The film 61* chronicles the amazing, that's a year before the Amazin' NY Mets came into existence, 1961 baseball season with New York Yankees slugging outfielders Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris, Thomas Jane & Barry Pepper, chasing Babe Ruth's ghost and 60 home run record. The film begins and ends in September 1998 with a tearful Pat Maris, Pat Crowley, watching her late husband Roger's home run record being broken by Saint Louis Cardinals Mark McGuire slamming his 62th home run into the right field stands in Bush Stadium. It's between those two scenes we get to see the home run race between Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris that electrified the sports world some 37 years earlier. And how the media fans and a good number of sportswriters made Roger Maris' life a living hell for daring and succeeding despite Commissoner Ford Frick's (Donald Moffet) attempt to derail, with that idiotic *asterick rule, his breaking Babe Ruth's home run record.
It was late in the 1961 season when Maris started to pull ahead of his teammate Mickey Mantle in the home run race that the pressure really started to get turned on the Man From Fargo North Dakota in an effort to prevent him from breaking Babe Ruth's home run record that was considered by many, especially Commission Frick, a crime against the game of baseball. The fact that Maris was on his way of breaking Ruth's record had the press, or most of it, work overtime to discredit him in making it look that he's not worthy to break the great "Babe's" record that has stood for the last 34 years. The media even went as far as making up false stories about him that had Maris refuse to give interviews in fear that he's words would be taken out of contact, like they were, and make him sound like a spoiled and unfeeling person. It in fact was teammate Mickey Mantle who was Maris' biggest supporter knowing what he was going through on the field, where in one cases he has a chair thrown on him, and at home where his wife Pat got phone calls that threatened to kidnap and even kills her children if her husband broke "the Babe's" holy and untouchable home run record.
Despite all the threats attacks and insults on him and is family Maris on October 1, 1961 the last day on the season belted #61 into the right field stands off Boston Red Sox pitcher Tracy Stallard in Yankee Stadium and this time with him rounding the bases there was not a single boo or cat call among the some 23,000 fans present. Maris finally had earned the respect of the fans and sport-writers that was denied him that entire season. And as for the *asterick put on his home run record that was finally taken off on a ruling of the then Baseball Commissar Faye Vincent in 1991 but sadly Roger Maris wasn't there to see it. He passed away six years earlier on December 14, 1985 at the age of 51.
If you check out Roger Maris' as a person not baseball player he was without a doubt the most decent man you would have wanted to be Baseball's home run king. Quite unassuming a wonderful husband and loving father and family man he was the stuff that hero's are made of and on top of all that he never made a big deal off the unattainable record that he set. Maris even refused to receive the #61 home run ball that he hit that was valued at $5,000.00 given to him by the fan, Sal Durante, who caught it and offered it too him instead. With Maris telling Sal to keep the ball and make some money off it.
P.S Roger Maris' home run record is still considered the most legitimate by practically everyone who follows baseball from the baseball commissioner on down to the fan in the stand or those watching "America's Pastime" on TV. It's since been broken by Mark McGuire Sammy Sosa & Bobby Bond but none of the trio will ever be honored in breaking it or even being voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Unlike Roger Maris they needed performance enhancing drugs or steroids to get the job done. Where as for Roger Maris did it not only with his hitting talent but also sheer determination and guts as well.
It was late in the 1961 season when Maris started to pull ahead of his teammate Mickey Mantle in the home run race that the pressure really started to get turned on the Man From Fargo North Dakota in an effort to prevent him from breaking Babe Ruth's home run record that was considered by many, especially Commission Frick, a crime against the game of baseball. The fact that Maris was on his way of breaking Ruth's record had the press, or most of it, work overtime to discredit him in making it look that he's not worthy to break the great "Babe's" record that has stood for the last 34 years. The media even went as far as making up false stories about him that had Maris refuse to give interviews in fear that he's words would be taken out of contact, like they were, and make him sound like a spoiled and unfeeling person. It in fact was teammate Mickey Mantle who was Maris' biggest supporter knowing what he was going through on the field, where in one cases he has a chair thrown on him, and at home where his wife Pat got phone calls that threatened to kidnap and even kills her children if her husband broke "the Babe's" holy and untouchable home run record.
Despite all the threats attacks and insults on him and is family Maris on October 1, 1961 the last day on the season belted #61 into the right field stands off Boston Red Sox pitcher Tracy Stallard in Yankee Stadium and this time with him rounding the bases there was not a single boo or cat call among the some 23,000 fans present. Maris finally had earned the respect of the fans and sport-writers that was denied him that entire season. And as for the *asterick put on his home run record that was finally taken off on a ruling of the then Baseball Commissar Faye Vincent in 1991 but sadly Roger Maris wasn't there to see it. He passed away six years earlier on December 14, 1985 at the age of 51.
If you check out Roger Maris' as a person not baseball player he was without a doubt the most decent man you would have wanted to be Baseball's home run king. Quite unassuming a wonderful husband and loving father and family man he was the stuff that hero's are made of and on top of all that he never made a big deal off the unattainable record that he set. Maris even refused to receive the #61 home run ball that he hit that was valued at $5,000.00 given to him by the fan, Sal Durante, who caught it and offered it too him instead. With Maris telling Sal to keep the ball and make some money off it.
P.S Roger Maris' home run record is still considered the most legitimate by practically everyone who follows baseball from the baseball commissioner on down to the fan in the stand or those watching "America's Pastime" on TV. It's since been broken by Mark McGuire Sammy Sosa & Bobby Bond but none of the trio will ever be honored in breaking it or even being voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Unlike Roger Maris they needed performance enhancing drugs or steroids to get the job done. Where as for Roger Maris did it not only with his hitting talent but also sheer determination and guts as well.