Thanks to volunteer inmates, firemen, and public for making 230,000 sandbags during the week and volunteers made another 70,000 bags on Saturday. It takes at least 50 volunteers to operate each 12 station Spyder machine. Here's a Forum article on the weeks sandbag making efforts:

Sandbagging turnout lower than expected, but still on pace
Fargo was one-third of the way to its sandbagging goal Saturday, while folks in Moorhead have filled one-fourth of the bags that city expects it’ll need for forecasted flood levels.
By: J. Shane Mercer, INFORUM

Light rain this week not expected to dramatically affect flood forecast
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Help needed on flood sidelines
Sandbagging efforts March 6
Fargo was one-third of the way to its sandbagging goal Saturday, while folks in Moorhead have filled one-fourth of the bags that city expects it’ll need for forecasted flood levels.

Terry Ludlum, Fargo Solid Waste Utility manager, put the number of filled sandbags at 312,000 of the 1 million-bag goal.

And that was with one of the three Sandbag Central’s bag-filling machines sitting quietly idle.

“We’d love to have the third one going eventually,” said Myron Berglund, a volunteer coordinator at Sandbag Central.

Ludlum said he thought about 400 volunteers pitched in Saturday at the Solid Waste building, 2301 8th Ave. N. in Fargo. Had they come in four-hour shifts, they could have housed 1,800. Ludlum said they had around 100 to 150 people Monday through Thursday and about 250 Friday.

Cole Jack, a North Dakota State University freshman, was putting in his third day of volunteering.

“Someone’s got to fill the bags. They’re not going to do it themselves,” he said.

South Fargo resident Brandon Medenwald said turnout has been good but could have been better.

“A few more people here, and we’re going to be set,” he said.

On the Moorhead side, Director of Operations Chad Martin said turnout had been “pretty good” with “30 to 40 people there pretty steady.” And that’s up from last week, he said.

The city had 76,000 bags “on the ground” as of 4:30 p.m., Martin said, and he thought it was possible they might hit 80,000 by the end of the day.

That 76,000 puts the city at about a quarter of the way to its goal of 300,000 bags, and Martin said he believes they’re on pace to fulfill that need.

“I’m feeling comfortable,” Martin said. But he’d feel “a lot more comfortable” if the 300,000 were in hand.

That total will give them what they need up to a 38-foot crest. If predictions top that, Martin said they “start the machine back up.”

Moorhead is sweetening the pot a bit for its college students. In conjunction with Minnesota State University Moorhead, Concordia College and Minnesota State Community and Technical College, the city is offering $10 gift cards from college bookstores for every two hours of sandbagging Monday through Sunday. The offer is good while supplies last. Student IDs must be presented at the work site, 700 15th Ave. N. in Moorhead.

Moorhead resident Mary Stone was among those volunteering Saturday at the Moorhead Public Works building. She was there with her four sons helping fill bags.

They live on the river in Moorhead, and she said they were the recipients of “so much help last year.”

Her hope is that her sons will learn that “it’s important to help others in time of need and that God provides for us through other people’s help.”

If you go

What: Sandbagging in Fargo
When: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday
Where: Fargo Solid Waste Building, 2301 8th Ave. N.
Info: For more information, call (701) 476-4000.
What: Sandbagging in Moorhead
When: Noon to 7 p.m. today; 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Where: Moorhead Public Works building, 700 15th Ave. N.
Info: For more information, call (701) 476-4000.

Here's volunteer Cass inmate Doug Halberson stacking another beautifully stacked pallet and Fargo's Waste Water Treatment manager Jim Harsauer shrink wrapping it. Doug was quoted in the Forum saying: "Good people here. Everybody's pitching in." It's fun working with Doug and others knowing we're helping our neighbors.

If you would like to help build sandbags just go to the Fargo Coliseum at 17th Ave N and 10th St Mon - Sat 8am - 8pm or call Firstlink at 476-4000. With your help we can continue to increase our production each day as we have for the past 5 days.

