Steven Lawrence Rattner
Steven Rattner at the Financial Times View from the Top conference in 2011
Born	(1952-07-05) July 5, 1952 (age 59) Great Neck, New York
Residence	New York, New York
Nationality	United States
Education	Brown University
Occupation	Private equity investor, investment banker, journalist
Employer	Quadrangle Group, Lazard Freres & Co., New York Times
Known for	Automotive industry crisis of 2008-2009
Spouse	Maureen White
Children	4

Steven Lawrence Rattner (born July 5, 1952) is an American financier who served as the lead auto advisor (informally the "car czar") in the United States Treasury Department under President Barack Obama.^[1] He was previously a co-founding principal of the Quadrangle Group, a global private equity firm specializing in the media and communications industries. He also spent two decades as an investment banker at Lehman Brothers, Morgan Stanley, and Lazard Freres & Co., where he became Deputy Chairman and Deputy Chief Executive Officer.^[2] Rattner began his career as an economic correspondent for The New York Times in New York, Washington and London.

Rattner is currently chairman of Willett Advisors LLC, the investment firm that manages New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's personal and philanthropic assets. He continues to be deeply involved in public policy matters, including as a contributing writer for the Op-Ed page of The New York Times, as the author of a monthly column for the Financial Times, and as the economic analyst for MSNBC's Morning Joe.

Education and background[link]

Born in New York City, Rattner was raised in the suburb of Great Neck, where he attended local public schools. He received his A.B. with honors in economics from Brown University in 1974 and was awarded the Harvey Baker Fellowship. While at Brown, he served as editor-in-chief of The Brown Daily Herald in 1973.

Career in journalism[link]

Upon graduating from Brown, Rattner was hired in Washington D.C. as a news clerk to New York Times columnist James Reston. After a year, he was transferred to New York as a reporter to cover business and energy. In 1977, he was sent back to Washington to cover the energy crisis. At age 27, he became the paper's chief Washington economic correspondent, where he became close friends with future Times publisher Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Jr. He concluded his service to The New York Times with a two-year stint in London as European Economic Correspondent.^[3]

Career in finance[link]

At the end of 1982, Rattner left The New York Times and was recruited by Roger Altman to join the investment bank Lehman Brothers as an associate. After Lehman was sold to American Express in 1984, he followed Eric Gleacher and several colleagues to Morgan Stanley, where he founded the firm's communications group. In 1989, after Morgan Stanley filed for an IPO, he joined Lazard as a general partner and completed various deals for companies such as Viacom and Comcast. Working alongside Felix Rohatyn, Rattner became a preeminent Lazard rainmaker in the 1990s. Michel David-Weill named him the firm's Deputy Chairman and Deputy Chief Executive in 1997.^[2]

In March 2000, Rattner and three Lazard partners left the firm and founded the Quadrangle Group, which initially focused on investing a $1 billion media-focused private equity fund.^[4] Headquartered in the Seagram Building, Quadrangle grew to manage more than $6 billion across several business lines, including private equity, distressed securities, and hedge funds. The firm also hosted an annual gathering for media executives called Foursquare, where speakers included Rupert Murdoch and Mark Zuckerberg. In 2008, the firm's asset management division announced it had been selected to invest the personal assets of Rattner's close friend, the billionaire New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.^[5]

Throughout his business career, Rattner served on several corporate boards including Cablevision, IAC/InterActiveCorp and Protection One.

Public service[link]

From his tenure with The New York Times in Washington D.C., Rattner developed a lifelong interest in economic policy, which drew him to politics and public service. In the mid-1990s, he began to work actively on behalf of Democratic candidates, beginning with President Bill Clinton. While it was rumored that Rattner would join a Democratic administration, he did not do so until after the election of President Barack Obama.^[5]

In February 2009, with both General Motors and Chrysler insolvent, Rattner was appointed Counselor to the United States Secretary of the Treasury and lead auto adviser. He soon assembled a team that grew to 14 professionals to address the financial problems of the two auto companies.^[1]

