's and nevertheless going for it on 4th down. the full spygate element. Now they say that they have got been caught recording the Rams back whilst the Pats beat them 20-17. i'm happy that Congress is finding into it, as a fan, i think cheated because of the fact of each and every thing that has come to mild with regards to the Pats. Im purely waiting till they ban Brady and Belicheck from the hall of recognition, because of the fact baseball is black balling Rose, Bonds and McGwire.
2016-10-08 23:03:16 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
1. Roger Maris was not a friend of the press and believed him to be one who could not keep up with the pace
2. He was chasing the record of an icon or the icon of baseball in Babe Ruth .
3.Mickey Mantle was the people's choice and the new popular star of the game.
2007-05-27 12:15:25 · answer #6 · answered by Dave aka Spider Monkey 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Because it was supposed to be Mantle (who had come through the Yankees system) doing that. It's pretty clear in the movie.
2007-05-27 11:53:24 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Fans and baseball historians alike did not want to see Babe Ruth record fall. They also wanted Mantle to break it if it was to be done by another Yankee player.
2007-05-27 11:34:19 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
because babe ruth WAS mr yankee then and nothing compared to him so when the chase was going they all wanted mantle because he was the next favorite and gherig was just some kid who nobody wanted on the team and so they all disliked him... good movie though
2007-05-27 10:22:04 · answer #9 · answered by jc 6 · 1⤊ 2⤋
because they didn't want him to break the home run record.
2007-05-27 21:35:17 · answer #10 · answered by ? 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