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Show The Salt Lake Tribune 5 Section D 9) PORTS WUS OPEN/D.2 @ PREP SPORTS/D.3 @ BASEBALL/D4 @ CLASSIFIEDS/D.6 St Mark McGwire — 62 one homer vs, Cubs Sammy Sosa — 58 no homeruns vs. Cardinals WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 1998 ( THE CHASE TO 62 GORDON MONSON Mac-Nificent 62 McGwire slugs way into baseball history with a ‘short’ homer Milestonesin Mac's Attack on Maris’ Mark McGwire 5 Mark Was Much More tun to becomethe fastest player in major league history to reach 400 homers. Than Just Hype 128faster than Ruth. 1 am watchinga baseball game on the Fox television network on a Tuesday night, the second week of September, a time in recent years reservedforrolling in the glory of the commencementof football sea- son andall its attendant pleasures. Ah you, too, eh? Postponingfull immersion in the exploits of Brett Favre and Barry Sanders and hundredsof college players and the sotnds of marching bands and the smells and tastes of succulent bratwursts on the grill to : } McGwire gottherein 4,726 at-bats — sault on the home runrecord is tan- tamountto rubbernecking. That the pursuit, and our attentivenesstoit, is part of a freak show, This isn’t baseball, but showmanship. Not sport, but spectacle. They say the nation’s focus on the home run,in this time and season of excess,is fleeting, short-lived, some kind of less-noble diversion for casual fans who do not, or cannot, understand baseball's subtleties, nor the game's overall magnificence, Perhaps. But McGwire's chase past Ruth, the greatest icon in the history of American sports, and Maris, a name made famous for exceeding Babe in a single season, is much more than a slam-dunk contest. More than hype gamesto spare. No. 62 was not a trademark MeGwire moonshot, but alaserto left, a 341-foot erthat barely cleared the wall and was his shortest of the, season McGwire connected with two outs in the fourth inning off the Chicago Cubs Steve Trachsel for the historic homer. June 30 — McGwiretied Reggie Jackson's 1969record for homers before the All-Star break with No. 37. In July — He became the fastest playerto reach 40 homers in both games. punctuating the chasethat reinvigorated the sport andcaptivated a nation (90) and at-bats (281), zooming aheadof Maris’ 61-homerpacein 1961. And with his 44th homer, healso broke the team Aug. 20 — McGwire became the first player to have three consecutive 50- There are purists who say our strong attraction to Big Mac's as- cord Tuesday night — andwithplenty of Simmons (1979), Jack Clark (1987) and baseball immortality, He's already bottomofthefirst . Ball one, low and away... Ball two, inside... Ball three, in the dirt... Ooh, he swings and groundsout to short. ST. LOUIS — Without a doubt or an asterisk, Mark MeGwireand his mighty swing broke Roger Maris’ homerunre. Ron Gant (1996) to also-ran status, single-season record by Johnny Mize. Maris’ turn to be surpassed, as we all perch ourselves on the edge of our Barc-O-Loungers in front of our big-screens, fascinated and captivated by every swing of McGwire’s bat. Hold on a second, he’s up in the BY BEN WALKER THE ASSOCIATED PRESS June 5 — McGwire made a mockery of the Busch Stadium single-season home run record with his 18th, relegating the likesof Richie Allen (1970), Ted watch Mark MeGwire chase down put away The Babe. Now,it is Roger ? May 8 — McGwire put Ruthin his rear-view mirror, hitting his 20th home McGwire was so caught upin the mo- ment that he missed first base as he rounded the bag and had to return to touchit, pulled back by coach Dave Me- Kay. Fromthere, MeGwire got handshakes homer seasons when he homered in both endsof a doubleheader at New from every Chicagoinfielderas hetrotted home to history and a hug from catcher Scott Servais. Cubs right fielder York, Againthe victim was poor Ruth, who had consecutive 50-homer seasons SammySosa, who has 58 homeruns, ran in 1920-21 and 1927-28. in fromright field to hug MeGwire and give his rival a high-five. Aug. 22 — McGwire set a major league record with 162 homers over McGwire was mobbed by his team mates at homeplate, where he hoisted threestraight seasons. Ruth, whohit 161 from 1926-28, again took a back seat. Aug. 30 — McGwire hits No. 55,the mostin the NL since Hack Wilsonhit 56 his 10-year-old batboyson Matt high into the air. McGwire then ran into theseats to hug the family of Maris, whose 37- year-old record he had just broken. Before the game, McGwire held the bat that Maris used to hit his 61st and rubbed it against his chest in 1930. Sept. 1 — McGwire hits No. 56 and No. 57, tying Hack Wilson's NL record “Roger, I hope you're with me to- and then breakingit. night,” McGwire said. He was, indeed Sept. 2 — McGwirehits No. 59, putting himbehind only Maris and Ruth, As the ball cleared the left-field fence, there was no scrambleto retrieve it becauseit landed in an area where no fan could get it Sept. 5 — No. 60ties Ruth's 1927 record, whichrstood for 34 years, before Maris came along andhit 61 in 1961, Tim Forneris, a ground-crew worker, picked it up andlater gave it to McGwire. Sept. 7 — McGwire connects at “Right when it hit off the bat, I knewit was going out and it went right overthe BuschStadium to tie Maris’ mark of 61 sign,” he said. “There was