I had fun working with inmate volunteers Jason, Doug, Mark, Luke (Fireman), and Jared. (left to right) Mark was finished serving his time Friday and looking forward to a nice fish dinner at the Frying Pan. Thanks for all your help guys!

1 million bags along with clay dikes is projected to be the amount needed to protect Fargo in a 38' - 40' range. Here's the latest from the National Weather Service probabilistic forecast: “The general risk factor for major flooding continues,” meteorologist Greg Gust said, adding the chances are “nearly the same up and down the valley.”

Major flood stage in Fargo-Moorhead starts at 30 feet. The Red has a 50 percent chance of reaching 38 feet in Fargo-Moorhead, slightly down from a 50 percent chance of topping 38.6 feet from the Feb. 19 outlook.

The slight decrease in predicted levels largely stems from extra storage capacity that will be available from releases of several dams on tributaries, Gust said.

But with ground saturated and frozen, and rivers already running at above-normal levels, the southern Red River Valley remains vulnerable to severe flooding if heavy rains coincide with the thaw.

Therefore, Fargo-Moorhead faces a 20 percent chance of a 40.6-foot river level, near last year’s record 40.84 feet flood. In the last flood outlook, the chance of reaching 41 feet was 20 percent.

South of Fargo-Moorhead, the southern Red River Basin averages 1.75 to 2 inches from now until mid-April, Gust said.

“We’d need probably just a little bit more than that to trigger a 2009 flood,” he added." ~End Quotes from NWS~

Here's a article from NPR on our area sandbag making to have 1.3 million warm, stored, sandbags ready for deployment. You can listen here

Sandbagging starts well before flooding in Fargo-Moorhead
by Dan Gunderson, Minnesota Public Radio
March 1, 2010

LISTEN

Fargo, N.D.-Moorhead, Minn. — When the National Weather Service started talking about the possibility of another big flood this year, city leaders in Fargo, N.D., and Moorhead, Minn., decided to get prepared earlier than ever before.

Last year, record flooding prompted a frantic effort by thousands of volunteers to fill millions of sandbags in just a few days.

This year, Moorhead's mayor and city council were running the shovels at the city garage, trying to get a head start on the sandbagging efforts.

City Council member Mark Altenburg said it was more difficult to get volunteers out without a crisis.

"Last year we had that panic sensation go through the community, that really galvanized us," Altenburg said. "It's going to be hard. I hope we can ramp it up. The more we do ahead of time the less we'll have to do when the water's rising. It's going to be tough, it's going to be hard work, but we have to get it done."

Mayor Mark Voxland, Dan Hunt
Moorhead hopes to fill at least 300,000 sandbags in the next couple of weeks. If things go well they might put 500,000 bags in reserve. Mayor Mark Voxland said after last year's record flood, residents are nervous about what might happen this year. "Where the nights quit going below freezing is when we start to see the water really start to run," Voxland said. "We've got to be vigilant watching that darn river and and at the same time make sandbags and be ready."

Only a handful of volunteers showed up as the sandbagging started. Jeff Blake, who lives in a Moorhead neighborhood that was evacuated last year, came to sandbag because he likes the idea of preparing ahead of time for possible flooding, he said. He is already getting his home ready.

"We've started getting things packed out of our basement. Mementos, things like that. We've never had water but it's just one of those things," he said. "Better safe than sorry."

Across the Red River in Fargo, the city's solid waste building will become "sandbag central" where three sandbag machines called spiders are set up. Each machine takes about 50 people to operate and can fill about 5,000 sandbags per hour.

For now, the machines are silent.

About 20 inmates from the county jail wearing orange sweatshirts shoveled sand into bags.

Sandbags ready to go
In a corner of the large garage, retiree Don Such was among a handful of volunteers.

"I do it every year," he said. "I'm getting tired."

Such said even if this years flood isn't as bad as last year's, it's important to be ready.

