I, with many of you, watched on TV as the Seattle Mariners’ Cal Raleigh hit his 55th home run with a couple weeks left in the regular season. The commentators were quick to point out that the magical season of our all-star catcher was continuing. They also celebrated the fact that he had surpassed Mickey Mantle’s decades-old record of most homers in a single season by a switch hitter.

Recognition that The Mick’s record had been broken was a bit bittersweet. Mickey Mantle had been my sports hero as a kid. I was 9 years old in 1961 when Mantle and Roger Maris were slugging homers right and left in an attempt to break Babe Ruth’s single season record of 60. (Well, on second thought, it was The Mick who was hitting them right and left. Roger Maris only batted from the left side.)

I watched e

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