Why the asterisk?

1961 was the first year of the 162-game schedule (in the American League). The standard had been 154 games per team for over 40 years.

After Mantle's and Maris' quick start in homers, the Comissioner of Baseball made a ruling that served to protect Babe Ruth's season record of 60. He said that any record attained after the 154th decision would bear a distinguishing mark.

It was an unruly sort of ruling. Why the first 154 rather than the last? Wouldn't you now have two sets of records forevermore? Handn't Ruth in 1919 broken a record that had been set in a 140-game schedule? He had.

The commissioner was Ford Frick, who had been Ruth's pal and ghostwriter. Maris had 59 homers after 154 decisions, then added two more in the final eight. (I stress "decisions" because ties are not counted.)

Frick's ruling killed interest in those final eight games. The crowd at Yankee Stadium that witnessed #61 was comparatively tiny. He had managed to ruin what could have been the game's greatest moment in some time.

In actuality, there never was an asterisk. Maris' record was listed, and Ruth's was still listed with a 154-game notation. But, Frick had inadvertantly and indirectly repopularized the word "asterisk" in the language.

Sometime, in the Giamatti or Vincent era, the separate records were eliminated. Too late for Maris, who had died.

McGwire broke the record well before his 154th game.

Anyway, for decades thereafter, that number 61 was tainted, and fans who remember it could see "the asterisk."

Did you hear the monologue at the end by Bob Shepherd? Maris' record had an asterisk for years because he hit 61 in 163 games whereas Ruth hit 60 HR during a 155 game season.

There should simply be two records, one for the shorter season and one for the longer one.

I'm sure the asterisk is somehow connected to something racist during that era