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Grex > Sports > #80: 61 with 17 more games to go. How many can McGwire hit? | |
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omni
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61 with 17 more games to go. How many can McGwire hit?
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Sep 8 11:04 UTC 1998 |
I never thought I would see the day when someone would break Roger Maris'
record for home runs, but as I write this, Mark McGwire stands at 61 with 17
games to go. How many more can he hit? Can Sammy Sosa also break or surpass
what McGwire has done?
I personally think that he will probably end the season with 75 or so. Sosa
probably will catch up, but he will be number 2 on the list.
Thoughts?
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| 16 responses total. |
jep
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response 1 of 16:
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Sep 8 13:38 UTC 1998 |
You're predicting 14 home runs in 17 games, Jim? That's nuts. It could
happen (Sosa hit 20 homers in 21 games earlier this year), but
predicting it is nuts. He's been getting 1 homer in 8 at bats on the
average this year, so it qould be reasonable to expect 8 or 9 homers --
which could put him at 70 for the year. I predict he'll finish at 65
for the season.
I predict 62 for Sosa, by the way.
The home run race has been amazing, and very good for baseball. Now if
some of these fans who are tuning in to see McGwire hit the long ball
will realize what a great game baseball is, and stick with it, baseball
will return to it's rightful position of pre-eminence in American
sports.
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omni
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response 2 of 16:
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Sep 8 18:03 UTC 1998 |
CBC did the same thing this morning, so I'm in good company.
Don't kid yourself, jep. I nearly fell asleep while watching the Cubs-Cards
game on the box yesterday. I drank a cup of coffee, picked up my book _Mutiny
on the Bounty_ and returned to watching the action of the book play out before
me. The game became the radio someone left on. It is one hell of a book. ;)
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albaugh
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response 3 of 16:
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Sep 8 23:26 UTC 1998 |
65 for Bic Mac, 68 tops.
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omni
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response 4 of 16:
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Sep 9 05:38 UTC 1998 |
He did it. #62 was the first pitch of his second atbat. He put it in the
left field bullpen area. It happened at 8:19 St. Louis time. After it was over
I went back to watching the movie I had going.
If I am wrong about McGwire, I'll wash your car by hand.
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jep
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response 5 of 16:
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Sep 9 15:37 UTC 1998 |
65 is about what I expect, too.
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albaugh
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response 6 of 16:
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Sep 28 22:15 UTC 1998 |
Well my "68 tops" would have been correct as of the *next to last* game of
the season, but durned if he didn't hit 2 more the *last* game of the season
;-) An even 70 ought to last for awhile...
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bruin
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response 7 of 16:
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Sep 28 23:07 UTC 1998 |
And Sammy Sosa has an extra game in which he might add another homer or two.
The Chicago Cubs and the San Francisco Giants have a 1-game playoff to
determine the NL wild card. Winner is in the playoffs; loser watches them
on TV.
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jep
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response 8 of 16:
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Sep 29 13:22 UTC 1998 |
McGwire 70
Sosa 66
Griffey 56 (for the 2nd year in a row)
Vaughn 50
It wasn't an overwhelmingly spectacular year for home runs in baseball,
but it was spectacular for the top home run hitters. This year wasn't
about a juiced baseball, in other words, or about bad pitching giving
up a lot of homers to everyone; it was about individual accomplishment
by a few exceptional sluggers. What a year!
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albaugh
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response 9 of 16:
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Sep 29 15:33 UTC 1998 |
I dunno, I think there were "many" players with 40+ homers. Albert Belle,
Vinnie Castilla, ...
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jep
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response 10 of 16:
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Sep 29 17:01 UTC 1998 |
AL 40 home run hitters:
Ken Griffey Jr, SEA 56
Albert Belle, CHA 49
Jose Canseco, TOR 46
Juan Gonzalez, TEX 45
Manny Ramirez, CLE 45
Rafael Palmeiro, BAL 43
Alex Rodriguez, SEA 42
Mo Vaughn, BOS 40
Over the last 10 years, the #1 home run hitter has hit:
56, 52, 50, 40, 46, 43, 44 (2 players), 51, 36, 42
Griffey, Belle, Canseco and Gonzalez have previously won the yearly home
run championship.