Reporting to both Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Lawrence Summers, the head of the National Economic Council, Rattner's team developed a plan to save both the two manufacturers and related suppliers and finance companies. The plan involved a total government (i.e., taxpayer) investment of $82 billion in the sector, coupled with controlled bankruptcies for the two auto companies, as well as new management for both.^[6]

Rattner later wrote a book: Overhaul: An Insider's Account of the Obama Administration's Emergency Auto Rescue. In the book Rattner states that the toughest decision for President Obama about the two auto companies was whether to save Chrysler. There was, however, no disagreement about asking GM CEO Richard Wagoner to step aside.^[7] By July 2009, both automakers had emerged from bankruptcy, had new management and were on their way to profitability.^[6] At that time, Rattner left Washington and returned to private life in New York. As of May 3, 2012 - approaching three years after the emergence from bankruptcy - taxpayers would lose an estimated $15 billion if the GM shares then still held by the government were sold. (Additional GM shares held by the government were sold in November 2010 in GM's initial public offering.)

Post-political career[link]

After leaving the government, Rattner wrote Overhaul, his New York Times best-selling account of the Obama Administration's successful rescue of the auto companies. He continued to speak out on auto-related matters as well as broader economic issues. Early in 2011, he began contributing a monthly column to the Financial Times on subjects ranging from the Greek crisis to the U.S. budget deficit. He also became the economic analyst for the MSNBC news show, Morning Joe.^[8][9] And in June 2011, he was named a contributing writer to The New York Times Op-Ed page, publishing a first column on how government policies drive up corn prices.

New York Pension Fund Corruption Investigation[link]

In 2005, Quadrangle made payments to private placement agent Hank Morris to help Quadrangle raise money for its second buyout fund.^[10] Morris had come highly recommended to Rattner from U.S. Senator Charles Schumer.^[11] Hank Morris was also the chief political advisor to Alan Hevesi, the trustee of the New York State Common Retirement Fund (CRF). Morris told Rattner he could increase the size of the CRF investment in Quadrangle's second buyout fund. Rattner then agreed that Quadrangle would pay Morris 1.1% of any investments greater than $25 million from the CRF. ^[12]

In 2009, Quadrangle and a dozen other investment firms, including the much larger Carlyle Group, were investigated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for the payments to Morris. The SEC viewed the payments as "kickbacks" in order to manage money for the New York State Common Retirement Fund since Morris was also a consultant to New York State Comptroller Alan Hevesi, who controlled the Retirement Fund.^[13] Quadrangle paid $7 million in April 2010 to settle the SEC investigation. In November, Rattner personally settled for $6.2 million without admitting or denying any wrongdoing.^[14]

Prosecution by Attorney General Cuomo[link]

The case drew significant media attention when Andrew Cuomo, then New York's Attorney General, demanded more severe penalties from Rattner than other firms or individuals involved in the alleged corruption.^[15] Rattner was once a major fundraiser for Democratic Party candidates but had repeatedly passed on supporting Cuomo's campaigns.^[16] In an appearance on the Charlie Rose Show, Rattner asserted that hiring Hank Morris as a placement agent was "legal then, legal now, and done properly."^[17] He explained he was willing to settle on reasonable terms, but called Cuomo's demands "close to extortion" and questioned whether Cuomo was motivated by the "facts" of the case.^[18]

On December 30, 2010, Rattner reached a settlement to pay $10 million in restitution but no fines or penalties. He was also not prohibited from continuing to protest his innocence.^[19]

Personal[link]

Rattner has served as a board member or trustee of a number of civic and philanthropic organizations, including the Educational Broadcasting Corporation as chairman, Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City as chairman, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Brown University, Brookings Institution and the New America Foundation. He is also member of the Council on Foreign Relations and an investor in Current TV, the network founded by Al Gore.

