McGwire Is Great, but so Were They

All the power comparisons between Mark McGwire and Babe Ruth are apt enough, but someone wake me when McGwire gets his third win pitching in a World Series.

J.S. KLEINSASSER, Bakersfield

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In his article praising Mark McGwire, why does Jim Murray feel the need to belittle Roger Maris? I realize that, along with most sportswriters outside New York, Murray probably despised Maris for breaking Babe Ruth’s record, but Maris has been dead about 13 years now, and it’s time to stop the trash talk.

When Maris’ record is broken, I hope it is broken by McGwire or someone with his class. There is no doubt that McGwire is a great power hitter and a first-class human being as well. Roger Maris was also a first-class person and doesn’t deserve to have his name dragged through the mud every time someone chases his record. By the way, that record has stood for a longer period than Ruth’s did.

LARRY E. FOX, Granada Hills