The M & M Boys

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Thinking a lot about baseball these days.

Sadly I'm considering retired Yankees.

Jeter is going after Rivera, Andy and Jorge have gone recently. O'Neill left after 2001 and that one is still tough. As was Bernie leaving and Donnie Baseball before that.

All tough to watch the sport after each of them left.

And in my mind's eye I still see them as they were on the field. Big, fast, strong and able to handle the 95 MPH heater.

Nice shot of Mantle and Maris, huh? That photo was from 1961.

I wasn't even here yet, but I remember those days because I've read about them, watched movies and listened to stories.

Everyone liked Mantle better.

Yet I think Maris is a real figure in the history of baseball.

He was a Yankee power who was being rooted against in his own park. People were okay with Mantle breaking Ruth's record, but Maris wasn't considered worthy.

He did it anyway.

And then the commish put the kabash on it saying that they'd add an asterisk because he did it in 8 more games.

Maris was never really the same. His cigarette habit killed him. The Yanks sort of dumped him.

And then the ultimate slap in the face was when stupid Mark McGwire and Big Dope Sammy Sosa attacked his record. The fact that McGwire stood with his family and accepted the congratulations is still the lowest point of the steroid problem to me.

Yeah...even lower than A-Rod.

And then big-headed Bonds broke it too.

It should still be Roger's record.

Put the asterisk on those cheating bastards marks.

The thing about the photo is that Maris has hit the homer and Mantle is shaking his hand. They said they didn't shake hands much. They were friends, but they didn't showboat.

Maris also has his head down. He was always sort of ashamed of what he was doing.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

The single-season Home Run Leader...

...Maris, 61.

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