Sports in Seconds: Howard chasing the elusive number 61
Last week I wrote about the feel good story of the summer in Major League Baseball (MLB) from a team perspective. This week it's all about an individual.
Ryan Howard, the first-baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies, is having a mammoth year statistically. Currently with 57 home-runs of the year, Howard is chasing former New York Yankee Roger Maris' mark of 61 home-runs set in 1961.
Some may be wondering- “didn't Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa have a magical battle in 1998, passing Maris in the process, ending with 70 and 66 home-runs each that year?
And didn't Barry Bonds surpass both McGwire and Sosa in 2001 with an incredible 73 homeruns to set the all-time single-season home-run record?
People would be right recalling these facts, however it is impossible not to say that the records of Bonds, Sosa, and McGwire are questionable, tainted, or bogus in the haze of allegations and accusations of steroid-use during the record-breaking years for the three aforementioned players.
You can argue that Howard's run at 61 homeruns is the first legitimate chance at breaking the mark set by Maris, and even if Howard doesn't reach the number this year, he has plenty of time to get there.
At 26, Howard is currently in his second full-season with Philadelphia, after winning the National League (NL) Rookie-of-the-Year award last season. Howard is now the odds of favourite to capture the NL's Most Valuable Player Award in 2006.
Howard's Phillies are in the thick of the NL wild card chase and sit second, only 1.5 games behind the San Diego Padres.
When looking at Howard, his physical appearance of 6'4, 252 pounds resembles that of McGwire and Sosa during their juicing prime, however with the current and strictly enforced drug policy set in place by MLB, Howard can only be considered a naturally huge man.
“The only juicing Ryan has ever done is apple and orange,” Howard's brother Chris said in a USA Today article.
Chris is 6'5, 270 pounds, and Howard's twin Corey is 6'6, 250 pounds, leaving Howard as the smallest of the three brothers.
Howard's run at homerun supremacy has not gotten the coverage of the 1998 chase between McGwire and Sosa, which arguably was a very positive experience for the game of baseball.
“People can say what they want, but what McGwire and Sosa did in 1998 was good for the game,” Howard told USA Today. “Everyone loved that home-run race. It is tough now because there's a cloud over this game. Hopefully, that storm cloud will break up one day. Baseball needs that.”
It saddens me in a way that the 1998 chase was “not real” so to speak, considering I was obsessed with both McGwire and Sosa during that time, and looked at their super-hero efforts with awe and amazement.
So although I may not be glued to the television every spare moment as I was as a teenager in 1998, checking if Howard has connected with another home-run, I can honestly say that I have the utmost respect for Howard as he is in the midst of his great athletic achievement.
I used to give that same respect to Bonds, McGwire, and Sosa, however feeling almost betrayed by them, I have to say that respect has completely diminished.
Ryan Howard, the first-baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies, is having a mammoth year statistically. Currently with 57 home-runs of the year, Howard is chasing former New York Yankee Roger Maris' mark of 61 home-runs set in 1961.
Some may be wondering- “didn't Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa have a magical battle in 1998, passing Maris in the process, ending with 70 and 66 home-runs each that year?
And didn't Barry Bonds surpass both McGwire and Sosa in 2001 with an incredible 73 homeruns to set the all-time single-season home-run record?
People would be right recalling these facts, however it is impossible not to say that the records of Bonds, Sosa, and McGwire are questionable, tainted, or bogus in the haze of allegations and accusations of steroid-use during the record-breaking years for the three aforementioned players.
You can argue that Howard's run at 61 homeruns is the first legitimate chance at breaking the mark set by Maris, and even if Howard doesn't reach the number this year, he has plenty of time to get there.
At 26, Howard is currently in his second full-season with Philadelphia, after winning the National League (NL) Rookie-of-the-Year award last season. Howard is now the odds of favourite to capture the NL's Most Valuable Player Award in 2006.
Howard's Phillies are in the thick of the NL wild card chase and sit second, only 1.5 games behind the San Diego Padres.
When looking at Howard, his physical appearance of 6'4, 252 pounds resembles that of McGwire and Sosa during their juicing prime, however with the current and strictly enforced drug policy set in place by MLB, Howard can only be considered a naturally huge man.
“The only juicing Ryan has ever done is apple and orange,” Howard's brother Chris said in a USA Today article.
Chris is 6'5, 270 pounds, and Howard's twin Corey is 6'6, 250 pounds, leaving Howard as the smallest of the three brothers.
Howard's run at homerun supremacy has not gotten the coverage of the 1998 chase between McGwire and Sosa, which arguably was a very positive experience for the game of baseball.
“People can say what they want, but what McGwire and Sosa did in 1998 was good for the game,” Howard told USA Today. “Everyone loved that home-run race. It is tough now because there's a cloud over this game. Hopefully, that storm cloud will break up one day. Baseball needs that.”
It saddens me in a way that the 1998 chase was “not real” so to speak, considering I was obsessed with both McGwire and Sosa during that time, and looked at their super-hero efforts with awe and amazement.
So although I may not be glued to the television every spare moment as I was as a teenager in 1998, checking if Howard has connected with another home-run, I can honestly say that I have the utmost respect for Howard as he is in the midst of his great athletic achievement.
I used to give that same respect to Bonds, McGwire, and Sosa, however feeling almost betrayed by them, I have to say that respect has completely diminished.
