1961*: The Inside Story of the Maris-Mantle Home Run Chase
Before Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, and Sammy Sosa, there was Roger Maris, the reluctant home run king who electrified the baseball world with one of the most unforgettable seasons the sport has ever known. Born in Hibbing, Minnesota, and raised in Fargo, North Dakota, Maris was a small-town boy who unwillingly became a New York Yankee when he was traded by the Kansas City Athletics. Almost immediately, he was thrust into the glare of the big-city lights and found himself pursuing one of the most prestigious and most celebrated of all baseball records: Babe Ruth's single-season home run mark of 60, set in 1927. Thirty-four years later, Maris joylessly was drawn into the chase and found himself the eye in a storm of controversy. He became the center of attention he never sought and the recipient of a celebrity he didn't want. As a young sportswriter, Phil Pepe joined the fray on August 2 when he took over as the Yankees beat writer for the New York World-Telegram & Sun, and he covered Maris' race for the record to the very end. Here, in 1961*, is his firsthand account of that historic home run challenge and the man that conquered it.
1112400896
1961*: The Inside Story of the Maris-Mantle Home Run Chase
Before Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, and Sammy Sosa, there was Roger Maris, the reluctant home run king who electrified the baseball world with one of the most unforgettable seasons the sport has ever known. Born in Hibbing, Minnesota, and raised in Fargo, North Dakota, Maris was a small-town boy who unwillingly became a New York Yankee when he was traded by the Kansas City Athletics. Almost immediately, he was thrust into the glare of the big-city lights and found himself pursuing one of the most prestigious and most celebrated of all baseball records: Babe Ruth's single-season home run mark of 60, set in 1927. Thirty-four years later, Maris joylessly was drawn into the chase and found himself the eye in a storm of controversy. He became the center of attention he never sought and the recipient of a celebrity he didn't want. As a young sportswriter, Phil Pepe joined the fray on August 2 when he took over as the Yankees beat writer for the New York World-Telegram & Sun, and he covered Maris' race for the record to the very end. Here, in 1961*, is his firsthand account of that historic home run challenge and the man that conquered it.
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1961*: The Inside Story of the Maris-Mantle Home Run Chase

1961*: The Inside Story of the Maris-Mantle Home Run Chase

by Phil Pepe
1961*: The Inside Story of the Maris-Mantle Home Run Chase

1961*: The Inside Story of the Maris-Mantle Home Run Chase

by Phil Pepe

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Overview

Before Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, and Sammy Sosa, there was Roger Maris, the reluctant home run king who electrified the baseball world with one of the most unforgettable seasons the sport has ever known. Born in Hibbing, Minnesota, and raised in Fargo, North Dakota, Maris was a small-town boy who unwillingly became a New York Yankee when he was traded by the Kansas City Athletics. Almost immediately, he was thrust into the glare of the big-city lights and found himself pursuing one of the most prestigious and most celebrated of all baseball records: Babe Ruth's single-season home run mark of 60, set in 1927. Thirty-four years later, Maris joylessly was drawn into the chase and found himself the eye in a storm of controversy. He became the center of attention he never sought and the recipient of a celebrity he didn't want. As a young sportswriter, Phil Pepe joined the fray on August 2 when he took over as the Yankees beat writer for the New York World-Telegram & Sun, and he covered Maris' race for the record to the very end. Here, in 1961*, is his firsthand account of that historic home run challenge and the man that conquered it.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781617495076
Publisher: Triumph Books
Publication date: 04/01/2011
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 288
Sales rank: 323,484
File size: 434 KB

About the Author

As a young sportswriter, Phil Pepe was assigned the role of Yankees beat writer for the New York World-Telegram & Sun on August 2, 1961, and he covered Roger Maris' race for the home run record to the very end. Pepe is the author of more than 50 books on sports, including a biography of Yogi Berra and collaborations with Yankees legends Mickey Mantle, Billy Martin, and Whitey Ford. Pepe was the Yankees beat writer for the New York Daily News from 1968 through 1981 and is a past president of the Baseball Writers Association of America.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements vii

Introduction ix

Chapter 1 Fargo 1

Chapter 2 Moving Up 7

Chapter 3 Indian Summer 17

Chapter 4 Broadway Bound 27

Chapter 5 MVP 39

Chapter 6 Major Changes 49

Chapter 7 Slow Start 61

Chapter 8 Crouching Tiger 79

Chapter 9 M&M 87

Chapter 10 * 105

Chapter 11 Stadium Bunting 119

Chapter 12 Streaking 135

Chapter 13 Big Game Hunting 151

Chapter 14 Boo! 161

Chapter 15 Chicago Hope 169

Chapter 16 Brotherly Love 177

Chapter 17 Mantle Quits 185

Chapter 18 Ill Wind 191

Chapter 19 Hair-Raising 201

Chapter 20 Dr. Feelgood 207

Chapter 21 Going Like 60 213

Chapter 22 Gone Fishing 219

Chapter 23 I Got You Babe! 225

Epilogue I 239

Epilogue II 247

Epilogue III 265

Sources 267

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