Rattner is married to Maureen White, who served for five years as finance chair for the Democratic National Committee and is now the Senior Advisor on Humanitarian Issues to the Special Representative-Afghanistan and Pakistan for the U.S. Department of State. They have four grown children and live in New York.^[20]

References[link]

External links[link]

• StevenRattner.com Official Site
• 4 Top Lazard Freres Bankers Are Quitting to Open Firm. New York Times, March 1, 2000
• Eyeing More Turf. New York Times, February 17, 2006
• Quadrangle's Connections. Business Week, Nov. 1, 2004.
• Rattner Joins Panel to Fix Auto Industry. Wall Street Journal, Feb. 24, 2009.
• Obama Car Guru Steve Rattner. Time, April 20, 2009.
• Cumomo Files Lawsuits Against Rattner. New York Attorney General, November 18, 2010
• Charlie Rose Interview with Steven Rattner. Charlie Rose Show, Nov. 22, 2010.

v t e Private equity and venture capital investors Investment strategy Buyout · Venture · Growth · Mezzanine · Secondaries History History of private equity and venture capital · Early history of private equity · Private equity in the 1980s · Private equity in the 1990s · Private equity in the 2000s Investor types Private equity investors · Venture capitalists · Corporate raiders

Charlie Rose
Rose in May 2010
Born	Charles Peete Rose, Jr. (1942-01-05) January 5, 1942 (age 70) Henderson, North Carolina, U.S.
Education	Duke University B.A. (1964) Duke University J.D. (1968)
Occupation	Talk show host Journalist
Years active	1972–present
Notable credit(s)	Charlie Rose, 60 Minutes II, 60 Minutes, CBS News Nightwatch, CBS This Morning
Website
http://www.charlierose.com/

Charles Peete "Charlie" Rose, Jr. (born January 5, 1942)^[1] is an American television talk show host and journalist. Since 1991 he has hosted Charlie Rose, an interview show distributed nationally by PBS since 1993. He has also co-anchored CBS This Morning since January 2012. Rose, along with Lara Logan, has hosted the revived CBS classic Person to Person, a news program during which celebrities are interviewed in their homes, originally hosted from 1953 to 1961 by Edward R. Murrow.^[2]

Early life[link]

Rose was born in Henderson, North Carolina, the only child^[3] of Margaret Frazier and Charles Peete Rose, Sr., tobacco farmers who owned a country store.^[4][5] As a child, Rose lived above his parents' store in Henderson and helped out with the family business from age seven.^[6] Rose admitted in a Fresh Dialogues interview that as a child his insatiable curiosity was constantly getting him in trouble.^[7] A high school basketball star, Rose entered Duke University intending to pursue a degree with a pre-med track, but an internship in the office of Democratic North Carolina Senator B. Everett Jordan got him interested in politics.^[8] Rose graduated in 1964 with a bachelor's degree in history. At Duke, he was a member of the Kappa Alpha Order fraternity. He earned a Juris Doctor from the Duke University School of Law in 1968.^[6] He met his wife, Mary (née King), while attending Duke.^[3][4]

Career[link]

After his wife was hired by the BBC (in New York), Rose handled some assignments for the BBC on a freelance basis. In 1972, while continuing to work at Bankers Trust, he landed a job as a weekend reporter for WPIX-TV. His break came in 1974, after Bill Moyers hired Rose as managing editor for the PBS series Bill Moyers' International Report. In 1975, Moyers named Rose executive producer of Bill Moyers Journal. Rose soon began appearing on camera. "A Conversation with Jimmy Carter," one installment of Moyers's series U.S.A.: People and Politics, won a 1976 Peabody Award. Rose worked at several networks honing his interview skills until KXAS-TV in Dallas-Fort Worth hired him as program manager and gave him the late-night time slot that would become the Charlie Rose show.