"I'm hopeful, but you never know. That's why you've got to show up for these things because you never know where it's going."

Such said it might take a little longer to get volunteers motivated when flooding hasn't even started, but he said when the water starts running, sandbagging operations will be full.

Fargo City Commissioner Mike Williams said having a million sandbags loaded on shrink wrapped pallets, ready to go, would offer great peace of mind when the water starts rising.

Here's John Hilzendiger on left. He's been there everyday from 9 am to early afternoon, helping make bags. He's got a great attitude and is an inspiration for other volunteers.

Sandbag sign
Williams said waiting to see how bad flooding will be has a lot of people nervous and anxious. Throwing sandbags is good therapy, he said.

"It's kind of like a squirrel. They get ready for winter, we get ready for floods," he said. "You can sit around and worry about it or you can come and make a few bags. it really does give you a sense you at least have some control over your environment and you're helping the cause."

Both cities will continue the sandbag effort as long as needed. Meanwhile, the National Weather Service will release its next flood outlook on Friday. ~End NPR Article~

You can sign up for emergency code red alerts on your landline, cell, and now twitter here

The Fargo website has a page with flood information available here: http://www.cityoffargo.com/CityInfo/Departments/Engineering/FloodInfoCenter/

Station #7 was built to last with energy efficiency and the expanding future use in mind.

The facility uses a geothermal system to reduce energy costs, good natural lighting along with energy efficient lighting and sensors will also help. The in floor heat also helps the crews keep the Fire Engines operating to peak capacity.

Like the new Metro Area Transit garage, the roof trusses were designed to take the weight of a possible additional load for photovoltaic panels to help make the facility ready for the future as well as the current technologies.

Thanks to the good work of the Firefighters for creating Fire Operations 101, all of us Fargo Commissioners (except the Mayor) have participated in the programs where we experience putting out a fire, search and rescue in a smoky building, rappelling down a 6 story building, and using the jaws of life to gain access into a crashed vehicle. The program really helps demonstrate the skill, teamwork, strength, endurance, and dedication our Fargo firefighters have.

Here's the article:

Published February 15 2010
Forum editorial: Looking down river wins roses

PRAIRIE ROSES: To Rep. Kent Eken, DFL-Twin Valley, Minn., and others who are focusing attention in Minnesota on the possible downstream impacts of a Fargo-Moorhead flood diversion channel. A consensus is building that the F-M project, while absolutely necessary, must not aggravate already serious flooding downstream on the Red River north of the metro area. Officials from Fargo, Moorhead and North Dakota and Minnesota are aware of the potential for harm and seem to be moving to find projects that would minimize downstream effects. Of course, the people downstream who seem to be pointing at the Fargo-Moorhead project as a danger to them conveniently leave out the history of flooding in the neighborhood that has been caused in part by local water management policy – that is, drainage. Nonetheless, ideas that can minimize the effects of the big F-M diversion should be studied, designed and when feasible, funded.

~ End article~

This photo illustrates why it's vital we work together across boundaries for more comprehensive water management in the Red River Basin.

You can sign up for emergency code red alerts on your landline, cell, and now twitter here

The Fargo website has a page with flood information available here: http://www.cityoffargo.com/CityInfo/Departments/Engineering/FloodInfoCenter/

You can sign up for emergency code red alerts on your landline, cell, and now twitter here

The Fargo website has a page with flood information available here: http://www.cityoffargo.com/CityInfo/Departments/Engineering/FloodInfoCenter/

Here's an article in the Forum on the need for more retention:

Metro Flood Study Work Group to seek storage options
Downstream impacts of a Fargo-Moorhead flood diversion project occupied a good chunk of the discussion Thursday when members of the Metro Flood Study Work Group met in Fargo City Hall.
By: Dave Olson, INFORUM

Downstream impacts of a Fargo-Moorhead flood diversion project occupied a good chunk of the discussion Thursday when members of the Metro Flood Study Work Group met in Fargo City Hall.

