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61*: The Story of Roger Maris, Mickey Mantle and One Magical Summer
"61 in '61." For years, the phrase held a special place in baseball lore. In three simple words, baseball fans could remember one of the most captivating summers in baseball history, a summer that the most celebrated record in baseball fell. It was the summer in which two Yankees, everybody's hero, Mickey Mantle, and a farm kid from South Dakota, Roger Maris, staged a stunning assault on Ruth's record. 61* expresses how The Sporting News covered that exciting summer. From its spring training dispatches, through each and every home run, through the controversial so-called 'asterisk' ruling, to the final record-breaking home run, 61* chronicles in week-by-week format the home run race, up to and including the Yankees' World Series victory that
160 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 15, 2022
Books, Mental health, personality, sports, Tragedy
Is a coffee table book (9 x 12) written by Ron Smith (2001) of The Sporting News that chronicles, week by week, the home run chase to beat Babe Ruth’s record of sixty. Set in 1927, Ruth’s record is arguably the most famous record ever. Moreover, Ruth is probably the most well-known person in the history of the world! Before Trump.
The book is fantastic. The stats are all there, day by day – almost pitch by pitch. As well as real time quotes from the media, coaches, and ballplayers. Maris, Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, teammates, manager Ralph Houk, rivals, and The Press.
~from the text
Rogar Maris:
People hate me for breaking Ruth’s record – the press especially.
I play hard, I train hard, I like baseball.
I was born surly and I intend to go on being that way.
Nobody knows how tired I am.
Joe DiMaggio:
He’ll have to be able to handle the pressure, because he’s going to have plenty of it.
Ralph Houk:
Roger’s exhaustion isn’t physical, it’s mental.
A lot of people remember the home runs, but he was a great ballplayer and a great family man. He was modest and winning came above any personal statistic.
~
The Media
was self-serving then. As it is now.
~From the text:
Maris was portrayed nationally as an ungrateful villain and New York columnist Jimmy Cannon labeled him ‘Maris the Whiner’, charging that he was jealous of Mantle.
[Maris] sank deeper and deeper into a defiant shell that would define the remainder of his career. (p. 147)
[Maris] emerged from the shadows as an embittered home run king, unloved, resentful and betrayed by his greatest success.
The other [Mantle] limped into the 1962 sunshine, a wounded hero who would be lovingly embraced by formerly critical fans because of his most celebrated failure. (p. 145)
~
My Thoughts
are that if you love baseball and have been excited about Aaron Judge’s historic 62 homer season (2022, sixty-one years after Mantle and Maris’s “magical season”) – you should read this book.
It doesn’t attempt to analyze but simply report what happened. In addition, the pictures are amazing.
~from the text:
Mantle went out of his way to accommodate fans and media. Mantle became a familiar face among the New York social crowd. … money was no object, whether throwing team parties or picking up monster tabs at local establishments. (p.20-1)
~
Obviously the two men had vastly different personalities from Aaron Judge. Judge, who the media adores, is a “proper” hero who fits neatly into the current cultural standards of humble and grateful, with abundant grace. Number 99 never has a bad word to say about anyone or thing.
The thing is – both Maris and Mantle died young. Maris from cancer at age 51, and Mantle from alcoholism at age 63. This is mentioned at the end of the book. But no connection is made to their “magical” season chasing the legend of Babe Ruth.
Looking back, I don’t think the season was magical. It was tragic. Both men were country boys thrust into the bright lights of New York city celebrity; and were ill-equipped to handle the pressure.
This is a five-star read. Not just about baseball, but also about America, men and culture, and personality.
Tagged: Aaron Judge, Babe Ruth, baseball, drinking, Heroes, Mickey Mantle, the media
August 19, 2015
A magical, yet strained year in baseball, when one of the most cherished records was challenged
In 1998, Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa both broke the major league record for home runs in a season, McGuire finishing with 70 and Sosa with 66. Their joint quest for the record is credited by some with saving baseball after years of labor difficulties, including a lengthy player’s strike.
To the older fans, it brought back memories of the 1961 season, when the same thing was happening, only the names were the often revered Mickey Mantle and the man considered an upstart, Roger Maris. Maris ended the season with 61 home runs, one better than the previous record held by the incomparable Babe Ruth. Major controversy was introduced into the chase when baseball commissioner Ford Frick intervened. He decreed that since Ruth hit 60 in a season of 154 games and Maris hit his 61 in 162 games, the Maris record would appear in the record book with an asterisk beside it. Like Mantle, Maris was from a small town and he had a difficult time dealing with the pressures of pursuing a record while playing in New York.
This book is a week-by-week chronicle of that magical year for baseball, when two great players had a great season. It was also very gratifying to read that Maris and Mantle were actually close friends on and off the field. They even shared an apartment in New York City. Smith is also very clear about the difficulties that Maris had with the New York press and fans during his time as a Yankee. He points out that during the first years of his career as a Yankee; Mantle was often maligned, even though he played with constant pain.
1961 was a year when baseball was still the dominant national sport in the United States. Reading this book will help you understand at least some of the excitement of that dynamic year in baseball.
This review also appears on Amazon
In 1998, Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa both broke the major league record for home runs in a season, McGuire finishing with 70 and Sosa with 66. Their joint quest for the record is credited by some with saving baseball after years of labor difficulties, including a lengthy player’s strike.
To the older fans, it brought back memories of the 1961 season, when the same thing was happening, only the names were the often revered Mickey Mantle and the man considered an upstart, Roger Maris. Maris ended the season with 61 home runs, one better than the previous record held by the incomparable Babe Ruth. Major controversy was introduced into the chase when baseball commissioner Ford Frick intervened. He decreed that since Ruth hit 60 in a season of 154 games and Maris hit his 61 in 162 games, the Maris record would appear in the record book with an asterisk beside it. Like Mantle, Maris was from a small town and he had a difficult time dealing with the pressures of pursuing a record while playing in New York.
This book is a week-by-week chronicle of that magical year for baseball, when two great players had a great season. It was also very gratifying to read that Maris and Mantle were actually close friends on and off the field. They even shared an apartment in New York City. Smith is also very clear about the difficulties that Maris had with the New York press and fans during his time as a Yankee. He points out that during the first years of his career as a Yankee; Mantle was often maligned, even though he played with constant pain.
1961 was a year when baseball was still the dominant national sport in the United States. Reading this book will help you understand at least some of the excitement of that dynamic year in baseball.
This review also appears on Amazon
November 30, 2025
Billy does one excellent work.A true Yankee Fan delight.
March 27, 2010
I particularly enjoyed the newspaper pictures, most of which were obviously posed by the photographer for some amusing purpose. Today's players would never pose in such a way, but the world was different then. Newspapers were the main source of information back then, which can seem strange now. I actually hated the Yankees in those days but now appreciate their legacy.
May 2, 2012
oh my god this was amazing my two favorite baseball players
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews