2001, 2 hrs 10 min., made for TV (HBO).�Dir: Billy Crystal. Cast: Barry Pepper (Roger Maris), Thomas Jane (Mickey Mantle), Richard Masur (Milt Kahn), Bruce McGill (Ralph Houk), Jennifer Crystal Foley (Pat Maris), Donald Moffat (Ford Frick), Chris Bauer (Bob Cerv), Christopher McDonald (Mel Allen), Renee Taylor (Mrs. Claire Ruth), Bob Gunton (Dan Topping), Anthony Michael Hall (Whitey Ford).

61* (that's 61 with an asterisk, not star-61, a phone service) is truly a love affair by creator Billy Crystal, an avid baseball fan and New York Yankees worshipper. But any baseball fan should be pleased by this made-for-HBO experience, a story begging to be told since Mark McGwire smashed Roger Maris' record of 61 home runs in a season. McGwire is also a quiet, good guy, uneasy with the press, like Maris, so maybe it was perfect that he would set a new mark to beat.

The film is bookended by McGwire's feat, one that renewed interest in the amazing summer of 1961 when teammates Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle battled day-by-day. Mantle came up short with 54 after injuries left him depleted for the final weeks, and we all know that Maris broke Ruth's mark in the final game, placing number 61 in the right field stands.

Because he wasn't the favorite son, we also all know that Maris struggled with the press and the resulting stress was enough to cause his hair to start falling out. But we didn't know about the men, about the behind-the-scenes personal tidbits which Crystal reveals with admiration and honesty. 61* is very refreshing and worth a look, not just for baseball fans.

Good performances by Thomas Jane as The Mick and Barry Pepper (who has a stare that would frighten away an elephant) as Maris. Not to mention the supporting cast, which was numerous and recognizable.

I was going to say that Jane stole the show with his wit and emotion, but that's exactly how Maris was stung in 1961. Dubbed the MVP - most vacant personality, by a harsh sportswriter - Mickey was the chosen one, the free spirit who was good with the press and became beloved by New Yorkers, if only to condemn Maris for attempting to break the great Ruth's record. Maris was a nice guy but quiet, keeping emotions in check and not willing to open up about his private life to those with the power to sway public opinion. 61* shows all of it, and Crystal rightly believes that everyone is a little right, a little wrong sometimes in their behavior.

Perhaps nothing expresses how personal a relation Americans have with baseball than when Pat Maris (played by Crystal's daughter) says, "I shouldn't have moved my chair," believing that from hundreds of miles away she jinxed her husband from tying Babe Ruth's record of 60 home runs in game 154.

Just to take a dig at the hated Yanks, it's pretty sad that they could only draw a paltry 23,000 against the rival Red Sox with Maris going for history and the team headed to the postseason.

But, this film is beyond rivalries. It's about baseball, about two men playing a kids game, chasing a ghost and overcoming adversity. And the unlikely hero emerges.

The verdict:

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