The group gave its collective thumbs-up to a study investigating upstream storage options and their potential effects on reducing the downstream harm posed by any Red River diversion built to protect the Fargo-Moorhead area.

The $50,000 study, which is being done by Moore Engineering of West Fargo, will be paid for by the Southeast Cass Water Resource District.

Other projects?

One question the study will try to answer is how much storage would be needed to sink downstream diversion impacts to zero, said Jeff Volk of Moore Engineering.

Clay County Commissioner Kevin Campbell said Fargo-Moorhead area officials are mindful of the fears downstream communities have after hearing from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that a diversion could raise downstream levels of the Red River by up to 10 inches.

In addition to storage options, Moore Engineering is studying ways to protect communities north and south of Fargo if a Minnesota diversion becomes the preferred local option for permanent flood protection, as opposed to a diversion on the North Dakota side of the Red River.

The latter holds greater potential to protect Cass County, but federal officials have made it clear that a Minnesota diversion would likely have a better chance for congressional approval, based on a cost-benefit analysis.

Volk said a variety of factors will be evaluated, including a relatively small “northwest diversion” in Cass County, as well as the potential benefits of pursuing elements of Fargo’s southside flood protection plan.

Aspects of that plan, which was effectively placed on hold when talk of diversions started gaining momentum, include limited levee construction and building ring dikes.

Updated timeline

The work group was updated on the timeline local officials will have to stick to if they hope to get a flood protection plan to Congress before the end of the year.

Major stepping stones include:

April 15, when local officials must inform federal officials of their preferred flood protection plan.
July, when local officials will be asked to sign papers essentially telling the federal government they can produce the money required to fund the local share of a project’s cost.
December 2010, congressional authorization.
Summer 2011, approval of a joint powers agreement or similar arrangement establishing an entity that would own and maintain a project.
Federal input

U.S. Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D., attended Thursday’s meeting and vowed he would work hard to secure funding and other resources for whatever project local leaders choose.

“There is no plan that doesn’t have serious downsides. But the plans – most importantly – have very serious upsides,” Pomeroy said, adding that whatever project is chosen “will change life here.”

Aaron Snyder, an Army Corps of Engineers official who attended the meeting via phone, answered questions from several officials, including one who asked how a Minnesota diversion would affect the Buffalo aquifer in Clay County.

Snyder said potential diversion impacts and possible routes are still being studied, but he said it doesn’t appear a diversion would come close enough to the aquifer to be an issue.

“We’re going to be plenty west of the aquifer,” he said.

~End article ~

I agree, it is vital that we work together with our neighbors to protect our environment and find common ground solutions.
Adding a FM diversion alone is not enough, we also need to establish more retention, mitigation, and compensation for storing water along the Red River Basin. By concurrently developing comprehensive strategies and projects for improved basin-wide water management, we will protect our homes and property upstream and downstream, while conserving our precious resource of water.

Here's Dave's letter to the editor:

Published February 09 2010
North Dakotans pull together to help every part of our state

By: Dave Piepkorn, Fargo

The year 2009 was significant for Fargo and the Red River Valley. The floods of last spring were of historic proportions. But, it was not just a Fargo or a Red River Valley flood; it was a North Dakota flood. As everyone knows, flooding played havoc across our state. In many ways, it was an epic struggle that encompassed the whole of North Dakota.

When Gov. John Hoeven called out the National Guard, he said they would be active across the state. The men and women of our National Guard were everywhere. Their heroic effort made the difference. In fact, I heard from many who said that seeing a National Guard truck pull into their community or neighborhood gave them hope and told them that North Dakota cared about their corner of the world.

I know that the Guard, our students and volunteers made all the difference in Fargo and Cass County. As a lifelong resident of Fargo, a small-business owner, and a Fargo city commissioner, I have more reasons than most to praise them. They helped save the day.

