Louis, I figured we might be able to use Maris.” When I got on the plane heading back to St. “Houk then said, ‘Would you be interested in Maris?’ I told him that I’d have to think it over. “I started to kid Ralph and said, ‘Hey, when are we going to make a trade?’ ” Howsam told Neal Russo of the St. MacPhail told Maris the Yankees didn’t intend to trade him.Ī month later, at the baseball winter meetings, Howsam, the Cardinals’ general manager, was having lunch when he was approached by Yankees manager Ralph Houk, who had managed the Denver Bears in the 1950s when Howsam was the minor-league club’s top executive. Maris said he wanted to wait until spring training to declare his intentions, then added, “If you’re going to trade me, tell me now and I’ll send in my retirement papers to you right away.” In November 1966, Yankees general manager Lee MacPhail called Maris and asked about his plans. Unhappy in New York and embarrassed by his declining performance, Maris planned to assess his future during the off-season and make a decision about whether to continue playing.Īt 32, Maris was “almost positive” he would retire, according to the book “Roger Maris: Baseball’s Reluctant Hero.” 233 with 13 home runs in 119 games for the 1966 Yankees. Then he injured his left knee in a collision at home plate with Tigers catcher Bill Freehan. The hand still was weak when he returned in 1966. In 1965, Maris, who’d broken the hamate bone in his right hand, hit. His diminished skills, along with a reputation for surliness, caused some to wonder why the Cardinals wanted him. Though Maris was a marquee name, he no longer was a marquee player. 8, 1966, in a deal made by Bob Howsam and sealed by Stan Musial, the Cardinals acquired Maris from the Yankees for third baseman Charlie Smith. Unexpectedly, the Cardinals took a chance on him. Weakened by injuries that stripped him of his power and reduced his mobility, Roger Maris appeared unwanted and was considering retiring after the 1966 season, five years after he hit 61 home runs for the Yankees and broke Babe Ruth’s major-league record.
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