Rose worked for CBS News (1984–1990) as the anchor of CBS News Nightwatch, the network's first late-night news broadcast. The Nightwatch broadcast of Rose's interview with Charles Manson won an Emmy Award in 1987.^[4] In 1990, Rose left CBS to serve as anchor of Personalities, a syndicated program produced by Fox Broadcasting Company, but he got out of his contract after six weeks because of the tabloid-style content of the show. Charlie Rose premiered on PBS station Thirteen/WNET on September 30, 1991, and has been nationally syndicated since January 1993. In 1994, Rose moved the show to a studio owned by Bloomberg Television, which allowed for improved satellite interviewing.^[9]

Rose was a correspondent for 60 Minutes II^[10] from its inception in January 1999 until its cancellation in September 2005, and was later named a correspondent on 60 Minutes.^[11]

Rose was a member of the board of directors of Citadel Broadcasting Corporation from 2003 to 2009.^[3] In May 2010, Charlie Rose delivered the commencement address at North Carolina State University.

On November 15, 2011, it was announced that Rose would return to CBS to help anchor CBS This Morning, replacing The Early Show, commencing January 9, 2012, along with co-anchors Erica Hill and Gayle King.

Cameo appearances[link]

Rose has appeared as himself in the 1998 film Primary Colors,^[12] in a 2000 episode of The Simpsons^[13] and in the 2008 movie Elegy.^[14] He and his show were also used in the Wes Anderson film The Royal Tenenbaums. He also appears as himself in the 2011 George Clooney directed film, The Ides of March.

[edit] Accusations of conflict of interest

While hosting the 2002 Coca-Cola Company shareholders' meeting, Rose said "few companies are able to connect as completely with consumers in the way that Coca-Cola is. It is a privilege to be associated with [The Coca-Cola family] ... This is the business of Coca-Cola: being part of a family, being worldwide, doing well and doing good at the same time."^[15] Afterward, Coca-Cola agreed to become what Rose called "a leading underwriter" of The Charlie Rose Show, paying "six or possibly seven figures."^[16] Even the Charlie Rose mugs used on his PBS show feature a Coca-Cola logo on one side.^[17][18] Although CBS News policy bars correspondents from doing commercials and product endorsements, the Washington Post reported CBS was "comfortable" with Rose's actions. Rose insists he "would never do a story on 60 Minutes II about anybody who underwrites my PBS show."^[16]

[edit] Quiet influence

The New York Times reported that Rose encouraged a discussion between the leaders of NBC and Fox, that led eventually to a mutual reduction in ad hominem attacks between Keith Olbermann and Bill O'Reilly on their respective news programs.^[19]

Rose has attended several Bilderberg Group conference meetings, including meetings held in the United States in 2008;^[20] Spain in 2010;^[21] and Switzerland in 2011.^[22] These unofficial conferences hold guests from North America and Western Europe, most of whom are political leaders and businessmen. Details of meetings are closed off to the public and strictly invitation-only, and critics^[who?] speculate the controversial nature of these meetings of highly influential people. Accusations from conspiracy theorists against The Charlie Rose show claim that it has become the US media outlet for Bilderberg.^{[23][unreliable source?]}

Personal life[link]

Rose's twelve-year marriage to Mary Rose (née King) ended in divorce in 1980. Mary is the sister-in-law of Morgan Stanley Chairman John J. Mack. Since 1993, his companion has been socialite and chairman of the New York City Planning Commission and director of the city department of planning Amanda Burden, a stepdaughter of CBS founder William S. Paley.^[24]

On March 29, 2006, after experiencing shortness of breath in Syria, Rose was flown to Paris and underwent surgery for mitral valve repair in the Georges-Pompidou European Hospital. His surgery was performed under the supervision of Alain F. Carpentier, a pioneer of the procedure.^[25] Rose returned to the air on June 12, 2006, with Bill Moyers and Yvette Vega (the show's executive producer), to discuss his surgery and recuperation.

In a 2009 Fresh Dialogues interview, Rose described his life as "great and glorious."^[7] He added, '"I get up every morning with a new adventure. The adventure is fueled by interesting people. I get a chance to control my own destiny. I do something that is immediately either appreciated or not. I get feedback."

Rose owns a 575-acre (2.33 km²) farm in Oxford, North Carolina, an apartment overlooking Central Park in New York City, a beach house in Bellport, New York, an apartment in Washington D.C.^[3] and an apartment in Paris, France.