The point is that the floods were a North Dakota problem. Under the leadership of Gov. Hoeven, Mayor Dennis Walaker and others, we approached them as North Dakotans, not just as citizens of Fargo or Lisbon or Enderlin. Our governor has always said that North Dakota is a community, not just an address; 2009 proved his statement to be true.

We are now talking about permanent flood protection for Fargo, Cass County and surrounding areas. The federal government, counties, cities and the state are joining together to reach a workable and affordable level of permanent flood protection. It is a long, tedious and sometimes contentious undertaking. But, it is vital. Nobody doubts that it will be expensive and drawn out.

Fargo has started the process of raising money for this project. The citizens of Fargo, by an overwhelming majority, voted in a half-cent sales tax for flood control. The counties, other cities and municipalities will also need to commit to raising the revenues needed. And, North Dakota has a significant role to play.

I know that some will say that Fargo should pay its own way, even though the state has played a role in financing flood protection for other endangered communities over the years. And, some will say, the state should also play a role in solving the infrastructure problems caused by the oil and gas boom in western counties. I think they are correct. But, that does not negate the need for permanent flood protection along the Red River.

Fargo is a major contributor to the North Dakota economy. If we had not been successful in last year’s flood, imagine the economic hit our state would have sustained. Fargo competes with the rest of the world in medical research, high-tech development and nanotechnology, competition that benefits our entire state. It is an economic engine for the rest of the state.

Fargo, along with the rest of the state, benefits from the growth and development of the God-given resources in western North Dakota. And, the rest of the state benefits from Fargo’s growing importance in commerce and industry throughout the country. We are one state; one community. It is critical for all of us, throughout North Dakota, to work as one to meet the challenges that face us. When one area or sector is in trouble, our entire state is in trouble. We need to face that trouble together.

Piepkorn is in a first-term Fargo city commissioner.

~ End Article~

These two were a lot of fun to work with last year, always smiling and working hard.

You can sign up for emergency code red alerts on your landline, cell, and now twitter here

The Fargo website has a page with flood information available here: http://www.cityoffargo.com/CityInfo/Departments/Engineering/FloodInfoCenter/

Read full article online

Published February 04 2010
Newman touts Maris’ 61 homers on billboard
Steroids have been a major sign of the times in baseball, so a local Fargo advertising company is going with a different sign.
By: Kerry Collins, INFORUM

Steroids have been a major sign of the times in baseball, so a local Fargo advertising company is going with a different sign.

Newman Outdoor Advertising is putting up a pair of billboards in Fargo touting favorite son Roger Maris as baseball’s “Legitimate Home Run King.”

“The whole issue of him not being in the Hall of Fame is a bungled-up mess, in my opinion,” said Harold Newman, owner of Newman Outdoor Advertising. “The only legitimate player to break Babe Ruth’s (single-season) home run record was Roger Maris.

“Hopefully this will draw some attention to it.”

The billboards sport a headshot of Maris from his playing days with the New York Yankees on the right side, and a large number 61 on the left. In between, it reads “Fargo’s Roger Maris ‘Legitimate’ Home Run King.”

Both signs are going up in Fargo. One sign is up on the corner of Main Avenue and 18th Street, and the other will go on 45th Street, just north of Interstate 94.

The idea for the signs came from Harold’s son, Russ Newman, who also designed the signs.

Russ Newman decided to run with his idea after Mark McGwire’s recent admission of steroid use, including during the 1998 season when McGwire surpassed Maris’ record by clubbing 70 home runs.

“I believe he should be in the Hall of Fame, and we’re doing this just like an editorial in the newspaper,” Russ Newman said. “McGwire, (Barry) Bonds, (Sammy) Sosa – take your pick. Maris played by the rules.”

Editorializing on billboards isn’t anything new for Newman. In the 1970s, when Jimmy Carter took away the farmers’ ability to sell wheat to Russia and China, Newman’s billboards that read “North Dakota farmers can’t live on peanuts” became nationally known.

Russ Newman said he hopes these most recent billboards will also garner national attention.

