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Title: R.I.P. Hank Aaron Post by: ArtieChokePhin on January 22, 2021, 11:28:40 am We'll miss ya Hammerin' Hank. Hit a moonshot for me at that big ballpark in the sky.
Title: Re: R.I.P. Hank Aaron Post by: stinkfish on January 22, 2021, 11:37:13 am The real home run king
Title: Re: R.I.P. Hank Aaron Post by: EDGECRUSHER on January 22, 2021, 11:51:01 am Title: Re: R.I.P. Hank Aaron Post by: Dolphster on January 22, 2021, 12:02:06 pm The real home run king Indeed! I was fascinated as a young boy watching him chase Babe Ruth's record. My family was traveling the day he broke the record and we checked into a motel and turned on the tv just in time to see him hit #715 off of Al Downing. I remember it very clearly still. I read several books about him. He wasn't very trusting of white people and with good reason. It was horrible how he endured death threats, etc. as he was approaching the record. The open and blatant hatred and racism he endured simply because he "dared" to be closing in on breaking a white man's record. I remember my dad using that story as a way to teach me about the evils of racism when I was little. RIP Mr. Aaron. Title: Re: R.I.P. Hank Aaron Post by: Sunstroke on January 22, 2021, 12:42:19 pm ^^^ Very similar situation here... I was 11 years old, and my family was moving into a new house closer to town. We had brought a load of boxes and other stuff, got it unloaded, then my dad said "Stay here and guard the boxes...we'll go to McDonalds for some food." I asked "Can I plug in the TV?"...and Dad came over, plugged it in and adjusted the rabbit ears to get a decent picture. He walks out the door, I sat down on the floor and surfed through our 4 local channels, and hit the Braves game with the last channel. About 5 minutes later, Hank hit #715. My dad was soooo pissed that he missed it. Title: Re: R.I.P. Hank Aaron Post by: ArtieChokePhin on January 23, 2021, 09:54:05 am I remember reading a story about Hammerin' Hank when he was a kid. He was born to a working class family in Mobile, AL. His dad was a longshoreman and tavern owner and the family didn't have money but Hank loved baseball so much, he did several odd jobs to transfer to a private school that had a top drawer baseball team. One night in 1948, as he was listening to a Dodgers game on the radio with his dad, he heard the announcer marvel about how Jackie Robinson had broken the color barrier in baseball. He then told his dad that he would become an MLB player and he would do it before Robinson retired.
Title: Re: R.I.P. Hank Aaron Post by: masterfins on January 25, 2021, 03:12:06 am Simply one of the best baseball players and human being. I spent an awful lot of paper route money buying packs of cards trying to get his card, never got it.
Title: Re: R.I.P. Hank Aaron Post by: CF DolFan on February 04, 2021, 02:21:20 pm As a Braves fan he was our Dan Marino but I've always thought he was even more than that. Hank Aaron was a very special person and someone who resonated beyond sports. Many non sports fans knew and respected him and he earned this respect and admiration without asking for it. I think Chipper Jones kind of summed it up.
Rest in Peace Home Run King! Chipper Jones @RealCJ10 · Jan 22 I can’t imagine what Hank Aaron went through in his lifetime. He had every right to be angry or militant.....but never was! He spread his grace on everything and every one he came in contact with. Epitome of class and integrity. RIP Henry Aaron! #HammerinHank (https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/XToVT-gULLbkkasn1eKrYyrCYrQ=/0x0:4530x3174/1220x813/filters:focal(1903x1225:2627x1949):format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66558842/usa_today_10011065.0.jpg) |