References[link]

External links[link]

This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links, and converting useful links where appropriate into footnote references. (March 2012)

• Charlie Rose Official website of his eponymous show
• Charlie Rose official channel on YouTube
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Charlie Rose at the Internet Movie Database
• Charlie Rose collected news and commentary at the Los Angeles Times
• Charlie Rose collected news and commentary at The New York Times
• Charlie Rose at the Notable Names Database
• Charlie Rose shows on Hulu
• celebritynetworth.com, Celebrity Net Worth, Charlie Rose
• Why Business Loves Charlie Rose David A. Kaplan, Fortune, September 28, 2009

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2010)

Roger Maris
Maris in 1960.
Right fielder
Born: (1934-09-10)September 10, 1934 Hibbing, Minnesota
Died: December 14, 1985(1985-12-14) (aged 51) Houston, Texas
Batted: Left	Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 16, 1957 for the Cleveland Indians
Last MLB appearance
September 29, 1968 for the St. Louis Cardinals
Career statistics
Batting average	.260
Home runs	275
Runs batted in	850
Teams
Cleveland Indians (1957–1958) Kansas City Athletics (1958–1959) New York Yankees (1960–1966) St. Louis Cardinals (1967–1968)
Career highlights and awards
7× All-Star (1959², 1960, 1960², 1961, 1961², 1962, 1962²) 3× World Series champion (1961, 1962, 1967) 2× AL MVP (1960, 1961) Gold Glove Award winner (1960) New York Yankees #9 retired

Roger Eugene Maris (September 10, 1934 – December 14, 1985) was an American baseball right fielder who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) on four teams, from 1957 through 1968. Maris hit a record 61 home runs during the 1961 season for the New York Yankees, breaking Babe Ruth's single-season record of 60 home runs in 1927. Maris' record stood for the next 37 years.

Maris appeared in seven World Series games. He was a two-time American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) (1960–1961), seven-time All-Star (1959–62), and an AL Gold Glove winner in 1960. His accomplishment of 61 home runs in a season, which was greatly debated in its own time, came back to the forefront in 1998, when the record was broken by both Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. On September 24, 2011, the 50th anniversary of Maris' home run record was celebrated in Yankee Stadium.

Early life[link]

Roger Maris was the son of Croatian immigrants.^[1][2] He was born Roger Eugene Maras^[3][4](he later changed his last name to Maris) in Hibbing, Minnesota. He grew up in Grand Forks and Fargo, North Dakota, where he attended Shanley High School. Maris, a gifted athlete, participated in many sports while in Fargo, and excelled at football and still holds the official high school record for most kickoff return touchdowns in a game, with four.^[5]

Maris exhibited an independent, no-nonsense personality at an early age. He was recruited to play football at the University of Oklahoma and spent less than one semester on campus. Maris returned to Fargo and signed a minor-league baseball contract with the Cleveland Indians.

Professional career[link]

Early years[link]

Maris played for the Indians organization at Fargo-Moorhead in 1953 and moved to Keokuk the next season. In the minor leagues, he showed a talent for both offense and defense. He tied for the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League lead in putouts by an outfielder with 305 while playing for Keokuk in 1954. Meanwhile, in four minor league seasons from 1953 to 1956, Maris hit .303 with 78 home runs. In Game 2 of the 1956 Junior World Series, Maris would set a record by getting seven runs batted in.^[6] With the five teams that Maris played for in the minors, the clubs’ won loss records would improve from the following year.^[6]

Maris in 1957, his rookie year with the Cleveland Indians.

Maris made his major league debut in 1957 with the Cleveland Indians. On April 18 of that year, he hit the first home run of his career, a grand slam off Tigers pitcher Jack Crimian at Briggs Stadium in Detroit.^[6] The next year, he was traded to the Kansas City Athletics with Dick Tomanek and Preston Ward for Vic Power and Woodie Held. He represented the A's in the 1959 All-Star Game in spite of missing 45 games due to an appendix operation.

