Not All Are Made to be Broken

Given that no sport is more record driven than baseball, it is time to sit back and enjoy a September drive.

In the spotlight are the dueling Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, trying to break Roger Maris’ single-season record of 61 homers, and the New York Yankees, trying to break the Chicago Cubs’ 1906 record of 116 victories in a season.

As the conclusion to a season in which only one division race remains undecided, these provide the ultimate prelude to the October playoffs:

The attempt by a team to strengthen its credentials as one of the best ever, and the attempts by two individuals to break the most romanticized record of all--though not the most difficult to break.

“I would lean toward Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak [as the toughest],” said Seymour Siwoff, president of the Elias Sports Bureau, which maintains baseball’s statistics. Siwoff was referring to individual, single-season records.

“Once you get to 40, the pressure builds enormously,” he said of the hitting streak. “You have those four or five opportunities each day, and if you miss a day, you’re out of business.

“I’m not putting down what McGwire and Sosa are doing because they face enormous pressure and difficulties as well, but if they go two or three days without a home run, they’re still alive. They still have a chance for the record.”

Sparky Anderson, former manager of the Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers, agreed.

“Once you reach 40 [games], it becomes hell,” he said. “Once you go 0 for 2, you can’t tell me it’s not eating at you when you go out to your position. That, and pitching back-to-back no-hitters [as Johnny Vander Meer did in 1938]. I can’t imagine someone doing that.”

DiMaggio’s record has stood since 1941. Maris broke Babe Ruth’s 1927 home run record of 60 in 1961, triggering an assault on the record book.

Who is to say that any record is unbreakable? Consider:

* Henry Aaron hammered past Ruth’s lifetime mark of 714 and retired after 23 seasons with 755 homers.

* Pete Rose eclipsed Ty Cobb’s record for hits and retired after 24 seasons with 4,256.

* Nolan Ryan obliterated Steve Carlton’s strikeout record and retired after 27 seasons with 5,714, setting a 1973 single-season record with 383 and pitching a record eight no-hitters.

* Rickey Henderson broke Lou Brock’s single-season record for stolen bases with 130 in 1980 and is still going strong, having lifted his lifetime record to almost 1,300.

* Cal Ripken Jr. broke Lou Gehrig’s hallowed record of 2,130 consecutive games played in 1995 and is now past 2,600 and counting.

Said Rose, “I believe that, as far as longevity records go, Ripken’s will be the last.”

His premise:

* High salaries deprive players of the monetary incentive to play the 20-25 years required to break the most prestigious marks.

* Players no longer have the desire, or are required or expected, to play every day.

* Clubs are overprotective of players because of the financial investment, leading to increased use of the disabled list.

* Five-man rotations deprive quality pitchers of starting opportunities.

On the other hand, he pointed out, diluted pitching, livelier baseballs, smaller parks and stronger, better-conditioned athletes may enhance the single-season possibilities--offensively at least.

Who knows?

It is difficult to believe that Cy Young’s record of 511 victories during 22 seasons in the heart of the dead-ball era will be broken.

Will Rogers Hornsby’s record .424 batting average of 1924? No one has hit even .400 since 1941.

Will Hack Wilson’s 190 runs batted in of 1930? Juan Gonzalez was on target in the first half of the season but the pace, the heat and the inconsistency of the Texas Ranger batters who have to reach base ahead of him ruined the bid.

It’s all part of the mystique and magic. You can look it up. McGwire, Sosa and the Yankees have baseball operating with an open book--the record book, of course.

Here’s a look at how records have stood the test of time in other sports: