MovieChat Forums > 61* (2001) Discussion > All the attention that Maris got in this...

All the attention that Maris got in this movie...

posted 3 years ago by redban (6203)
8 replies | jump to latest

... yet the truth is that Mantle, despite hitting 7 fewer homeruns, was significantly better than Maris that year:

Maris 1961: 167 OPS+, 6.9 WAR

Mantle 1961: 206 OPS+, 10.4 WAR

The truth is that Mantle should have been the MVP, notwithstanding the HR record

[–] Mattc164 (618) 3 years ago

You are aware that neither of those stats were tracked back in 61, right?

[–] redban (6203) 3 years ago

Even if those stats weren’t around, the people watching the games could see the performances, so they could factor in overall performance (WAR) and league context (OPS+)

[–] Mattc164 (618) 3 years ago

People at that time didn’t care for overall performance though. They were captivated by the HR race. Maris broke it. So in their eyes he was the MVP.

[–] MrMovie (897) 3 years ago

It doesn’t matter, breaking the home run record was such a big deal that Maris was always going to win.

[–] strntz (12259) 3 years ago

Agree. The Mick was the greatest ballplayer at that time, but sometimes the MVP doesn't go to the best player.

Roger Maris broke a hallowed baseball record. End of story.

[–] redban (6203) 3 years ago

That didn’t work for McGwire in 1998. Broke a hallowed record and lost the MVP to Sosa

[–] MrMovie (897) 3 years ago

Those guys didn’t break shit, they were shooting needles in their ass

[–] strntz (12259) 3 years ago

That didn’t work for McGwire in 1998. Broke a hallowed record and lost the MVP to Sosa

Who also not only broke the 61 home run record as well but obliterated it with 66 home runs of his own..

Different era than 1961. MLB in the 90s was complicit in the steroids usage and encouraged it. Many sports writers were no better. After years of running baseball into the ground, the home run barrage gave juice (so to speak) to the game and brought it back into the nightly news. Of course it was temporary and baseball continues to die slowly.