In the late 1950s, Kansas City frequently traded its best young players to the New York Yankees – a practice which led them to be referred to as the Yankees' "major league farm team"^[7] – and Maris was no exception. In a seven-player deal in December 1959, he was sent to the Yankees with Kent Hadley and Joe DeMaestri in exchange for Marv Throneberry, Norm Siebern, Hank Bauer, and Don Larsen.

In 1960, Maris' first season with the Yankees, he led the league in slugging percentage, runs batted in, and extra base hits and finished second in home runs (one behind teammate Mickey Mantle) and total bases (four behind Mantle). He was recognized as an outstanding defensive outfielder with a Gold Glove Award, and also won the American League's Most Valuable Player award. The Yankees won the American League pennant, but lost a seven-game World Series to the Pittsburgh Pirates thanks to Bill Mazeroski's dramatic walk-off home run.

1961[link]

The American League expanded from 8 to 10 teams in 1961. Team rosters were generally watered down as players who would likely have been playing at AAA or lower were now in the majors. The Yankees, however, were left mainly intact. In addition, the season was extended from 154 games to 162 games. On January 23, 1961, an Associated Press reporter asked Maris whether the schedule changes might threaten Babe Ruth's single-season home run record; Maris replied, "Nobody will touch it... Look up the records and you'll see that it's a rare year when anybody hits 50 homers, let alone 60."

Maris (left) with Mickey Mantle in 1961.

Yankee home runs began to come at a record pace. One famous photograph lined up six 1961 Yankees, including Mantle, Maris, Yogi Berra, and Bill Skowron, under the nickname "Murderers Row," because they hit a combined 165 home runs the previous season (The title "Murderers Row," originally coined in 1918, had most famously been used to refer to the 1927 Yankees). As mid-season approached, it seemed quite possible that either Maris or Mantle, or perhaps both, would break Ruth's 34-year-old home run record. Unlike the home run race of 1998, where both Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were given extensive positive media coverage in their pursuit of Maris' record, sportswriters in 1961 began to play the "M&M Boys" against each other, inventing a rivalry where none existed, as Yogi Berra has told multiple interviewers.

Five years earlier, in 1956, the New York press had been protective of Ruth when Mantle challenged Ruth's record for most of the season. When Mantle fell short, finishing with 52, there seemed to be a collective sigh of relief from the New York traditionalists. The New York press had not been all that kind to Mantle either in his early years with the team; he struck out frequently, was injury prone, was a true "hick" from Oklahoma, and was perceived as being distinctly inferior to his predecessor in center field, Joe DiMaggio. Mantle however, over the course of time (with a little help from his friend and teammate Whitey Ford, a native of New York's Borough of Queens), had gotten better at "schmoozing" with the New York media, and consequently gained the favor of the press. This was a talent that Maris, a blunt-spoken Upper Midwesterner, never attempted to cultivate. Maris was perceived as surly during his time on the Yankees.

As 1961 progressed, the Yanks were now "Mickey Mantle's team" and Maris was ostracized as the "outsider" and "not a true Yankee." The press seemed to root for Mantle and belittle Maris. Mantle, however, was felled by a hip infection late in the season, leaving Maris as the only player with a chance to break Ruth's record.

On top of his lack of popular press coverage, Maris' chase for 61 hit another roadblock totally out of his control: along with adding two teams to the league, Major League Baseball had added eight games to the schedule. In the middle of the season, baseball commissioner Ford Frick announced that unless Ruth's record was broken in the first 154 games of the season, the new record would be shown in the record books as having been set in 162 games while the previous record set in 154 games would also be shown. It is an urban legend that an asterisk would be used to distinguish the new record, sparked by a question to Commissioner Frick from New York sportswriter Dick Young.

From left to right, the bats used to hit Babe Ruth's 60th homer in 1927, Roger Maris' 61st in 1961, and Mark McGwire's 70th and Sammy Sosa's 66th in 1998.