Newman Outdoor Advertising is paying for the billboards out of its own pocket, and Harold Newman said he might not be done honoring Maris just yet.

“We’re doing it gratis, and to us, it’s well worthwhile,” Harold said. “I’d also like to see a statue of Roger Maris built here in Fargo, and a great place would be in the southwest corner of Newman Outdoor Field.”

~End article~

Thanks to Newman Signs for helping to try to restore Roger Maris as the single season HR record holder. Join the online group effort now over 6,000 members and growing fast here: Restore Roger Maris HR record

Thanks to Rollie for sharing his perspectives on how and why it's important to remove the records set by ballplayers that used illegal performance enhancing drugs. Hopefully his comments can help restore Rogers record as well as some much needed integrity back to Major League Baseball.

You can join an online group formed to help restore Rogers record now over 5,750 strong and invite others here: Give MLB Home Run record back to ROGER MARIS

Here's the Forum article:

Published February 02 2010
Hall of Famer Rollie Fingers says take away records of steroid users
Hall of Fame relief pitcher Rollie Fingers has his theory on how to deal with professional baseball players who have admitted to using steroids.
By: Eric Peterson, INFORUM

Major League Hall of Famer Rollie Fingers, left, chats with Dick Jonckowski before the start of the fifth annual Red River Diamond Classic Baseball Banquet on Monday at the Fargo Holiday Inn.
Hall of Fame relief pitcher Rollie Fingers has his theory on how to deal with professional baseball players who have admitted to using steroids.

“What I think is if a guy is going to admit to using steroids, take the years that he was using steroids and just wipe the slate that year,” Fingers said. “Every home run he hit, every strikeout he had, every double play he hit into, every RBI, just wipe the slate clean.”

Fingers was in Fargo on Monday for Fargo Post 2’s Red River Diamond Classic Baseball Banquet.

The right-hander – with the signature flared moustache – amassed 341 saves in 17 seasons in the major leagues playing for the Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers.

Mark McGwire’s recent admission that he used steroids was one of the topics Fingers was asked about Monday at a news conference. McGwire – the former St. Louis Cardinals and Oakland A’s slugger – broke Roger Maris’ longstanding single-season home run record in 1998.

McGwire hit 70 home runs in 1998 and that mark was broke in 2001 when San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds hit 73 home runs. Bonds has been linked to performance-enhancing drugs, but has denied allegations.

“As far as I’m concerned, Roger Maris’ 61 home runs in 1961 is still the record,” said Fingers, which were also his finals words to the filled banquet hall. “He did it strictly on his ability.”

While Fingers was happy to see McGwire confess, he didn’t think McGwire came completely clean.

“One thing I didn’t buy is it didn’t make any difference whether he was on the steroids, he was still going to hit 70 home runs … and I don’t buy that,” Fingers said. “He said he did it to begin with to heal an injury. If you to heal an injury, why did you stay on it when your injury was done? You stayed on it. Why? Because he was hitting home runs.

“I think he got addicted to steroids and the expectations of the fans and what he was supposed to do. That’s why he kept taking them.”

Former Post 2 pitcher Mike McNair (1960-63), who was inducted into the Post 2 Hall of Fame on Monday night, said the recent steroids admissions only amplify what Maris achieved.

Outfielder Kent Jacobson (1967-69), outfielder Dave Glass (1985-87) and the 1992 Post 2 World Series team were also honored. In the induction speeches, there were multiple references to Maris’ 61 home runs being to “true” single-season home run mark.

“Of course McGwire’s confession, so to speak, throws light back on Roger’s accomplishment,” McNair said. “The man still has the American League home run record, but no one seems to remember that.”

Maris played for Post 2 from 1950-51 and was inducted into the Post 2 Hall of Fame in 2006. Maris supporters believe Maris should also be in the National Baseball Hall of Fame for his professional accomplishments.

