Roger maris belongs in the hall of fame long time coming long over due. Roger maris and mickey mantle race to break babe ruths singleseason home run record. Mcgwire 61st home run announcer voice archive footage. Jun 03, 2011 yanksatshea proudly presents a genuine rarity. He was hired as a consultant and always wished he could have been that guy back in the summer of 1961 when he saw the game as a. But baseball history will remember him as the homerun twin to mickey mantle, and generations of fans will remember him as the man with the asterisk in the record books. He came up in the pros with the cleveland indians, and was soon dealt to the kansas city athletics, but it was his third team, the greatest of them all, the new york. In the summer of 1961, roger maris and mickey mantle took on babe ruths record the 1927 singleseason 60 home run slam.
Apr 27, 2001 mickey mantle was the fairhaired yankee and roger was the new guy, said andy strasberg, a longtime friend of maris and the maris family who served as an adviser on 61 airing at 8 p. Film critic richard roeper named 61 one of his top five alltime favorite baseball movies. A firstrate portrait for sports lovers and characterdrama fans. In 2010, billy crystal came to the hall of fame to celebrate his 2001 classic hbo film 61, a movie that portrayed yankees sluggers roger maris and mickey. The natural heir to his predecessors joe dimaggio, lou gehrig, and babe ruth. Mickey mantle and roger maris chase babe ruths homerun record during the yankees magical. Fifty years later, many feel it is a feat that still stands alone. Yankees fans have always been a little out there especially back in the hay days of the popularity of baseball. He was hired as a consultant and always wished he could have been that guy back in the summer of 1961 when he saw the game as a yearold kid.
I am watching 61, was roger maris as hated by fans as. Roger maris 1961 home run season by baseball almanac. Apr 26, 2001 61 billy crystal directs two relative unknowns as mickey mantle and roger maris in maybe the best baseball movie since bull durham. Did you see what you did out there today with only one arm, and tonight youre out screwing around. Books and movies were made about that historical baseball season. However, if buyer is unhappy with purchase, return is at sellers discretion and buyer is responsible for paying shipping costs. He is best known for setting a new major league baseball mlb singleseason home run record with 61 home runs in 1961.
Noted baseball fan billy crystal directed this madeforcable. As late as the 1980 allstar game he fumed, they acted as though i was doing something wrong, poisoning the. During the early 1960s when the new york yankees reigned for five straight pennantwinning seasons, roger maris was all things to all people. Sal durante displays roger maris 61st home run ball, on the 50th anniversary of maris 61 home runs in 1961, before the new york yankees baseball game against the boston red sox on. Roger maris, a reserved sort, is much less popular than his hardpartying new york yankee teammate mickey mantle, the player who many observers think will be the one to challenge babe ruths record of 60 home runs in one season. Mick, did you ever stop and think, if you took better care of yourself, you wouldnt be getting hurt all the time. Roger maris and the myth of the asterisk the village voice. In 2002, actor barry pepper was a golden globe nominee for. Roger maris will forever be known as the man that took babe ruths record. It was the summer in which two yankees, everybodys hero, mickey mantle, and a farm kid from south dakota, roger maris, staged a stunning assault on ruths record. Artifacts of legendary film 61 preserved in cooperstown baseball. Released august 28th, 2005, 61 stars thomas jane, barry pepper, anthony michael hall, richard masur the movie has a runtime of about 2 hr 8 min, and received a score of out of 100 on. The movie 61 was directed by avid yankees fan billy crystal and released in 2001, the 40th anniversary of maris recordbreaking season.
