Before Bonds, McGwire, & Sosa... there was Maris.

On October 1st, 1961, Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth's single season home run record that had been set in 1927, when he hit his 61st off of Boston's Tracy Stallard. Controversy has surrounded this record for the past 50 years, because 1961 also marked the year MLB extended their season from 154 games to 162. As a result there are still people who feel that there should be two records: one for the 154 game season & another for the 162 game season.

I personally am against the "so called" asterisk and was saddened to hear how poorly people treated Mr. Maris during the experience. According to Baseball Almanac, Maris once said, "It would have been a helluva lot more fun if I had not hit those sixty-one home runs." Can you imagine accomplishing such an amazing feat and being hated for it?

Well you won't find any Maris hating on this blog. I've never considered myself a Maris fan, mainly because he's primarily known for his days in Yankee pinstripes. In fact, I had to dig deep to find a card of his in my collection.

It's his 1959 Topps card that I picked up back in the early 90's from the card show I worked at. I bought it because it pictures him with the Athletics... who happens to be my favorite team.

The fact is... you don't have to be a Maris fan to be able to appreciate his amazing record that stood for 37 years.

Happy Anniversary Mr. Maris! You're a legend in my book.