a bunch of Sept. 8 — McGwire connects off the ground-crewguys on the wall. But I was right on the edge and I said, ‘That ball is Cubs’ Steve Trachsel, eclipses Maris home run record. See McGWIRE, Page D-4 and show. More than marketing magic for a gamethat stands in great need, still reeling from the travesty of 1994 and a World Series lost. Everything McGwire has donethis season hasfallen within the frame- work of the game. There has been no bastardization in his pursuit. His towering shots off the upper-deck would inspire few if they did not come with such amazing frequency. And the combination has allowed fans, many of whom were hurt and disenfranchised from baseball after the strike, to feel the game's gravita- tional pull once again. The duel between McGwire and Sammy Sosa and legendary numbers (60 and 61) posted in past decades has recap- tured them. Sure, home runs do not encom- pass baseball's totality, but they've always bolstered it. Ruth nearly solitarily hoisted the game on his shoul- ders after the Black Sox scandal in 1919, logging mind-boggling numbers, including his glorious personal season of 1920, when he had a slugging percentage of .846 and hit 54 homeruns, breaking his own major See MONSON,Page D-4 Historic 62nd Homer Was Unremarkable: It Barely Cleared the Busch Stadium Fence BY HAL NEWBERRY THE ASSOCIATEDPRESS abashed joy — and hebriefly forgot the car- ST. LOUIS — No. 62 was so un-MeGwire. When the specially marked ball departed from Mark McGwire's bat like a laser at 7:18 p.m. MDT, he couldn't slip into his home-run trot right away Big Mac ran out of the batter’s box like a sprinter from the blocks, the eyes which appearedsleepyin his first at-bat squinting intently towardleft field. Usually, the St. Louis Cardinals’ slugger knowsright away whether he’s slapped theball far enough to put it over the fence, but this time his eyes betrayed a sense of doubt Glenallen Hill, playing left for the Chicago Cubs, sprinted toward the dark corner at Busch Stadium, readyto retrieve the ball and pitch it back to the infield. He would surely hold McGwire to a double. Suddenly, with McGwire just a few steps from first, the white ball disappeared from view, slipping over the green wall. The doubt on McGwire’s face suddenly turned into pure, un- dinal rule of baseball. Don't forget @ HomerEdition A limited numberof the original Salt Lake Tribune edition fea- to touch first base. When McGwire leaped into the embrace of first-base eoach Dave ing 6ist home run along with today’s edition covering the 62nd same Dave Me- 237-2931. Limit: five copies per customer. McKay — the Kay who has served up turing reports of Mark MeGwire’s record-tyhome run, are available for $1 each (home delivered) by calling so many homers in batting practice — McGwire stumbled past the bag, neither foot managing to make contact Comeback, Mark! But McKay wouldn't let the Cardinals slugger See HOMER, Page D-4 m Ba Reinke The Associated Press Mark McGwire,lifts his son, Matthew, at home plate after the St. Louis Cardinals sluggerhit his 62nd homerun on Tuesday. Gold-Medalist Street May Make Park City Winter Home BYG Y BOULTON THE 5: LT LAKE TRIBUNE Picabo Street, America’s most famous woman Getting Their Kicks skier, is considering becoming a spokeswoman for Park City Mountain Resort in a deal that would make Park City her winter residence. Street, winner of a gold medal in the Super-G event at the 1998 Winter Olympics, stressed that East High School's Sarah Graham (center) pushes past Bountiful High defenders Steph Wilding (8) and Brooke Murdock(3) on Tuesday during a Region 5 soccer match. Bountiful came out on top 3-1.Complete high school volleyball and soccer she was merelyin initial discussions with the resort It's very, very early on — very, very prelimi. 'y,”" she said. Street and her agent planned to meeting with John Cumming, the head of Park City Mountain Resort, on Tuesdayafternoon Becoming a spokeswoman for the resort, Street said, would be a personal as well as a business decision. ‘The bigger decision is can I live here.” roundup is on page 0-3. said Street, who now lives in Portland. “Can this be my home? Am I comfortable here? Will it accommo. date my needs?” Michael J. MiflerThe Salt Lake Tribune. Street, the only American to win a World Cup downhill championship, stunned the skiing world earlier this year by winning a gold medal after sitting out the previous season with a serious knee injury Her athletic achievements — combined with her distinct name and outgowing personality — would make her a prized spokeswomanfor a resort Park City Mountain Resort apparently recognizes that The resort, moreover, faces a growing cross-town rivalin the Canyons resort. American Skiing Co., the country’s largest ownerof ski resorts, has spent Picabo Street heavily on improvements to the Canyonsin recent years. John Cumming, the head of Park City Mountain Resort, did not return phonecalls last week about the potential deal with Street. Park City Mountain Resort is owned by Powdr Corp., a company controfied by the Cumming fam ily. lan Cumming, chairman of Leaucadia National Corp., is one of Utah's most successful business- man Any deal probably would be structured as a package that included a residence and other amenities in addition to money. |