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With the whole scandal that Barry Bonds has become embrolied in many people are forgeting one of the greatest players of all time, Roger Maris. Why? Most likely because he isn’t in the Hall of Fame. And to tell you the truth I think its a shame that he isn’t. He is the only player to ever legitemetly break Babe Ruth’s home run record. Furthermore it took over 30 years for Mark Magwire to break his record and only with performance enhancing drugs.

Now Barry Bonds has come along and drawn all the attention once again to records. He broke the single season home run record himself with 73 and now he is about to break the all time home run record held by Hank Aaron. The big debate is if he will be in the Hall of Fame someday and honestly I believe it is taking the attention away from the real players who are overlooked for the Hall of Fame, Roger Maris. It is obvious that Bonds has used steroids yet people are so starved for something great from baseball that they are willing to embrace him. I think it is about time that the greatest single season home run hitter is recognized and elected to the Hall of Fame*, which I will now write with an asterik until Maris is elected.

I believe that the stats of Roger Maris’ career stand for themselves and so does the website http://pw2.netcom.com/~houdini/maris.html which I will leave these for everyone to comtemplate.

61 Single Season Home Runs (1961)
This record stood for 37 years,
longer than the record Maris broke,
the immortal Babe Ruth’s 60-homers of 1927.
Roger remains one of only four players
to ever hit more than 60 homeruns in a season.

Two-time American League Most Valuable Player
1960 and 1961
Only 11 players have won consecutive MVP awards
– all of the others (who are eligible) have already been inducted into the Hall of Fame —
Jimmy Foxx, Hal Newhouser, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle,
Ernie Banks, Joe Morgan & Mike Schmidt.
Other than those seven,
no other Hall of Famer has achieved this distinction,
including (to name just a few) Hank Aaron, Johnny Bench,
Roberto Clemente, Ty Cobb, Joe DiMaggio, Nellie Fox,
Lou Gehrig, Reggie Jackson, Al Kaline, Harmon Killebrew,
Willie Mays, Babe Ruth & Ted Williams

3 World Series Championships and 7 League Pennants
New York Yankees 1960-66
Yanks won 5 pennants and 2 World Series in Maris’ 7 seasons
St. Louis Cardinals 1967-68
Cards won 2 pennants and 1 World Series in Roger’s 2 seasons

Lifetime 5.39 Home Run Percentage
Better than Hall of Famers Joe DiMaggio (5.29), Hack Wilson (5.13),
Johnny Bench (5.08), Yogi Berra (4.74), Larry Doby (4.73) Billy Williams (4.56)
and the Hall’s most recent inductee — Bill Mazeroski (1.78)
Lifetime .983 Fielding Average and a Gold Glove
Better fielding average than most Hall of Famers,
including Hank Aaron (.980), Joe DiMaggio (.978), Roberto Clemente (.976),
Harmon Killebrew (.976), Ted Williams (.974), Billy Williams (.973),
Babe Ruth (.968), Willie Stargell (.961)
and identical to the Hall’s most recent inductee — Bill Mazeroski (.983)
Maris had a better fielding average than
Mickey Mantle (.982), who was considered a truly superb outfielder.
Maris earned a Gold Glove, even though he played in an era
filled with Hall of Fame outfielders.

Lifetime Batting Average Comparable to Many Hall of Famers
Roger’s .260 lifetime batting average is higher than that of
Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew (.256), identical to Bill Mazeroski (.260),
and in the same range as many other Hall of Famers, such as:
Reggie Jackson (.262), Brooks Robinson (.267),
Mike Schmidt (.267), Al Lopez (.261), Willie McCovey (.270), Luis Aparicio (.262),
Johnny Bench (.267), Pee Wee Reese (.269), and Bobby Wallace (.267)
Selected to, and played in, 7 All-Star Games (1959 – 1962)

If these stats aren’t good enough to make it into the Hall of Fame* then I don’t what someone has to do to make it in, maybe steroids would help?

I hope that your 7/7/7 is going well and I just wanted to leave you with a special list related to the number seven:

Today is the 7th day of the 7th month of the year 07 of the 3rd millennium AD. This day is a very unique day that will not come again for another 100 years, which for most all of us means we will not be around the next time this date comes around. As you might imagine many people have jumped at the chance to be married today, and many will be married today. Also, many mothers have planned their C sections for today, and of course Al Gore’s Green concert which is also today, and will require the equivalent of 7,000 people traveling over the Atlantic by airplane, in carbon and other emissions, just to get people to the concerts in New York and London alone. I suppose a little waste is worth it for a huge event stretching seven continents (including a band of Scientist in Antarctica), and featuring more than 150 artists. Just don’t expect us to pay a higher premium for the soon to be lower supply of gasoline.

So what is the significance of 7-7-7? Well 7 is the only dimension, besides the familiar 3, in which a vector cross product can be defined. However, most people will not really realize what that mean, so in layman’s terms it means that the number 7 represents completeness. The number 7 occurs throughout the Bible and in other religious mythology, and is always used in the Bible as a symbol of completeness. Now, not only is there seven today, but rather three sevens. 3 is another very significant number, which establishes intention, or purpose. For example, 3 sides are needed to form a triangle which is the stronger shape because each side stands on the other, also a rope is formed from 3 strands in order to make it strong, and on the side negative 3 strikes and you are out, and repeating something 3 times signifies intention. Hence 3 signifies purpose along with the completeness of the number 7 and we have possible the luckiest day in our life times today. Other examples of seven’s importance can be seen in the 7 seas, 7 days of the week, and God’s number 777 the antipode to the beast’s(Antichrist’s) number of 666. I will leave you with an excerpt from Revelation demonstrating the use of 7 as symbolic in the Bible:

Revelation 1:12I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13and among the lampstands was someone “like a son of man,”[b]dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. 14His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

17When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

19″Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. 20The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.