The family of Roger Maris wants Major League Baseball to acknowledge the influence that the use of anabolic steroids has had on current records. Roger Maris set the home run record of 61 runs when he broke Babe Ruth’s single-season record in 1961. The record stood for 37 years until 1998 when Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa shattered it. Barry Bonds currently holds the single-season home run record. Bonds, McGwire and Sosa have all since been linked to steroids and have become poster boys of baseball’s so-called “steroid era”.
Randy Maris, the son of Roger Maris, recently told the Palm Beach Post that Major League Baseball should officially acknowledge the “steroid era” in the record books. Randy believes there should be a “notation” next to Barry Bonds name documenting that Bonds performances were assisted by the use of anabolic steroids.
“There needs to be something noted in the record books about the steroid era,” according to Randy Maris. “I don’t think anybody can look back at that era and say these guys were clean and did it the right way.”
Randy Maris has no plans to contact MLB Commissioner Bud Selig to make a formal request. After all, the Maris family is not too fond of asterisks.Roger Maris’ home run record was given an asterisk by the former Commissioner Ford Frick. The asterisk noted that Maris’ record took place in a 162-game season while Babe Ruth’s record occurred in a 154-game season.
Rather than request an “asterisk”, the Maris’ family would like to see a “notation” recognizing Barry Bonds link to anabolic steroid use. Yet, an asterisk by any other name remains an asterisk.
Randy Maris’ says his motivation is simple. He wants to use the steroid era to keep the memory of his father alive. “It keeps Dad’s name alive and gives kids of a new generation a chance to learn more about my father.”
Source:
Capozzi, J. (September 16, 2011). Fifty years after Roger Maris’ milestone, his family has a special request. Retrieved from http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/marlins/fifty-years-after-roger-maris-milestone-his-family-1862868.html