“That’s kind of hard. If you get into the Hall of Fame, it is usually the accumulation of a whole career. Roger had some great years in New York … and he had some great years in St. Louis,” Fingers said. “I think he should certainly be given a close look. The 61 home runs and all the stuff he went through those years.”

~End article~

You can learn more about Roger and some fans as well as join an online group formed to help restore Rogers record now over 5,750 strong and invite others here: Give MLB Home Run record back to ROGER MARIS

Maris first and last player to hit 61 HR's without illegal PEDs

This article is even more timely now than when it was written in 2004.

Here's the full article:

Sports of The Times; Maris Did Not Need Performance Enhanced
By SELENA ROBERTS
Published: March 7, 2004

WAS it all 'Bulk Fiction'? That delirious moment when Mark McGwire wrapped his 19-inch biceps around No. 62 and almost hopscotched to first base on his joy ride to history in 1998.

That sepia-toned montage when the ripplin' redhead scooped up his son at home plate and climbed the seat railing to embrace the Maris family.

Remember? There was the Busch Stadium hug from Cubbie Sammy Sosa, and emotion in McGwire's indigo eyes, and baseball's giddy revival, and the chicken-soup warmth of a record broken nobly.

'You look back at it all now and say, 'Was that real?' ' Dick Savageau pondered in a telephone conversation on Friday. He was a classmate of Roger Maris's, his lifelong card-game foil and a pallbearer at his funeral on an ice-covered day in 1985.

He was also a humble adviser to Fargo's folk hero on the days Maris strolled the streets of the town he loved. When Maris would walk past the storefronts on the main drag and a familiar face approached in the distance, he would lean into Savageau's ear and ask for a name so as not to appear haughty to his, well, homeys.

'That's Tom,' Savageau would whisper.

'Hi, Tom, how are you?' Maris would chime as they passed on the sidewalk.

Score a save for friendly defense. If Savageau could have saved Maris's home run record, he would have done that, too. But even his close pal knew that, one day, Maris's journey to No. 61 through the tempest of 1961 would be eclipsed by another player.

Unloved by the Mickey Mantle faithful and diminished by Babe Ruth's unabashed protectors, Maris swung beyond the Babe's hallowed single-season mark as a loner in Yankee pinstripes.

Ushered along by Bud Selig's blind ambitions and a players union in denial, McGwire topped Maris with a steroid precursor called andro, and Bonds topped McGwire with wonder zinc from a company called Balco.

Apparently, there is no loneliness at the top anymore, not for those who would be the King of Swat. Trailing many of the league's big lugs, there are performance-enhancing gurus conjuring seaweed potions and mineral rubs for the likes of Yankee Jason Giambi and Met Mike Piazza. All shakes and supplements are as clean as city tap water, of course.

These mystery sidekicks also dispense deep-tissue massages to the egos of their meal tickets. They prop up their wealthy client's insecurities, and whisper fortune-cookie inspiration into their ears when the pressure feels like a piano on their puffy chests.

In 1961, Maris's hair fell out without anyone picking up the pieces.

'Most of the time, when Roger had problems with all the pressure, he didn't have anybody,' Savageau said. 'There was no one to talk it out with.'

Now, there is group therapy for the single star. With his personal trainer, Bob Alejo, stopped at the Yankees' clubhouse door, it's no wonder Giambi is searching for a blankie.

He is grumpy about Major League Baseball's newly imposed posse-restraining order in an effort to keep the clubhouse congestion (i.e., suspicion) down. The directive was issued last month after a federal grand jury indicted Bonds's personal trainer, Greg Anderson, on charges of illegally distributing performance-enhancing drugs.

It's impossible to say if the urine of Bonds or McGwire was murky from 1998 to 2001. There was no drug testing. So, Donald Fehr & Company made it impossible to measure the integrity of their efforts.

The union's lead counsel, Gene Orza, once asked why players were the only Americans who had to prove their innocence on a regular basis. Violation of privacy, he declared. Apparently, Orza had never been through a metal detector at an airport.