Roger eugene maris september 10, 1934 december 14, 1985 was an american professional baseball right fielder. In the summer of 1961, roger maris and mickey mantle took on babe ruths record, the 1927 singleseason 60 home run slam. Roger maris barry pepper, a reserved sort, is much less popular than his hardpartying new york yankee teammate mickey mantle thomas jane, the player who many observers think will be the one to challenge babe ruths record of 60 home runs in one season. They didnt want maris to be the one to break the legendary babes record. Mickey mantle thomas jane and roger maris barry pepper, find themselves neck and. Most of us were not alive to witness the 61 home run race in the summer of 1961 and this movie serves as our own personal newsreel fo the events. Louis cardinals pennant winner, winning the world series in 1967. Mickey mantle was the fairhaired yankee and roger was the new guy, said andy strasberg, a longtime friend of maris and the maris family who served as. Roger maris and mickey mantle race to break babe ruths. Aiming for one of the most famed records in sports history, a pair of very different baseball players hit home runs at an impressive rate. The fan who runs out and shakes roger mariss hand and slaps him on the back as he approaches home plate after his recordbreaking 61st home run is an actual lifelong maris fan who was present at the original game. Roger maris surpasses babe ruth with 61st home run this article was written by bill pruden on october 1, 1961, ending a quest that had enthralled both the baseball world and the american public, new york yankees outfielder roger maris capped one of the most spectacular seasons in baseball history when, with one swing of the bat. Mickey mantle and roger maris chase babe ruths homerun record during the yankees magical 1961 season in this acclaimed baseball drama.
Billy crystal directed this captivating baseball drama that follows mickey mantle and roger maris as they chased babe ruths singleseason homerun record during the magical 1961 season. Roger maris was a member of five american league pennant winning yankee teams, winning the world series twice 1961, 1962 and a member of two national league st. No record ever hung around a players neck more like an albatross than roger maris 61 homers in 1961. As expected, the soundtrack for the film would bounce between marc shaimans dramatic score, and songs from the time period. The year a record was broken, hearts were broken, and a mans life was changed forever. Yes, they booed mantle in previous years because he wasnt living up to what they thought he was going to be, but they started to cheer him and boo maris in 61. The yankees will commemorate maris feats on saturday oct. It would be a summer that no one who knows baseball would forget. Set in new york city in 1961, 61 is a film directed by billy crystal for baseball lovers. The fan who runs out and shakes roger maris s hand and slaps him on the back as he approaches home plate after his recordbreaking 61st home run is an actual lifelong maris fan who was present at the original game. Roger maris will always be associated with number sixtyone, which is the number of home runs he hit in most valuable player in 1961. The film had an immediate impact on me and after researching maris life, ive come to realize his story is what legends are made of. The actors do such a good job of portraying roger maris and mickey mantle.
Apr 28, 2001 in the billy crystal directed cable movie 61, the 1961 home run race between mickey mantle and roger maris is played out for our entertainment. Roger maris 1961 61st home run as called by red barber. In 2005, the north dakota senate unanimously passed a resolution urging commissioner bud selig to reinstate roger maris 61. It recounts both mantle portrayed by thomas jane and maris depicted by barry pepper journey during the 1961 season in their quest to break babe ruths singleseason home run record of 60. With barry pepper, thomas jane, anthony michael hall, richard masur. Roger maris, who hit 61 home runs in 1961 to set major league baseballs singleseason record, died today after a twoyear struggle with cancer. Maris did more than just set a new major league record for home runs during a single season, he broke an unbreakable record set by babe ruth, who hit sixty homers in most valuable player in 1927. However, if buyer is unhappy with purchase, return is at sellers discretion and buyer is responsible for paying. Zooming in on yankee players roger maris and mickey mantle, the film follows these two opposites as they attempt to break babe ruths 1927 home run record. The heartbreaking true story of roger maris and mickey mantle comes to life in a very. Noted baseball fan billy crystal directed this madeforcable drama set in the summer of 1961, as two of the strongest hitters in the major leagues, mickey mantle thomas jane and roger maris. In the billy crystal directed cable movie 61, the 1961 home run race between mickey mantle and roger maris is played out for our entertainment. Roger maris barry pepper, a reserved sort, is much less. I also loved the extras with the dvd such as billy crystal explaining how the film came about and how the extras were used, etc.
Item is brand new and never been opened in original plastic wrapping. The smiling sun god of the season, a hit with fans and sports writers alike and natural heir to his predecessors. Maris hit his 60th home run in game 159 and broke the mark on oct. Safe at home without a doubt the most famous baseball player ever to come out of north dakota, maris was a talent who was judged unfairly throughout his career because of one glorious season. Rent 61 2001 starring anthony michael hall and barry pepper on dvd and bluray. It stars barry pepper as roger maris and thomas jane as mickey mantle on their quest to break babe ruths 1927 singleseason home run record of 60 during the 1961 season of the new york yankees. The heartbreaking true story of roger maris and mickey mantle comes to life in a very well done manner in 61.