I just watched "61".....

lawnmowerman

and now I have an urge to collect Roger Maris cards. I never did see the movie all the way through. Over the years, I would catch bits and pieces of it on cable.

Tonya and I got it from Netflix and I finally saw the whole thing.

Move over Emmitt and make room for Roger

Allen

I like girls with small hands, makes my........

lawnmowerman

<< <i>I like girls with small hands, makes my........ >>



That line was great!

divecchia

Great movie... I was tempted myself to pick up one of his cards also after watching it.

Donato

lawnmowerman

<< <i>Great movie... I was tempted myself to pick up one of his cards also after watching it.

Donato >>




I think it's some sort of conspiracy

BassPro77

i'll take all your doubles.


great movie

BassPro77

hi matt,

swing by for a drink

lawnmowerman

<< <i>hi matt,

swing by for a drink >>



Okay Bill. I'll see ya in 6 hours

BassPro77

<< <i>

<< <i>hi matt,

swing by for a drink >>



Okay Bill. I'll see ya in 6 hours >>



beer will be cold at least and have 61 ready for ya if you care to watch again.

divecchia

<< <i>

<< <i>Great movie... I was tempted myself to pick up one of his cards also after watching it.

Donato >>




I think it's some sort of conspiracy >>



It might be at that...Donato

BassPro77

<< <i>

<< <i>

<< <i>hi matt,

swing by for a drink >>



Okay Bill. I'll see ya in 6 hours >>



beer will be cold at least and have 61 ready for ya if you care to watch again. >>



i'll even throw in the UFC 2009 UNDISPUTED on the PS3 to play

skilow

I was amazed how closely the actors resembled the players. Every time I see "Maris" in another movie, all I see is Roger.

lawnmowerman

Sucks the guy died before his record was recognized as "the record".

Fay Vincent did a good thing when he changed that

BassPro77

<< <i>Sucks the guy died before his record was recognized as "the record".

Fay Vincent did a good thing when he changed that >>



yes indeed,

all we need now is bonds record go pooof

lawnmowerman

<< <i>

<< <i>Sucks the guy died before his record was recognized as "the record".

Fay Vincent did a good thing when he changed that >>



yes indeed,

all we need now is bonds record go pooof >>




Yeah I agree

BassPro77

pretty soon there will be a movie about some guy on steroids hitting 71

Yankees001

<< <i>and now I have an urge to collect Roger Maris cards. I never did see the movie all the way through. Over the years, I would catch bits and pieces of it on cable.

Tonya and I got it from Netflix and I finally saw the whole thing.

Move over Emmitt and make room for Roger >>



Yes, a great movie. One of my favorite baseball movies of all time. I also like Pride of the Yankees (Lou Gehrig Story) and Eight Men Out.

Dave

Ironmanfan

I like when Tom Candiotti played Hoyt Wilhelm

rexvos

I have seen it at least 10 times. Not a Yankees fan at all but love Mantle and Maris. Great show.

Brian48

Seen it quite a few times. Bought the DVD. It was easier than buying the cards.

EagleEyeKid

I'm waiting for "92" the Gretzky movie.

sagard

<< <i>all we need now is bonds record go pooof >>



Better strike BigMac and Sammy seasons over 61 as well. Not sure I'm comfortable with Howard, Gonzalez, or A-Rod sniffing around 61 either.

stevek

<< <i>and now I have an urge to collect Roger Maris cards. I never did see the movie all the way through. Over the years, I would catch bits and pieces of it on cable.

Tonya and I got it from Netflix and I finally saw the whole thing.

Move over Emmitt and make room for Roger >>



Maris was a great guy outside the ballpark as well...very much liked.

You may want to have a card of Tracy Stallard in your new collection as well.

stevek

<< <i>

<< <i>and now I have an urge to collect Roger Maris cards. I never did see the movie all the way through. Over the years, I would catch bits and pieces of it on cable.

