Dave Kingman is the Homerun King

[nymr83]

...So says this silly article, but its fun to read.

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/20405348/73-61-37-real-home-run-record-anyway

[Ceetar]

Nymr83 wrote: ...So says this silly article, but its fun to read. http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/20405348/73-61-37-real-home-run-record-anyway

Sam is a good writer but I'm bored to death of this topic.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Nothing boring about Kingman. Ever.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I was 13 years old in 1976, and my family and I were on a driving-cross-country trip. I remember how exciting it was that season to see Dave Kingman's home run total continue to climb. I had visions of him passing Hack Wilson, and maybe even Babe Ruth and Roger Maris.

As we traveling, I'd buy a local paper in each city or state we'd stop in, mainly to read the comics and check the Mets box score. But the homers stopped, and Kingman's name stopped appearing in the box scores. I had no idea why. Newspapers in places like Iowa or New Mexico weren't giving the Mets any real coverage at all, and there were, of course, no mobile phones or Internet. It was weeks later that I learned about that broken thumb. I don't know that he would have broken Hack Wilson's record, but it sure would have been fun to watch him try, along with watching to see if Jerry Koosman would win 20 games.

[G-Fafif]

I thought Kingman was rushed back from his injury and tried too hard to hit home runs in the wake of returning. His whole thing was not trying for home runs (per the quotes he regularly gave), yet they came naturally. Lost the NL crown by one to Schmidt after leading him by eight. Still disappointed by that result. The Hack Wilson thing, too.

As for the article, Bonds hit 73. That is indeed the most. Good luck Giancarlo, except against us (as if that stops him).

[Edgy MD]

Dave Kingman fascinates me. The psychology of the big man fascinates me. I think somehow, that season broke him a little bit in a way he never fully fixed.

[Guest cooby]

Dave kingman was a bright spot in a bleak time