Mays and the war

[fenrir]

If mays didnt miss the time he did to serve in the korean war, do you think he would have broken babe ruth's record?

[leecemark]

--It would have been pretty darn close anyway. He only came up 54 short with the two missed years. He hit 20 as a rookie in not quite a full season, then 41 his first year back. Something around 60 for the lost time is the most likley projection (he actually had 4 before his call up so 60 would have him breaking it by 2). If he had been a few short at the end of his last year the temptation surely would have been there to hang around one more season to break it. I hope he would have resisted that temptation though, since that final season was already one too many.

[fenrir]

would mays have received the same hatred aaron did? or was he more beloved?

[leecemark]

--Mays was more popular than Aaron. Aaron didn't get hate mail because he was an unpopular player though (he wasn't). He got hate mail because there were alot of bigoted idiots in this country. I doubt Mays would have fared much better.

[fenrir]

--Mays was more popular than Aaron. Aaron didn't get hate mail because he was an unpopular player though (he wasn't). He got hate mail because there were alot of bigoted idiots in this country. I doubt Mays would have fared much better.

probably less racism in the north though, assuming he would of broken it with newyork.

[leecemark]

--Or in San Francisco. I doubt the Giants would have traded Mays away in 72 if he had been close to breaking the record.

[Los Bravos]

A good question, one that I've thought a lot about over the years.

I think that Mays would have squeezed past Ruth and finished in the 720's or so. I think he would have received a lot of hate mail, but not as much as Hank did. Aaron had become a bit more outspoken in the years before his run than he had been earlier in his career, and that rubbed some people the wrong way and I think it increased the ardor of the hate mailers.

I think if Aaron had been chasing Mays in '73 and '74, his reception would have been something like Maris' in '61, i.e., that he was overtaking a popular New York sports figure and would have been viewed as something of an interloper (absurd as that would have been.)

[KCGHOST]

I would say the odds favor Mays breaking the record.

[Pere]

probably less racism in the north though, assuming he would of broken it with newyork.

According to this article from ESPN.com, Aaron's hate mail "came from every state, but most were postmarked in northern cities."

Northerners like to pretend that racism, and slavery, are or were Southern things, but it's not accurate.

[four tool]

Willie would have broken the record, and certainly would have received hate mail a la Aaron.

[leecemark]

A good question, one that I've thought a lot about over the years.

I think that Mays would have squeezed past Ruth and finished in the 720's or so. I think he would have received a lot of hate mail, but not as much as Hank did. Aaron had become a bit more outspoken in the years before his run than he had been earlier in his career, and that rubbed some people the wrong way and I think it increased the ardor of the hate mailers.

I think if Aaron had been chasing Mays in '73 and '74, his reception would have been something like Maris' in '61, i.e., that he was overtaking a popular New York sports figure and would have been viewed as something of an interloper (absurd as that would have been.)

--Even if Mays had broken the record Aaron would have been chasing it right along side of him. It probably would have been obvious that Mays record would not stand long. It would have been short lived enough that Aaron's breaking Mays record probably wouldn't have inspired much passion.

[Old Sweater]

Is there a estimate of how many HR's the wind cost Mays at Candlestick?

[fenrir]

Is there a estimate of how many HR's the wind cost Mays at Candlestick?

not sure how many.

[fenrir]

According to this article from ESPN.com, Aaron's hate mail "came from every state, but most were postmarked in northern cities."

Northerners like to pretend that racism, and slavery, are or were Southern things, but it's not accurate.

interesting infomation, thanks.

[parlo]

According to this article from ESPN.com, Aaron's hate mail "came from every state, but most were postmarked in northern cities."

Northerners like to pretend that racism, and slavery, are or were Southern things, but it's not accurate.

Of course!
The population difference was probably 3-1 or even 4-1 at the time.
If 5% of the population of Chicago and NY were racist, that percentage would be more than the entire population of most southern cities and even some states at the time.