Tonya and I got it from Netflix and I finally saw the whole thing.

Move over Emmitt and make room for Roger >>



Maris was a great guy outside the ballpark as well...very much liked.

You may want to have a card of Tracy Stallard in your new collection as well. >>



another reason to like Roger...I think for years he owned a beer distributorship.

here's to ya Roger. RIP

Ironmanfan

<< <i>

<< <i>

<< <i>and now I have an urge to collect Roger Maris cards. I never did see the movie all the way through. Over the years, I would catch bits and pieces of it on cable.

Tonya and I got it from Netflix and I finally saw the whole thing.

Move over Emmitt and make room for Roger >>



Maris was a great guy outside the ballpark as well...very much liked.

You may want to have a card of Tracy Stallard in your new collection as well. >>



another reason to like Roger...I think for years he owned a beer distributorship.

here's to ya Roger. RIP >>



The owner of the Cardinals (Gussie Busch) gave Maris a distributorship when he retired (I think it was part of his contract)

Nathaniel1960

You should start with a nice centered example of the 64 Topps AL Bombers with Mick and Raj on there. Kaline and Cash are awesome too. Just make sure its got nice registry, many don't.

Nathaniel1960

<< <i>

<< <i>

<< <i>and now I have an urge to collect Roger Maris cards. I never did see the movie all the way through. Over the years, I would catch bits and pieces of it on cable.

Tonya and I got it from Netflix and I finally saw the whole thing.

Move over Emmitt and make room for Roger >>



Maris was a great guy outside the ballpark as well...very much liked.

You may want to have a card of Tracy Stallard in your new collection as well. >>



another reason to like Roger...I think for years he owned a beer distributorship.

here's to ya Roger. RIP >>



I believe it was more or less a present from Augie Busch for Maris's play with the Cards. My dad had beers with Maris and Whitey Herzog one afternoon, and they just sat and talked baseball all day. How friggin cool is that?

SportsCardCollector

You're right Matt, that is a great movie to watch. Billy Crystal did a fantastic job directing it and bringing the story of Maris and Mantle to life.

Billy was a close friend of Mickey and the Mantle family, so that is why they gave him permission to honestly show the "seedier" side of the Mick's life. Billy also appears in the movie as a fan in the stands in the scene where Mickey gets a standing ovation as he starts batting practice on Opening Day. You can see him in the upper deck crowd in the front, wearing a navy blue shirt.

An added feature for me is that a friend of mine from high school played the Yankee trainer in the movie. Gave me one more reason to enjoy the film so much.

lawnmowerman

<< <i>Billy also appears in the movie as a fan in the stands in the scene where Mickey gets a standing ovation as he starts batting practice on Opening Day. You can see him in the upper deck crowd in the front, wearing a navy blue shirt. >>



Pretty funny. I missed that. I'll have to put it back in the DVD player and check that out

Ironmanfan

I always wondered if that story about the chair being throwned from the upper deck in Tiger Stadium (I think) was true

lawnmowerman

Here is an interesting fact about Maris I just read on Wiki:



<< <i> A gifted athlete, Maris participated in many sports while in Fargo, and excelled at football. He still holds the official high school record for most kickoff return touchdowns in a game with four. >>

mccardguy1

<< <i>Here is an interesting fact about Maris I just read on Wiki:



<< <i> A gifted athlete, Maris participated in many sports while in Fargo, and excelled at football. He still holds the official high school record for most kickoff return touchdowns in a game with four. >>

>>




If we are talkiing interesting facts (although useless facts) Maris changed his name to Maris from Maras. He didnt want to hear all the garbage he was sure to hear with a name like Maras!

Allen

They sold a bunch of the Maris estate on ebay a few years back. Things like his golf clubs, 84 BMW, trophies, etc. One item I really wanted one item, a golf trophy he had been awarded for hitting a hole in one.

Bottom9th

Great movie!

