It's getting embarrasing that Roger Maris isn't in the Baseball Hall of Fame

Roger Maris, in many people's eyes, still holds the major league record for most home runs in a season (61 in 1961). The only people to surpass him are all assumed to have taken steroids, as some of them were skinny kids until they passed their prime and then they muscled up like the Incredible Hulk and had heads and faces that looked like him too! Steroids. Chemical muscle. Texas Tea (the last not literal, but for the rhythm). Then you had Roger Maris.

Maris won two Most Valuable Player Awards, in 1960 and '61 while with New York Yankees. He went on to help the St. Louis Cardinals to their world series championship in 1967. But it's for his 61 homers in 1961 that he's remembered and well honored.

His career numbers, eh, not so much. His was not a career wide arc of greatness, but he rode the lighting for a few select years - and one where he dined with the Gods.

So is it getting embarrassing that he's not in the Baseball Hall of Fame yet? I for one think so. The steroid era shows that what he did isn't possible to duplicate or surpass yet without extensive and noticeable chemical or hormonal help.

As for the guy who is closest to him in home runs hit in a year, Babe Ruth, his is the sad tale of being the most underrated player in the history of the game. Literally.

And bottom line, maybe Maris isn't in the Hall because he looked like kind of a geek:

Not listening till Pete Rose gets in. He deserves it. Top 5 players of all time.

catfishjoe
Not listening till Pete Rose gets in. He deserves it. Top 5 players of all time.

Totally agree. Rose is one of my favorites. Have you ever run up on him in Las Vegas?

Aleister

catfishjoe
Not listening till Pete Rose gets in. He deserves it. Top 5 players of all time.

Totally agree. Rose is one of my favorites. Have you ever run up on him in Las Vegas?

Been several times but no. I did love watching him get tombstoned by Kane in a couple of wrestlemanias tho.

catfishjoe

Aleister

catfishjoe
Not listening till Pete Rose gets in. He deserves it. Top 5 players of all time.

Totally agree. Rose is one of my favorites. Have you ever run up on him in Las Vegas?

Been several times but no. I did love watching him get tombstoned by Kane in a couple of wrestlemanias tho.

Not into wrestlemania, so I don't know who Kane is or why he's tombstoning baseball legends. But Rose, I think he works most weekends signing jerseys and posing with the folks right out front of a sporting goods store in The Forum. Right near the fountain where those statues of Greek Gods move around and talk. I saw him twice there, and the second time was privileged to see him distracted and a little moody as he watched a closed-circuit horse race from somewhere on a small TV on his table. Like being right there with a real life meme.

Here is Maris' Wikipedia page: en.wikipedia.org...

When he broke the home run record the Commissioner of Baseball dissed him, some fans who honored Babe Ruth "hated on him" before that term emerged, and Maris himself was angry about how he was treated (wuss):

However, Maris remained bitter about the experience. Speaking at the 1980 All-Star Game, he said, "They acted as though I was doing something wrong, poisoning the record books or something. Do you know what I have to show for 61 home runs? Nothing. Exactly nothing." Despite all the controversy and criticism, Maris was awarded the 1961 Hickok Belt as the top professional athlete of the year, and won the American League's MVP Award for the second straight year. It is said, however, that the stress of pursuing the record was so great for Maris that his hair occasionally fell out in clumps during the season. Later, Maris even surmised that it might have been better all along had he not broken the record or even threatened it at all.

So Maris may have been his own worse enemy in regards to the Hall of Fame. He'll be eligible in 2014 if he makes the top ten list being put out by a new veteran's committee, which will probably not elect him as they seem stingy with their selections (only one player made it from their list last time, Ron Santo).

Maris' situation is similar to Paul Henderson of the NHL. Henderson was an ok hockey player who arguably scored the most famous goal in Canadian hockey history, against the Soviets in 1972 Summit Series. The bulk of his career is mediocre, except for this brief spark of brilliance. Henderson remains out of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

But, they're called Halls of Fame for a reason. Both Maris and Henderson are famous for their achievements, even though they don't represent career-long excellence. So, for that reason I think they both should be inducted into their respective Halls of Fame.

You got a point. He should be in the baseball hall of fame. I didn`t even know that he wasn`t in the hall already. I wonder why he has never been selected to enter the hall. Maybe he had a bad relationship with the media and they are holding grudge or something.

Basically, Maris would have to be elected to the Hall of Fame for 61 sentimental reasons... because his production stats over 12 years was simply not good enough to reach HOF (baseball writers) thresholds.

Maris only had 275 homers over 12 years, he didn't break 300, which he could have without the injuries.
850 rbi, didn't reach 1000, another category of production that he didn't have time to achieve.
Back to back MVP 1960-1961? It has been done several times, Maris is not unique in that.

He will be eligible on the new HOF golden age inductees in Dec 2014. He will more than likely get the 75% of the vote needed to be elected. It is weird that he isn't in already

As far as Rose, I can't fathom why he is still not in. He played with passion and pride and was on the all century team. If Ty Cobb is in and he pistol whipped a man to death and Rose isn't goes show how f'd up it is and that Bud Selig needs to go.