An Iconic American League record has been tied and who cares?
Link to the quote: https://nosweatshakespeare.com/quotes/monologues/alas-poor-yorick/
For the many who don't know and most likely don't care Aaron Judge joined Roger Maris as the only American League players to reach the 61 homer mark in a single season tonight. Like Maris, who also played right field for the New York Yankees, Aaron Judge is the only other man in AL history to hit 61 home runs in a single season. It was only a matter of time for Judge to catch him and Judge’s mother and Roger Maris Jr., who attended Wednesday nights game in Toronto, rose and hugged each other when it finally hapened.
Maris and Judge played in different eras and for those who remember, Maris was the shy akward kid who played on the same team with the Bronx's beloved Mickey Mantle. Both were chasing Babe Ruth's single season 60 home run record in 1961. Mantle became ill in September of that season. At the time he had 54 home runs. Maris ended up breaking Ruth's record but for many New Yorkers, he was unworthy . Mantle was plagued by injuries over his career, but in those days he exemplified masculinity for many young fans. There is a "joke," at least I think it was a joke that Billy Crystal used to tell. At the time Baseball was the capitol of the Baseball world. NYC had 3 professional teams and the fans would argue over which of the teams star players was best. After the Giants fan makes his case, the Dodger fan makes his and finally the guy from the Bronx says (with a NY accent) "Mantle can hit from either side and he's blonde with blue eyes, I think you should reconsider!"
I have no interest in comparing any of these players. All I know is that when I was a boy the boys I went to school with knew the standings and the stats for the players. Today I doubt many young boys even know who plays on their home teams. I realize that there is far more entertainment today and a lot of instant gratification as well. It is Baseball itself that may be the culprit. It is after all a 19th century game and the only American sport in which the defense controls the ball. More than that, it was that Baseball lost what made it appealing: familiararity. It was once easy to follow having fewer teams and most important of all, players didn't get to move from team to team as free agents. Fathers and sons played the game. Today one can drive by a ball field and usually there is nobody there. We were there all day.
Oh well, times change.
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Not so sure about your Hamlet quotation. Yorick died, Judge tied Maris' record, but didn't beat it yet.
I'm using Yorick as a euphemism for the sport of Baseball
Okay, got it. When the players went on strike many years ago it reduced my love of the game, although I had learned to love it watching the Blue Jays play, and win the W.S. previous to that happening. Now I have to get my baseball fix from watching movies about it.
I'm thinking that may be another movie quiz theme?
Movies about Baseball.
You should have.
You taught me about euphemisms and Shakespeare.
I don't think there are enough baseball movies. I need to have at least around 80 movies on the list to create a decent quiz. That's why I had to combine two actors for a quiz when each one didn't act in enough movies. I already did a quiz on sports movies that included baseball. The current quiz on Nicolas Cage was able to draw from his 95 movies.
Guess I just can't get over teaching.
You are right. Maybe cop tv series or who was your favorite cop?
I think you broke the mold!
No TV series. When I was a kid, Dick Tracy, but more recently too many to choose - how about Alex Cross? I had in mind to do another genre quiz - murder mysteries.
Sounds good.
Dick Tracy, but more recently too many to choose - how about Alex Cross?
How about Columbo or Jim Rockford?
Chacun à son goût
Ah yes, as they say in Paris!
Judge is the single season home run king. He hit 61 in 154 games, one more than Ruth. Maris hit homer 61 in game 162, while Ruth only played 154, so Judge is the undisputed non cheating king. Kudos to him.
Except thats not the way baseball counts it.
Bonds, Sosa and McGwire cheated. No reason to believe Judge did.
Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees tips his hat towards his mother after hitting his 61st home run of the season in the seventh inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on September 28, 2022 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Judge has now tied Roger Maris for the American League record. (Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
Thats not what I'm talking about. In a 162 game season there are no 154 game records. Judge could have hit 61 homers in 100 games and whatever figure he ends up with would still be a 162 game record.
Big money ruined baseball. Actually its ruined all the professional sports. The size of the payroll and the length of contracts is more important to some people, including a team's fans, than what is happening on the field. The day after the White Sox lost three in a row to Cleveland last week to effectively eliminate them from playoff contention all the local talk the next day was about star player Jose Abreu and whether or not it would be "worth" signing him to a new contract for next year.
Aaron Judge has proven to be a great player and of course tying an iconic 61 year old record is a big deal.
Ya, that too!
Yea, that was Steinbrenner in the 70s. I suppose that's why Pete Rose hangs on as unfinished business.
Pete Rose came up against the iron clad rule written by Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis over 100 years ago. The Black Sox scandal almost killed the sport. Gambling remains it's most feared enemy to this day.
61 home runs, Maris hit it in 1961, 61 years ago. Is that cool or what?
Judge was given his home run ball by the Blue Jays - great story. LINK ->