Overview

"After Babe Ruth erased Buck Freeman's record in 1919, the new mark stood for 34 years before Maris bettered it, defying as he did an incredulous sporting public. And just as fans' anger grew old and Maris was grudgingly credited--or discredited--with an unrepeatable hot streak, along came Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, two goliaths who in 1998 and the years just after proved fans wrong again. But when in 2001, only three years after McGwire seemed to put the record beyond reach, Barry Bonds topped him by three. This time fans were staunch in their disbelief, and while many celebrated Bonds' achievement, others questioned its significance. This revised edition of Bill McNeil's Ruth, Maris, McGwire, and Sosa (""libraries especially will want this""--Library Journal) reviews the careers of each home run titan, with special attention to the record-breaking seasons. The cultural and social changes that may have affected both the players' season totals and fan reception are also considered."

Full Product Details

Author:   William F. McNeil
Publisher:   McFarland & Co Inc
Imprint:   McFarland & Co Inc
Edition:   2nd Revised edition
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 1.30cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.376kg
ISBN:  

9780786414413

ISBN 10:   0786414413
Pages:   262
Publication Date:   05 December 2002
Recommended Age:   From 18 years
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Out of stock  
The supplier is temporarily out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you on backorder and shipped when it becomes available.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents Acknowledgments      Preface      PART ONE : THE TEXT 1. The Evolution of the Home Run      2. Babe Ruth—The Early Years      3. Babe Ruth—A Hero Emerges      4. The 1930s, ’40s, and ’50s—An Historical Perspective      5. Roger Maris—The Early Years      6. Roger Maris—Home Run Champion      7. The 1960s to the 1990s—An Historical Perspective      8. Sammy Sosa—The Early Years      9. Mark McGwire—The Early Years      10. The Great Home Run Race of 1998      11. The Home Run War Continues      12. Barry Bonds—The Early Years      13. Barry Bonds—The Home Run King      14. The Champions—Side by Side      PART TWO : THE STATISTICS 1. Playing Statistics      2. Side by Side Comparisons      3. Home Run Statistics      4. Homer by Homer Comparisons      5. Babe Ruth in 1927      6. Roger Maris in 1961      7. Mark McGwire in 1998      8. Sammy Sosa in 1998      9. Barry Bonds in 2001      10. Major League Park Field Dimensions      11. Home Run Factors      12. Top Home Run Seasons, per At-Bat      13. Top Home Run Careers, per At-Bat      Bibliography      Index     

Reviews

the four combatants are studied side-by-side, comparing the various cultural and social conditions and changes in the game that may have affected each player's home run totals --<i>The SABR Bulletin</i>; unique and interesting facts --<i>Sports Collectors Digest</i>; Big Mac and Sammy get the biographical treatment in context with fellow 60-HR Club members Roger Maris and the Bambino. Includes statistical studies and comparative essays from the eras of these fence-busting feats --<i>USA Today Sports Weekly</i>; [the stories] are well told --<i>Choice</i>; compares the 1998 heroics of Sosa and McGwire with Ruth's 60 and Maris's 61...extensive statistics and appealing sidelights add to McNeil's analysis. Sports students and their libraries especially will want this --<i>Library Journal</i>; important...underscores the significance of various cultural and social conditions and changes that may have influenced each player's home run totals --<i>Public Library Quarterly.</i>

Author Information

William F. McNeil is a longtime baseball historian and the author of numerous books on the game. A member of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), he is the recipient of five Robert Peterson awards for increasing the public’s awareness of the Negro Leagues. He lives in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

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