IndianaJones

Dear lawnmowerman,

I could not agree with you more on "61*"; Mr. Crystal put a lot of feeling, passion, and details into it. Though I think the film overemphasizes the cursing dialogue, it was still a pleasure to watch when I saw it once. I then bought the video, misplaced it for five years, then recently found it. It is time to view it again. When I think of Roger Maris, so many admirable things come to mind. He is a classic example of my thought that with some athletes---the more you get to know them, the more you like them. For others, like rotten Barry bogus Bonds, and Big Mac, the antithesis seems to be true.

I feel bad to say that about Big Mac, because the best thing he ever did was the sincere respect and empathy he showed to the Roger Maris family. I well recall reading early in that 1998 season that he was taking something (I do not exactly remember if they termed it a steroid) to help keep his weak back strong. That seemed understandable to me, at the time. Being a fan and collector of Roger Maris, and recalling how close he came in '97 to breaking Roger's record, I also recall Mark announcing at the beginning of '98 that THIS would be the year. First game---WHAM, a long home run. I remember the photo of him hitting that first homer in '98 in USAToday. I could not get over what a behemoth he had become. Yikes, McGuire looked like a human monster.

When the anticipated night came in early September, it was odd because an hour-long documentary on Maris was shown immediately before the record-breaking game. My wife taped it for me. I remember thinking that I wanted a copy of that biography before Roger's record gets broken, and he becomes forgotten. As the ensuing years unfolded, like many of you, I slowly began to smell something rotten in Denmark. No more really needs to be said about Big Mac, except after his fabled House Congressional Hearing, and his assiduous invoking of the fifth amendment that imploded his tarnishing image, the HOF vote counts were so very telling.

It took me a long, long time to admit that by the current rules of the Hall of Fame, Roger Maris does not belong. He has more fame and more respect and is recognized more than three-fourths of the other enshrined individuals. In my heart, I still think he belongs. Nevertheless, so what? Roger Maris is in my own hall of fame, and if I may say so, enshrined in the hearts of a lot of other sports fans and collectors.

Furthermore, and of course ironically, the ACTUAL record for most home runs in a major league baseball season should indeed revert back to Roger Maris. Somehow, though they will probably and typically AND awkwardly screw it up, major league baseball needs to figure out whose numbers were goosed by the juice of the PEDS, and give those sharp-shooting bashers their due by sticking them with a big ASTERISK. How befitting a word that is, since for many of those guys who wanted us to forget Babe Ruth, getting shot there was where it all started! But the truth behind their deeds usually comes out in the end, as we are seeing this year. Further, for the rest of their lives each of them shall be needled by the press, by upset and disillusioned fans, and each day face silent looks of disgust and disappointment. While the shot-down athletes will be able to comfort themselves with their astronomical bankbooks, something tells me that that will only provide scattered periods of peace.

For those well-weathered and leathered-lung individuals who still defend their heroes by saying that steroids were not deemed illegal by major league baseball at the time of their exploits, that may be true, I will concede. All I can say is that sometimes time heals, and sometimes time rots. These athletes that really were not good enough to beat Maris's mark seem to keep making themselves look like Jose Canseco when he used his head to pop the ball into the stands for a home run. Ringing through my head is Bugs Bunny's immortal, loud comment to the enraged, befuttled, and out-foxed magician----"WHAT A PERFORMANCE, GARGANION, WHAT A PERFORMANCE!!!!!!!"

I also like to quote what one astute PSA board member observed---Roger Maris did use a few drugs each day to set his long-lasting home record of 61 home runs. Yessireee Bob, and I don't mean Feller, the legendary Rajah's noives were steadied daily by smoking at least two packs of filter-less Camel cigarettes.

