Subj : 61*
To   : Steve Quarrella
From : Joe Siegler
Date : Mon Feb 18 2002 04:06 pm

-> I really don't consider myself an authority, but I do remember, growing up,
-> my baseball nut uncle (the one who tried out for the Cardinals during the
-> days of the Gas House Gang) would tell me all about the chase for 61, and
-> how very close Frick and the Babe had been.  One wonders how Judge Landis
-> would have handled that situation. :-)

That movie makes me wish I had seen that first hand.  Time makes all things
good seem far rosier in hindsight, and while I'm not taking away from the chase
at all, I did want to say this.  I wonder how "rosy" the memory of 61 is to
Billy Crystal in his own mind.  I know what my memory of the 1980 World Series
is, shit I was 15 then, my hometown team wins the series - bet your ass I was
loving it.   Last week, ESPN Classic Ran Game 6 of the World Series, and while
I'm removing the game from the aura that existed 22 years ago, it didn't seem
to have the same oomph that I recalled.  I'm sure the fact I watched the game
cold without the buildup of the season the Astros series, and the previous 5
World Series games had a lot to do with it, but it made me think that sometimes
the memory should stay that - a memory.

-> I'll tell you:  I wasn't rooting for Barry Bonds to break McGwire's record,
-> but I sure didn't wish the guy any ill will.  He broke it on his own merits,
-> and he deserves to hold it.  If Bonds had been treated as badly as Maris
-> had, that would have been wrong (and let's not forget that sportswriters
-> tend to be idiots these days, so we can forget -their- opinions).  On a
-> personal note, I can but hope that a class act like Sammy Sosa comes along
-> one of these days to take the record away from Bonds. :-)

Of all the guys out there now who could take it, I wouldn't put it past Arod to
challenge that.  He's 25, and hit 53 HR last year.  It wouldn't surprise me to
see him make a run at it.  He's generally regarded as a (very VERY rich) nice
guy, so I'd be curious to see how the media would play that.  Arod definitely
seems the master of interviews - I have never seen him get flustered, it's as
if he takes hours and HOURS thinking of any possible question, and an answer to
it.   Also, if this had happened in the years of Frick, it wouldn't surprise me
if the race card had been brought into it, too.

-> Yep.  It surprised me to see Aaron doing it, although I know he's let go a
-> lot of the bitterness since McGwire/Sosa put him back into the spotlight.
-> Maybe someone like Billy Crystal will do "755" one of these days.

Found out at least why that commercial may have been filmed locally.  The
company sponsoring it is based in Irving, TX.  :)

Joe

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