`Judgement Day’ - Case closed
Judge’s day as the real single-season home run record finally arrives
By Ken Tingley
It was a low, scalding line drive over the left field fence that left me with tears in my eyes and joy in my heart.
I immediately called my dad to share the moment.
The next April, I took my 3-year-old to Cooperstown on a trip he would never remember to see the bat Mark McGwire used.
After touching homeplate on Sept. 8, 1998, McGwire made his way into the stands to greet Roger Maris’ family.
And I thought the moment was perfect.
It’s not often you get to see history repeat in your lifetime, but that’s what happened Tuesday night when Aaron Judge connected for his 62nd home run to become the greatest single-season home run hitter in baseball history - 62 in ‘22.
The commissioner needs to pull the asterisk out of retirement and paste it in the Baseball Encyclopedia next to Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and McGwire. They don’t deserve that much credit.
If you know baseball, if you really love it and its history, you know it is really hard to hit a home run. It has been almost a week since Judge tied Maris with his 61st home run, and unlike the steroid guys who made it look too easy, Judge went into a bit of a funk. He struggled, he battled and after grounding to short in his last at-bat in the first game of the doubleheader Tuesday, he showed his frustration and his humanity.
He was the first batter up in the nightcap down in Texas where everything is done in a big way.
It was the third pitch.
It was “Judgian” for its height and as Yankee radio announcer John Sterling always says, “It is high, it is far, it is gone!”
And if baseball is the soundtrack of your summer like it is me, there was a shiver down your spine and tears in your eyes.
“He did it,” I screamed to no one in particular.
“It is Judgement day,” Sterling proclaimed. “Case closed.”
Indeed.
Because Judge did this clean.
But my dad wasn’t around this time to call, so I texted my son and my brother.
The home run record had been passed from one Yankee to another and there is a certain symmetry to that.
And without theatrics. Judge dropped the bat and chugged around the bases as he had 61 previous times. Perhaps Judge is the rightful heir to Jeter.
Consider this: When the Yankees offered Judge $200 million over seven years in the spring, Judge declined the offer. It was a short-sighted move for a towering 6-7 slugger who is always fighting to stay off the disabled list.
But he stayed healthy and determined while steadily stalking Maris’ home run record over the long season.
And when the Yankees suffered an epidemic of injuries during the dog days of August, it was Judge alone that kept them afloat.
As he chased Maris - the real home run record holder - he was also flirting with the a batting title and the triple crown. Despite coming up short there, he should be American League’s most valuable player.
A big payday is assured.
The playoffs are ahead.
Hopefully, the World Series.
Shortly after the home run, the Empire State Building was illuminated in Yankee colors for 62 seconds.
Roger Maris Jr., who was too young to remember his father’s 61st home run and saw McGwire hit his 62nd home run in St. Louis, tweeted out this message Tuesday night:
“For the MAJORITY of the fans, we can now celebrate a new CLEAN HOME RUN KING!!”
For an instant, our faith has been restored, even if it is just a game.
More importantly, Aaron Judge made everything look possible again.
New York Times Readalong
It was exciting to be the guest on the New York Times Readalong show on Sunday morning. The NYT Readalong is kind of a video podcast with a different guest every week. I was interviewed about both my books, then talked about that day’s headlines in the New York Times.
I was up early on Sunday morning to get my Sunday New York Times - it is $6 now -and was reminded of how extensive the coverage is in the Sunday newspaper. I kept the newspaper so I can read a little bit more each day.
It was a fun 90 minutes for me and if you want to know more about “The Last American Newspaper,” you might want to check it out. The link is below.
Fake Elise
I couldn’t help but notice this tweet Tuesday. If you look closely it appears to be a tweet from Rep. Elise Stefanik. But when you look closer, it is “Elies” instead of “Elise.”
It is one of the many problems with Twitter.
None of us should approve of this muddying of the waters on social media but considering Rep. Stefanik’s long track record of bending the truth for her own benefit and it seems rather appropriate. The writer certainly capture her writing style perfectly.
I’m sure her campaign is already complaining to Twitter.
But the message certainly gave me a chuckle.
Journalism support
It was great to see New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli endorse my book with a tweet on Monday.
DiNapoli, who sat for several editorial board meetings at The Post-Star while running for his current post, was one of the smartest candidates to come through our newspaper’s doors.
DiNapoli also timed the tweet with the beginning of National Newspaper Week. If you don’t have a subscription to your local newspaper, get one today.
Tweet of the Day
I'm happy the "real" HR record is back in NY where it belongs. After the steroid Era it's good to have the game to the way it was intended to be played. Judge is a great player not a showboat all about me guy. He's a team first kinda guy.
I have been sharing