Now that I have gone around the barn several times, may I somehow advise you on several choice Roger Maris baseball cards to persue and cherish:

1. 1962 Topps

2. 1961 Topps

3. 1960 Topps All-Star

4. 1961 Bazooka proof panel

5. 1962 and 1963 Salada Coins

6. 1962 JELL-O (tough and grossly undervalued)

7. 1962 Topps World Series HR

8. 1963 Post (tough and grossly undervalued)

9. 1960-64 Exhibit

9 1/2. 1962 Topps Action Sequence "Maris Hits 61st"

9 3/4. 1962 Post Cereal (much easier than the JELL-O, but do insist on a company/box card). These were immensely popular with the kids. I know, I collected them in 1962 at age 7-8, and regarded them on par, or higher, than the Topps. Post also filmed some wonderful TV commercials to promote the cards. You can go to YouTube and see the Roger Maris Post commercial, as well as the one for Mickey Mantle. They are superb!!!!!

NOTE: PSA 5, 6, AND 7 WITH EMPHASIS ON GREAT PICTURE REGISTRY, COMBINED WITH DECENT CENTERING, AND A LITTLE CORNER WEAR SHOULD GIVE YOU A LOT OF ENJOYMENT, THOUGH THE BAZOOKA , JELL-O, AND POST MAY PROVE ALL BUT IMPOSSIBLE FOR A LOW PRICE, BUT IF YOU ARE FORTUNATE TO HUNT ANY OF THOSE THREE DOWN, AND PAY THE PIPER, THEY ARE TRULY HIGHLY PRIZED BY MARIS CONOISSEURS.

10. 1984 or 85 Renatta Galasso color version of 1961 New York Yankees

11. 2007 Topps National Convention "rookie" card of him as a '57 Topps with Cleveland

12. 1987 or 88 Pacific Legends

13. 1987 or so J. D. McCarthy

The newer cards are not valuable, but big deal. They are great shots of Roger with lots of eye candy. Wish you the best. Salute. ----IndianaJones (Brian Powell)

P.S. I have found that when I collect certain post-war stars, teams, etc. , if I can find any media or entertainment on those subjects of interest, they do truly complement my enjoyment of the cards. Among them are television commercials (Roger Maris did several in '62), World Series films, documentaries (like "Pinstripe Power" , the story of the 1961 New York Yankees), and last but by no means least, if you have never seen the Hollywood movie, "Safe At Home", it is a true delight. Written and filmed especially for children, and being a kid at heart, I loved every minute of it. Now I've really given you a load of hay to digest. Happy hunting.

lawnmowerman

Wow Brain! I appreciate the words. I read it all and enjoyed it very much.

Also thank you for the list of cards!

By the way, I agree 100%, the record should go back to Maris but sadly I never see it happening.

Matt

EagleEyeKid

I just watched "69".
Magical!

lawnmowerman

<< <i>I just watched "69".
Magical! >>

Nathaniel1960

<< <i>I just watched "69".
Magical! >>



All two minutes and 20 seconds of it? Way to go Stallion.

Bottom9th

JVette

I found it amazing the attention to detail that Crystal had in shooting 61*. If you check the opposing teams, you will find that they have the right player numbers in the right positions for the time - something that 99.X% of the viewing population would never notice or care.

For example, early in the movie he is batting against Camilo Pascual - wearing #17. Later in the movie he hits a home run against the Detroint Tigers and as he circles the bases the second baseman is wearing #2 (Jake Wood). There are several other examples throughout the movie. I take this as testament as to how true a fan of baseball Billy Crystal is.

- Jack

SportsCardCollector

Here's another interesting thing about the movie.

Anthony Michael Hall, who is right-handed, plays left-handed pitcher Whitey Ford. All of the scenes with Hall pitching were shot with the actor wearing reverse insignia and numbers, then the film was flipped so it looked like he pitched left-handed.

This is the exact same technique that was used with Gary Cooper when he played Lou Gehrig in The Pride of the Yankees.

MULLINS5

I collect hockey cards, but *61 made we want to get into collecting Maris...I still will one day


Patrick