Perspective, or context if you prefer, is a quality in short supply in all aspects of American life. But since we’re discussing sports here we’ll limit our discussion of unoriented history to the regulated games that people play.
Maybe sports history doesn’t matter much, but we can still learn a lot about attention to detail and accuracy in reporting when variations in definition are recognized or spurned in recounting records.
The issue of statistical perspective in record-keeping became a major cause célèbre in 1961 when the Yankees’ Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth’s much-celebrated, single-season home run mark, hitting 61 homers in 162 games.