NL 40 home run hitters:
Mark Mcgwire, STL 70
Sammy Sosa, CHN 66
Greg Vaughn, SDG 50
Vinny Castilla, COL 46
Andres Galarraga, ATL 44
Over the last 10 years, the #1 home run hitter has hit:
49, 47, 40, 43, 46, 35, 38, 40, 47, 39
McGwire and Galarraga have previously won the yearly home run
championship.
This information is from fastball.com; I don't know where to find a list
of the top 10 home run hitters for each year. I imagine you're right,
there are several more 40 home run hitters this year than in most
previous years, and maybe than in any year. But what would that prove?
To me, it's an indication that several guys had really exceptional
years. If it's due to a juiced ball, there'd be more homers across
baseball. If it's due to expansion and weak pitching, same thing, *and*
we'll see a lot of 40 home run hitters next year, too. More than this
year.
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paranoya
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response 11 of 16:
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Nov 1 00:59 UTC 1998 |
Well, I don't think we have to much worry about that now, hockey's started
up again and all, amd McGwire's got it. And besides, even if the Cubbies had
made it as far as people were saying they were going to, they'd have a hell
of a time taking down the Yankees. Not saying they couldn't do it, just that
it'd take the full 7 games.
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senna
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response 12 of 16:
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Feb 18 06:26 UTC 1999 |
After a great season, Baseball ended with a thud. Now there are salary
issues. One wonders if the Tigers will ever be competitive again when
the Yankees, Dodgers, and Mets can outspend them like this. Ah well.
McGwire is still cleaning up with the sports awards, having earned a
couple Espys.
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jep
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response 13 of 16:
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Feb 18 13:29 UTC 1999 |
1998 may have been the best year in baseball history, according to some
people, anyway, with the Yankees run for the record in wins, and the
McGwire/Sosa home run race, and the completion of Cal Ripken's utterly
amazing streak of consecutive games.
Baseball will have a tough time matching that in 1999. Already, some
are predicting McGwire will hit more than 70 homers this year. That
seems impossible to me, but then, it seemed impossible anyone would get
62 homers last year, as I said all through the year.
I don't believe 1999 will be the year for the Tigers. I think they're a
few prime players away from contending with Cleveland for their
division. They'll be a better team than they were last year. I hope
they'll be a .500 team, which will be a good indication they'll be real
contenders in 2000, their first year in the new stadium.
1999 will be the last year of baseball in Tiger Stadium. I'm planning
on going to 8-10 games this year. I organized the Clinton PTO's
Mother-Son Event Committee to have the moms and kids go to the ballpark
the weekend before Mother's Day, and we're looking at sending 100 or so
Moms and sons to the game. I love that ballpark, and I'm going to miss
it.
However... the new ballpark *will* allow the Tigers to match spending
with the big teams. 10 years ago, Cleveland was a hopeless
non-contender, who had been in last place or close to it for 30 years,
and who didn't have the money to contend. Now they do. Their new
ballpark brought in the fans, and that brought in the money. They've
been serious World Series contenders, and big spenders, throughout the
1990s as a direct result.
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senna
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response 14 of 16:
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Feb 19 06:22 UTC 1999 |
I agree, I'll miss Tiger Stadium, but the new park will be nice and the
spending will be important. Right now the Tigers are gamely attempting
to compete on a lousy payroll (which is pretty much impossible) while
they build up money for a real free agent-and-title run in a year or
two. Baseball seriously needs to restructure itself, though. 1998 was
a spectacular year, and the down teams had the look of teams on a
downswing, so it all worked out. However, if the same teams are
*always* down, there's a problem. At the moment there might as well be
a ten team first division and a 20 team second division. It would be
the greatest upset in the history of sports for a low payroll team (like
the Tigers or the Minnesota Twins or the Montreal Expos or something) to
win the championship. Baseball needs a serious salary cap.
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senna
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response 15 of 16:
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Feb 19 06:23 UTC 1999 |
Anyone know what the new stadium will actually look like? I haven't
heard too much specifically. Some new parks are better than others.
I'd love for it to have another gaping centerfield like the current
stadium does. There's too much emphasis on close homer-friendly fences.
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jep
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response 16 of 16:
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Feb 19 16:50 UTC 1999 |
There's a lot of information at: http://www.detroittigers.com,
including a Webcam of the construction in progress.
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