Nash and Zullo argued in The Baseball Hall of Shame that Frick made the ruling because the former newspaper reporter had been a close friend of Ruth's. Furthermore, Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby – himself a lifetime .358 batter – compared Ruth's 1927 batting average of .356 to Maris' .269 clip of 1961 and said, "It would be a disappointment if Ruth's home run record were bested by a .270 hitter" (Hornsby, however, was not easy to impress; while scouting for the Mets, the best report he could muster for any current player was "Looks like a major-leaguer." The assessment referred to Mickey Mantle). Maris downplayed the challenge, saying, "I'm not trying to be Babe Ruth; I'm trying to hit sixty-one home runs and be Roger Maris." This sentiment would be echoed in 1973–1974, when Hank Aaron, in pursuit of Ruth's career home run record, said, "I don't want people to forget Babe Ruth. I just want them to remember Henry Aaron."

With 59 home runs after the Yankees' 154th game, Maris failed to reach the arbitrary mark. He hit his 61st on October 1, 1961, in the fourth inning of the last game of the season, at Yankee Stadium in front of 23,154 fans.^[8] Boston Red Sox pitcher Tracy Stallard gave up the record home run. No asterisk was subsequently used in any record books; Major League Baseball itself then had no official record book, and Frick later acknowledged that there never was official qualification of Maris' accomplishment. However, Maris remained bitter about the experience. Speaking at the 1980 All-Star Game, he said, "They acted as though I was doing something wrong, poisoning the record books or something. Do you know what I have to show for 61 home runs? Nothing. Exactly nothing." Despite all the controversy and criticism, Maris was awarded the 1961 Hickok Belt as the top professional athlete of the year, and won the American League's MVP Award for the second straight year. It is said, however, that the stress of pursuing the record was so great for Maris that his hair occasionally fell out in clumps during the season. Later, Maris even surmised that it might have been better all along had he not broken the record or even threatened it at all.

Maris' major league home run record would stand three years longer than Ruth's did, until National Leaguer Mark McGwire broke it by hitting 70 in 1998. Sammy Sosa also broke Maris' record that year, hitting 66. The record is currently held by Barry Bonds (also a National Leaguer), who hit 73 home runs in 2001. Maris' 61 home runs are now the seventh-highest single-season total, and remain the American League record.^[9] On January 11, 2010, McGwire admitted to using steroids the year he broke Maris' record. Sosa and Bonds have also been suspected of steroid use. Many baseball fans argue that the home run record should be returned to Maris.

Remainder of career[link]

Maris signs a baseball for President John F. Kennedy in 1962.

Maris made his fourth consecutive and final All-Star game appearance in 1962. His fine defensive skills were often overlooked. He made a game-saving play in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 7 of the 1962 World Series against the San Francisco Giants. With the Yankees leading 1-0 and Matty Alou on first, Willie Mays doubled toward the right-field line. Maris cut off the ball and made a strong throw to prevent Alou from scoring the tying run; the play set up Willie McCovey's series-ending line drive to second baseman Bobby Richardson, capping what would prove to be the final World Series victory for the "old" Yankees.

He played in only 90 games in 1963, hitting 23 home runs. Maris was again injured in Game Two of the 1963 World Series after only five plate appearances. In 1964, he rebounded, appearing in 141 games, batting .281 with 26 home runs. Maris hit a home run in Game 6 of the 1964 World Series. In 1965, his physical problems were most notable when he played most of the season with a misdiagnosed broken bone in his hand. Maris, despite having real injuries, began to acquire yet another "jacket" by the New York press – the tag of "malingerer."

Now encumbered with an injured image, Maris was traded by the Yankees to the St. Louis Cardinals after the 1966 season for Charley Smith. The Yankees questioned Maris' courage and he left angry.^{[citation needed]}

Maris was well-received by the St. Louis fans who appreciated a player with a straightforward Midwestern style even if the New York press did not. Maris felt much more at home in St. Louis. Maris played his final two seasons with the Cardinals, helping them win the 1967 and 1968 pennants and a World Series victory in 1967 (he hit .385 with one home run and seven RBIs in the post-season). Gussie Busch, head of the Cardinals and of Anheuser-Busch, set Maris up with a beer distributorship after he retired.

