<p>This book recounts the slugger Roger Maris’ life before during and after his headline season of 1961 when the taciturn North Dakota native topped Babe Ruth’s all-time record by hitting sixty-one home runs. From his youth as a star high-school athlete and American Legion baseball player Maris's went on to play for the Cleveland Indians the Kansas City Athletics the New York Yankees and the St. Louis Cardinals.</p><p>Author Rosenfeld argues that Maris's treatment by the press was both shabby and tragic and that the famous player's Mid-western modesty need for privacy and straightforward nature were often wrongly interpreted as arrogance and sullenness—a factor that led many to downplay his claim on the record books. Rosenfeld makes a forceful case for awarding Maris a place in the Baseball Hall of Fame three decades after his record-breaking 1961 season with the New York Yankees.</p>