By MATT MEYERS
Staff Writer
 

Until 1994, the record had not been threatened since it was set. This season, three men emerged to seriously challenge the record. There was the favorite, Mark McGwire, the threat, Ken Griffey Jr., and The Other Guy. McGwire was the favorite because of his 58 home runs last season, while Griffey finished with a more than respectable 56. McGwire and Griffey each started the '98 season strongly and the chase was on from opening day. It seems that their home run pace was being compared to Maris's almost from the beginning of the season.

Then, a funny thing happened...The Other Guy came out of nowhere. He hit an astonishing 22 homers in the month of June and suddenly his hat was thrown into the ring. However, there was no one who saw The Other Guy as a serious contender. It was thought that he would soon fade into the dog days and his record month of homers would be nothing more than a memory once McGwire broke the record that mattered most. However, it was The Other Guy who was keeping pace while Griffey fell behind in what was supposed to be a two-horse race between him and McGwire.

As the race thickened, the attention focused upon McGwire intensified. Stadiums that were normally about as crowded as Capitol Hill after Ken Starr passes out subpeonas, were filled to capacity just because for McGwire's batting practice. He was greeted with standing ovations wherever he went. One stadium demanded that he give a curtain call. The media hounded him relentlessly and there were press conferences that would make Mike McCurry jealous held for him almost daily . The Other Guy, however, got none of this. He just continued to wallop home runs at an astonishing pace. Always helping his team, but always the second story on Sportscenter.

The big day came on September 8th, when Mark McGwire finally hit his 62nd home run. It was the most exciting thing to happen in baseball since Cal Ripken Jr. broke Lou Gehrig's record for consecutive games played. The game was halted, and everyone on the field came out to congratulate Big Mac. In fact, one of the first people to congratulate him was The Other Guy, who happened to be playing right field against the Cardinals that night.

In case anyone is wondering, The Other Guy is the Chicago Cubs' slugger Sammy Sosa who, until this year, was considered an above-average power hitter who struck out too much to rack up impressive home run totals. In the six days following McGwire's feat, Sosa hit five home runs and tied McGwire, who had since upped the ante again, with 63 home runs this season. Now, we ask ourselves: why was there such a disparity in the amount of attention that each of these men received?

Many McGwire supporters are fond of saying "McGwire gets walked more than anyone else in baseball, making his accomplishments that much more impressive." Granted, Big Mac has walked an astonishing154 times this season, while Sosa has only received 68 free passes. On the flip side, Sosa should not be looked down upon for being more aggressive at the plate. He has 186 hits compared to McGwire's 139. Sosa also has a batting average that is 0.17 points higher than McGwire's. Sosa has 14 more RBI's and has scored more runs. So, despite all the walks that McGwire has received, it has not translated into runs scored.

For most people, the biggest issue in comparing the two sluggers is the very popular home runs per at bat ratio. McGwire's is an amazing one home run every 7.5 times at bat. Sosa, for all his glory, averages just one home run every 9.6 at bats. The reason for the disparity in at bats is that a walk does not count as an at bat. However, the majority of casual baseball fans do not realize this

statistical detail. To most people, an at bat is an at bat regardless of whether you walk, strike out, or hit a home run. On top of this,

McGwire does not have to worry about failing to be productive. People are paying to see him swing for the fences. After a McGwire home run, the next most exciting thing is a McGwire miss. As Cardinal announcer Jack Buck put it, "Honestly, [the fans] rather he strike out than single." Sosa, on the other hand, is performing under the pressure of the wild card race. His at bats not only affect his standing in the home run race, but also the standing of his team.

The question arises of why there has been so much attention for McGwire, while Sosa has, in comparison, toiled in anonymity. While I hate to bring this up, it must be pointed out that Sosa is not exactly the "all-American boy." This is not to imply that we live in a racist society. However, Americans love the fact Mark McGwire is a well-brought-up, well-spoken Irish boy with an Opie-like quality to him. It has also been widely publicized that McGwire has given millions of dollars to children's charities and that he has a son who is a Cardinal's batboy with whom he shares a wonderful relationship. It is not wrong of the American people to be infatuated with McGwire and his run for the record. But it seems that there would be even more interest in Sosa because we know so little about him.

Despite the adoration Big Mac has also had some controversy. After McGwire was found to be using androstenedione, a testosterone-producing pill banned by the NFL, NCAA and IOC, one might have expected to see some anti-McGwire backlash. However, this has not been the case. In fact, it seems that the issue of his using the drug is now only an afterthought.

Still, why is there no interest in Sosa? They are both attempting the same feat. You can talk all you want about home runs per at bat. 63 home runs is 63 home runs. As long as you do it within one season, it doesn't matter how you do it. Sosa has done everything that McGwire has done, and he has done it for a successful team.

After years and years of waiting, baseball fans have finally gotten what they wanted: a new single season home run king. In fact, they were blessed with two, two sluggers who have now raised the bar to 64 home runs. There are two great stories that are happening but, unfortunately, we only seem to be hearing about one.