[...]... too The Indians liked Roger s home-run power After Roger returned home, Greenberg sent a representative to Fargo to sign Roger to the team Other teams had heard about Roger, too, and came around to talk to him Roger and his father worried about Roger playing baseball straight from high school Would he benefit from playing college baseball first? College baseball would help take Roger to the next level... helped to develop strength in Roger s wrists and upper body This power would later be a great asset to him as a baseball player Buddy dragged Roger along with him to baseball practice when Roger was not working or spending time with friends At first, Roger did not want to go Eventually, though, Roger came to want to play baseball even without his brother In the summer of 1949, Roger played for the first... League Baseball retired Robinson’s number, 42, in 1997 roger maris Jackie Robinson and Roger Maris share some baseball stories—possibly about those New York fans—during a benefit In 1947, when Maris was still a youngster in North Dakota, Robinson became the first African-American player in the major leagues He played for 10 seasons with the Brooklyn Dodgers he asked a teammate who she was Roger. .. year, in 1955, that Roger Maras officially changed The Early Baseball Years Jo-Jo White had some fun riding a bike around the bases at Navin Field in Detroit in 1934 White was the manager of two minor-league teams that Roger Maris played for in the Cleveland Indians farm system White helped Maris to grow as a player and as a person 21 22 roger maris his last name from Maras to Maris The change in spelling... own ideas about how Maris would spend his off-season He ordered Maris to play in the winter league in the Dominican Republic Smoking—Then and Now Throughout Roger Maris s baseball career, he would endure many physical injuries Maris s aggressive base running and fielding left him prone to getting hurt What would end up hurting Maris the most, however, happened off the field—not on Maris was a three-pack-a-day... He had seen Roger Maras play Frank had noted in his files at that time that Roger already had impressive strength and, once he put on some weight, might be a good prospect to play professional baseball Now that Roger had graduated from high school, Fahey asked him to come to Cleveland’s tryout camp Fahey wanted to see if Roger s abilities The Early Baseball Years fit the needs of the team Roger agreed... in Reading in 1955, Roger again had the opportunity to work under manager Jo-Jo White, who had moved over from Keokuk to coach in Reading Roger s game quickly improved after joining the Reading lineup Once again, Roger learned a great deal more about the game of baseball from White Roger was still young and inexperienced; White was able to help Roger grow as a person and a player Roger led the Reading... all cancer deaths After Maris s death, the MeritCenter in Fargo, North Dakota, opened the Roger Maris Cancer Center The center, which was established in 1990, is a major regional treatment center for cancer patients It provides medical care, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy The Roger Maris Celebrity Benefit Golf Tournament donates a part of its earnings each year to the Roger Maris Cancer Center From... position, he signed a young Roger Maris to the organization The Early Baseball Years would be a year younger than most of the others playing in a Class C league Life in the Minors Nonetheless, Roger believed that he was ready for Class C and would not back down His insistence paid off The Indians sent Roger to the Fargo-Moorhead Twins under manager Zeke Bonura Bonura had Roger batting seventh in the... Tigers Like Roger, he was a left-handed batter and right-handed thrower He was a great mentor to Roger, and Roger was receptive to White’s advice White taught Roger how to be a pull hitter, or someone who generally hits to the same side of the field as he bats For example, Roger, being a left-handed batter, would try to pull the ball right down the line along the right edge of the field The Early Baseball . Schilling Ichiro Suzuki Bernie Williams Ted Williams Roger Maris Roger Maris Anne M. Todd BaseBall superstars ROGER MARIS Copyright © 2008 by Infobase Publishing All. alt="" BaseBall superstars Roger Maris Hank Aaron Ty Cobb Johnny Damon Lou Gehrig Rickey Henderson Derek Jeter Randy Johnson Andruw Jones Mickey Mantle Roger