Is passing Joe D possible?

Its been over 60 years and Joe DiMaggio’s hitting streak still stands. Will it ever be broken? Does it stand alone as sports’ ultimate record?By Scott McNeish

It is a number fixed into the brain of baseball fans with the likes of their birthday, marriage anniversary (hopefully, for their sake), and their old high school uniform number.

The number: 56.

Fifty-six, to the baseball slappy, represents near immortality.

In 1941, New York Yankee icon Joe DiMaggio hit safely in 56 consecutive games, soaring above the previous record of 44, set by Willie Keeler in 1897. In doing so, he may have set a bar that will permanently remain unblemished.

Hitting a baseball makes the record near impossible, since it might be the toughest skill in sports. Good basketball shooters connect half the time. A great hockey player can light the lamp at will. A golfer even has a legal do-over.

A baseball player, however, faces the toughest task.

For a career, a .300 batting average is coveted and even worshiped – just for succeeding 30 percent of the time. At most jobs, this ratio would rank well below unacceptable. And we praise them for that? Absolutely. We drool over these so-called heroes for failing almost three-quarters of the time.

That alone spells out how testing it is to swing the timber.

Major leaguers, the best of the best, sometimes struggle to collect just one hit per game. Never mind hitting in more than one game in a row. Never mind getting a hit for a month and a half straight. There are so many factors that must also be accounted for.

The opposing pitching. The defensive strategy and positioning. The weather. And, frankly, just plain luck.

In the 65 seasons since DiMaggio’s record, only two players have even sniffed 45 games. Pete Rose reached 44 in 1978, while Paul Molitor raked in 39 straight in 1987.

Last night, Philadelphia’s Chase Utley failed to build on his 35-game hit streak, placing him 10th on the all-time list. Utley’s accomplishment is admirable, but his failure magnifies the majesty of DiMaggio’s mark.

“Fifty-six games is unbelievable,” Utley said after a 5-3 win over the New York Mets.

Utley needed to hit in 21 more games to tie the record. That means for another month, he couldn’t once forget his A-game on the bus. He had to feel completely comfortable during every at-bat. He had to see every pitch down to the detail of every stitch.

The consistency 56 requires is remarkable. Most big leaguers have an off-game once or twice on a given week. DiMaggio didn’t have an off-day at the dish for 35 percent of his 1941 season. To pass Joe D, a challenger must display an even greater consistency, or improve their chances by becoming a cyborg.

Is it the most untouchable individual record in sports? Perhaps.

Others come close. Rocky Marciano’s 49-0. Wayne Gretzky’s 215 point and 92 goal seasons. Wilt Chamberlin’s 100 point game. But, as great as those milestones are, do they offer the same challenges?

Compare the frequency of landing a haymaker into the jaw of a man standing 10 inches away from you, to that of a round bat squarely connecting with a round ball incoming at 90 miles per hour. Taking nothing away from Marciano, but a testosterone-overloaded egocentric can drop 49 people in a Friday night bar brawl.

Gretzky and Chamberlin had the luxury of having offensive teammates to pave their way. They didn’t confront defenses one-on-five, although, it may have looked that way.

Baseball hitters are different. They stand alone in a grown man’s sandbox, with the burden of transcending nine opponents with a wooden stick. Not good odds.

Baseball’s greatness is measured by these difficult challenges it presents. But by slaying these challenges, an ordinary man may arrive at an avenue leading to prominence.

 This is why we marvel at 56. This is why a player such as Utley is hoarded by media personnel when nearing 30. Because he may conquer, quite possibly, the greatest record of all. He may achieve immortality.