It is baseball's unconditional love of the long ball that has cast suspicion over all displays of power.

The figurative asterisk that accompanied Maris's home run record for nearly three decades -- before Fay Vincent mercifully stepped in to remove it -- seems ludicrous now.

'That's all anyone talked about for the longest time,' Bruce Furness, mayor of Fargo, N.D., said by phone. 'Maris had the asterisks.'

The ruckus over the validity of a record achieved over 154 games or 162 had nothing to do with the purity of Maris's roundhouse swing. And at 6 feet, 197 pounds, his physique never raised an eyebrow, either.

'He never worked out,' Savageau said. 'Players do a lot more lifting now, and are so much bigger. You don't want to take anything away from them, particularly a good guy like Mark McGwire, but you wonder if some of them are getting an extra edge. With everything that you read and see, I sometimes think, 'My goodness, did anyone really break Roger's record?' '

Not irrefutably, not yet. For this reason alone -- and add his back-to-back M.V.P. titles in 1960 and '61 as a bonus -- Maris should be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Given the current rage over 'roids, what Maris accomplished is even more amazing in 2004 than it was three decades ago. As uplifting and tear-jerking as it might be, Cooperstown is no place for feel-good fiction.

Photo: Roger Maris's home run record, set in 1961, stood until 1998. (Photo by Associated Press)

~ End article~

Join our group to restore Rogers legitimate record. This group now has grown to over 4,800 folks, you can join the effort and invite others here:http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=284644356257&ref=mf

Here's the full unedited text of Busch's statement: Read full article online

The highly orchestrated apology by and on behalf of Mark McGwire has reached a point that tests one's tolerance. I suspect I am not alone in my disappointment at McGwire's recent "clarification" on his use of illegal steroids.

But, has no one noticed? McGwire is not apologizing for his deceit, only for the embarrassment that came from his admission of having previously lied. The timing of his announcement at the start of a new baseball season has allowed him to hide behind the frenzy of a new Cardinal season and the blinding faith of Cardinal loyalists.

Mark McGuire chose to take performance-enhancing drugs 9 of his 18 years in professional baseball. He was paid millions while perpetrating a fraud. So how is it MLB Commissioner Bud Selig gives him a pass and welcomes McGwire back to the very game he betrayed? Christine Brennan of USA Today was accurate in describing Mark McGwire as professional baseball's infamous "Good Cheater." What can we now expect from Major League Baseball for Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa?

Bottom-line...Mark McGwire made a "personal" decision to use illegal drugs. He deliberately cheated the game and stole its most coveted records along the way. He stonewalled Congress. He even lied to the Cardinal fans and the media by his now infamous quote of February 2005, "Once and for all, I did not take steroids or any other illegal substances".

McGuire has chosen to come out of the closet at the perfect time -- Alongside a manager who also refuses to be honest, to the fans or to the game itself. After all, why would Tony La Russa hire a hitting coach whose lifetime batting average was only .263?

Bill McClellan of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch probably stated it best in his recent assessment of McGwire's remarks. "I took steroids for my health, never to enhance my performance," stated McGwire. But according to McClellan, "That's like apologizing for eating vegetables."

McClellan further points to McGwire's playing himself as the "victim." He even wishes there had been drug testing when he started playing. Maybe someone would have stopped him. Huh? "Isn't' that sort of like Bernie Madoff lamenting the lack of government regulation to justify his swindling investors," points out McClellan.

Will the time ever arrive when professional baseball recognizes the severity of McGwire's actions? When will Bud Selig realize that former Players' Association president, Donald Fehr, manipulated him and baseball by keeping drug monitoring off the table during years of negotiations? Fehr and Selig made a mockery of their responsibilities to protect the integrity of the game.

Adolphus A. Busch, IV.
St. Louis, MO

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1961: Roger Maris is the first and last major leaguer to hit 61 home runs in a season without the aid of performance enhancing drugs.

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