Awards, honors, and life after baseball[link]

Roger Maris's number 9 was retired by the New York Yankees in 1984.

Roger Maris Plaque in Yankee Stadium's Monument Park.

The Yankees retired Maris' number 9 on Old-Timers' Day, July 21, 1984, and dedicated a plaque in Maris' honor to hang in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium. The plaque calls him "A great player and author of one of the most remarkable chapters in the history of major league baseball." Maris was on hand for the ceremony and wore a full Yankee uniform. His teammate Elston Howard, who had died in 1980, was also honored with the retirement of his number (32) and a Monument Park plaque that day. It is likely that the Yankees had waited to retire the number 9 until third baseman Graig Nettles, who had worn it since 1973, left the team following the 1983 season.

Maris owned the Budweiser distributorship in Gainesville, Florida in the 1970s and 1980s. He coached baseball at Gainesville's Oak Hall High School, which named its baseball field for him.

Illness and death[link]

Maris was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 1983. In response to that, Maris organized the annual Roger Maris Celebrity Golf Tournament to raise money for cancer research and treatment.

Maris died on December 14, 1985 at M.D. Anderson Hospital in Houston, Texas. A Roman Catholic, he was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Fargo, North Dakota. He remains a hero in his hometown of Fargo and was a recipient of the State of North Dakota's Roughrider Award. Tributes include, Roger Maris Drive, The Roger Maris Cancer Center, the fund raising beneficiary of the annual golf tournament, and the 61 for 61 Home Walk & Run, which is held in conjunction with the 61 for 61 radiothon on 107.9 The Fox.^[10] There is also a movement towards getting Maris inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Legacy[link]

The Roger Maris Museum in Fargo, North Dakota.

The Roger Maris Museum opened at the West Acres Shopping Center in Fargo, North Dakota, in 1984. The museum is dedicated to the life and career of Roger Maris. The museum is open during mall hours with free admission.

In 2001, the film 61* about Maris and Mantle's pursuit of the major league's single season home run record was first broadcast. Many of the unpleasant aspects of Maris' season were addressed, including the hate mail, death threats, and his stress-induced hair loss. In addition, the film delved into the relationship between Maris and Mantle, portraying them as friends more than rivals. Mantle was depicted defending Maris to the New York media, and Maris was shown trying to influence the hard-living Mantle to look after himself better. Maris was played by Barry Pepper, while Thomas Jane played Mantle.

In 2005, in light of accusations of steroid use against the three players who had, by then, hit more than 61 home runs in a season (Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds), the North Dakota Senate wrote to Major League Baseball and "urged" that Roger Maris' 61 home runs be recognized as the single season record.^[11] Newman Signs Inc., which holds the naming rights to Newman Outdoor Field in Fargo, ND, continues to use billboard signage to declare Maris is the "legitimate home run king."^[12]

References in popular culture[link]

• Maris and Mickey Mantle starred in and were the subjects of the 1962 film Safe at Home!.
• Appeared as an animated caricature of himself named Roger Marble (complete with his trademark Flattop haircut) in an episode of The Flintstones entitled, "Big League Freddie", which originally aired on November 7, 1963.^[13]
• Appeared as himself (along with Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra in the 1962 film, That Touch of Mink, starring Cary Grant and Doris Day.^[14]
• Appeared as himself along with Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, Elston Howard, and others in the 1980 film, It's My Turn, starring Michael Douglas and Jill Clayburgh.^[15]

See also[link]

• Maris–McGwire–Sosa pair
• List of Major League Baseball home run records
• 50 home run club
• List of top 300 Major League Baseball home run hitters
• List of Major League Baseball RBI champions
• List of Major League Baseball home run champions
• List of Major League Baseball runs scored champions

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Roger Maris

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• Roger Maris at the Internet Movie Database
• Roger Maris at Find a Grave
• Roger Maris Golf Tournament