Roger Maris: Baseball's Reluctant Hero

The definitive biography of the baseball legend who broke Babe RuthâÈçs single-season home-run recordâÈ'the natural wayâÈ'and withstood a firestorm of media criticism to become one of his eraâÈçs preeminent players. ROGER MARIS may be the greatest ballplayer no one really knows. In 1961, the soft-spoken man from the frozen plains of North Dakota enjoyed one of the most amazing seasons in baseball history, when he outslugged his teammate Mickey Mantle to become the gameâÈçs natural home-run king. It was Mantle himself who said, "Roger was as good a man and as good a ballplayer as there ever was." Yet Maris was vilified by fans and the press and has never received his due from biographersâÈ'until now. Tom Clavin and Danny Peary trace the dramatic arc of MarisâÈçs life, from his boyhood in Fargo through his early pro career in the Cleveland Indians farm program, to his World Series championship years in New York and beyond. At the center is the exciting story of the 1961 season and the ordeal Maris endured as an outsider in Yankee pinstripes, unloved by fans who compared him unfavorably to their heroes Ruth and Mantle, relentlessly attacked by an aggressive press corps who found him cold and inaccessible, and treated miserably by the organization. After the tremendous challenge of breaking RuthâÈçs record was behind him, Maris ultimately regained his love of baseball as a member of the world champion St. Louis Cardinals. And over time, he gained redemption in the eyes of the Yankee faithful. With research drawn from more than 130 interviews with MarisâÈçs teammates, opponents, family, and friends, as well as 16 pages of photos, some of which have never before been seen, this timely and poignant biography sheds light on an iconic figure from baseballâÈçs golden eraâÈ'and establishes the importance of his role in the gameâÈçs history.

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