Randy Maris made it clear yesterday that he feels for Mark McGwire after McGwire apologized to the baseball world and the Maris family on Monday for taking steroids for nearly 10 years. But Roger’s son also wants the world to know his father’s feats and his home-run record were earned the right way.
Roger didn’t cheat.
“My father played the game right, and people should not lose sight of that,” Randy told The Post. “He worked hard, he didn’t cheat; he played through injury. I just think you look at my dad and what you see is the integrity he brought to the game.”
Randy said his dad, a two-time MVP, had a “Babe Ruth” like impact because in the early ’60s the game was losing ground to football, but that Mickey Mantle and Roger’s home-run heroics brought baseball back into America’s spotlight.
Asked if he considered his father the true single-season home-run leader — Maris hit 61 in 1961 — Randy said, “In his era, yes.”
That’s key – “his era” — because the Steroid Era created new monster home-run leaders. McGwire blew past Maris with 70 home runs in 1998. Barry Bonds hit 73 in 2001. Three times Sammy Sosa hit more than 61 home runs. McGwire bashed 65 in 1999 — his steroid years.
Roger broke Ruth’s record, long before the steroid era. “His era” is the era that counts in the Maris’ book. As for how those players and home run totals will be judged in the future, Randy said, “That’s not up for me to say, that’s for the record books.”
Randy did not want to speak at length on McGwire and all the implications of the Steroid Era because he said the family “is still trying to sort through everything.”
He was appreciative McGwire made a call to his mother, Pat, on Monday to apologize to her and the family. You can’t overlook the strong ties the Maris family has to McGwire. That’s a baseball bond that was forged in 1998 when McGwire brought the Maris family into the Great Home Run Chase.
In a way, McGwire made Roger alive again and made the Maris family his family.
“Listen, we really like Mark, he’s a great guy, I feel bad this has happened to him,” Randy said. “But we need some time to get our thoughts together.”
He said the family will grant an interview to Bob Costas. It was Costas who had a lengthy interview with McGwire on Monday. On Monday, Randy’s brother Rich told the San Francisco Chronicle his father’s home-run record is the true standard and he expects baseball to do “the right things with the records.”
The family thinks Roger should be in the Hall of Fame. Randy said they feel that because their dad was not liked by a number of writers when he played, it affected the vote. Maris collected 43.1 percent of the writers’ votes in 1988, his highest mark before coming off the writers’ ballot.
Randy wants his dad to get another shot at the Hall via the veterans’ ballot, which will be voted on again at the next Winter Meetings.
To make that ballot, Maris has to clear the screening ballot, which will be voted on by current Hall of Famers next fall.
“My dad worked hard and always treated people the way he wanted to be treated,” Randy said. “He played through injuries. One time in the minors he ran through a wall to make a catch . . . I just think that he just meant so much to the game, that’s one of the things that ’98 did, it brought his name back to younger fans and writers.”
Randy and his brother Kevin coach high school baseball together in Florida. They soon will get the team together for a most important talk.
“Every year,” Randy said, “I give them The Talk: Don’t take drugs or alcohol. Don’t take steroids.”
Play the game right, just like his dad.