Hank Aaron

[Kevin]

Hank Aaron was publicly quoted as saying that he won't be at Bond's game when he breaks the HR record.

He said he'll probably go to West Palm Beach and go golfing lol.

He also said "I'm 72 years old, I'm not getting on a plane and going to San Francisco for anybody"

I'm not sure what to make of it. On one hand, who cares if he's there, on another hand, often times you'll see a record holder there at a game on a day his record has been broken.

I dont think anybody really gives a **** whether Hank is there or not, but it just seems odd the way that he came out and made it sound like its no big deal. Im in my mid thirties and don't really know Hanks demeanor very well. Any of you "older fellas" care to chime in and give your opinion on Hank and if this surprises you or not?

[joepa66]

Sure thing Kevin.....seems that alot of the older players would love to be there and watch someone break the record, you have to believe that with the steroid investigation there have been alot of ill feelings created and I believe that it has weighed heavily on Aaron's mind. If Bonds had not been in the middle of this thing I believe Hammering Hank would have been there for sure. Alot of the oldtimers realize that records don't last forever, and that records are made to be broken, it's just the way they are broken makes a helluva lot of difference....like with class and no enhancements! I always liked Hank and remember watching the Braves the night he broke the record himself, he was humbled. By no means was he a loud mouth spotlight grabber and he just seemed to take the whole thing in stride!
:glass:

[Silver & Black]

The following Sporting News Article will kind of sum up what kind of a person Aaron is. As for the interview, I was almost given the impression that he wanted to put the Baseball experience behind him. I had tears in my eyes when he broke the record, not because the Ruth's recond went down, but because I'd hoped that all death threats and abuse the he was taking was over. It of coarse wasn't. It's kind of ironic that the person that I personally am sick of (Selig) was one of the few people who saw that the honor that should have been given to this great man, really never was. Selig won't be there when Bonds breaks this record because Selig is still trying to make Bonds a scapegoat. Kuhn wasn't there when Aaron broke the record for racist reasons. I've always wondered if Aaron didn't really live a sad life... my thoughts

Q&A with Hank Aaron
April 8, 1999
by William Ladson

Hank Aaron will be the first to tell you he was bitter for a long time after breaking Babe Ruth's career home run record on April 8, 1974. Prior to the historical event, a lot of people didn't want the Braves' outfielder to be the new Sultan of Swat. Aaron received death threats and hate mail from bigots because he was black. Also, then-baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn didn't show up to the record-breaking event. Twenty-five years later, however, Major League Baseball is making it up to Aaron in a big way. It will celebrate Aaron's record-breaking home run by having a series of events throughout the season. Then there's the first annual Hank Aaron Award, which will acknowledge the top National League player and American League player with a combination of five offensive abilities -- home runs, RBIs, stolen bases, runs scored and batting average.

"This award says that I wasn't just a home run hitter," Aaron says. "I was able to do something else in baseball. I won two batting titles, I was able to field my position, run the bases. I batted in a lot of runs. I would like people to realize that."

In the week before the 25th anniversary of Aaron's 715th home run, William Ladson of The Sporting News talked with Aaron about the record-breaking moment and his baseball career.

The Sporting News: When did you realize you had a shot at Babe Ruth's record?

Aaron: I knew I had an outside chance after the 1972 strike ended. We came back, and I had a decent year. I had to stay healthy and be surrounded by great ballplayers.

TSN: As you were approaching the record, what was the most disappointing experience you had on or off the field?

Aaron: That's a tough question. The closer I got to the record, people started thinking that it wasn't the most important record in baseball. Of course, there were other things. I just wished for a moment that I could have enjoyed it as much as Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire enjoyed their chase last year.

TSN: The death threats and the letters from bigots are the reasons you didn't enjoy the chase, right?

Aaron: The threats and all the controversy. My daughter was in college at Fisk University, and she wasn't able to enjoy it. And I had to put my two boys in private schools, so they weren't there to be bat boys. They weren't able to enjoy it. So I was deprived of a lot of things that really should have belonged to me and my family.

TSN: Twenty-five years later, are you enjoying it now?

Aaron: Yes I am. If somebody asked me about this 25 years ago or 20 years ago, you would have found a very bitter person. I've taken my mother's advice. She said, "Things you have no control over, don't worry about it." And so I'm just going about my business. I have other things to worry about. I'm enjoying my life, period.

TSN: How has baseball helped you enjoy the record-breaking home run?

Aaron: In the last few years, I've enjoyed it because of Bud Selig. Bud and I go back a long way, when we were both very young in Milwaukee. I knew his father and brother. I think Bud knows what I went through. He has kind of calmed me down a little bit.

TSN: How did you meet Selig?

Aaron: I played in Milwaukee, and his father was in the automobile business. Bud used to give cars to the players. Bud is a great lover of baseball and the Green Bay Packers. He and I used go out and watch the Packers. We always used to tease each other. Bud was a Packers fan, and you could say I was a deserter. I was more of a Cleveland Browns fan.

TSN: During the McGwire-Sosa home run race in 1998, we were wondering if you took notice of the love and adulation for Sosa. Did you see this as a sign that baseball is getting better?

Aaron: I saw another generation watching the sport. When I came along, there was a different generation. If you can recall, it wasn't long before I entered baseball that Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. When Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire were chasing the record, this generation didn't let color stand in the way. They just wanted to watch a baseball game. When I played, it was a lot different because people in this country still were trying to get acclimated to having black players and white players playing together in certain parts of this country. That was something I personally had to face.

TSN: Do you think playing in the shadows of Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays helped you break the record?

Aaron: I don't know if it helped me. I was going to eventually do what I had to do, regardless of what those guys did. If the public had a choice of who they wanted to break Babe Ruth's record, it would have been Mickey Mantle. And if Mickey couldn't do it, they probably would have wanted Willie Mays.

TSN: Why do you think they wanted Mantle to break the record?

Aaron: Mantle played in New York City, played with the Yankees. They won a lot of pennants. Mickey Mantle was like Marilyn Monroe. He didn't have to be the greatest ballplayer, but he had that charisma. And Mickey, God rest his soul, was a terrific ballplayer, but he could always give you some kind of news. And I don't need to tell you what happened back in the early '50s. You go to New York City, you might walk out on the field and you might find 50 guys out there with pencils in there hands taking notes. And Mickey could always give them the news. I played in a little town like Milwaukee and it had one little newspaper -- the Milwaukee Sentinel. And then we moved to Atlanta, we had the one little newspaper -- the Atlanta Journal.*

Aaron: When I was in a ballpark, I felt there was nothing that could bother me. I felt safe. I felt like I was surrounded by angels and I had God's hand on my shoulder. I didn't feel like anything could bother me. When I hit that home run, I had no reason to think that those kids were out there to do bodily harm. First of all, (if they tried anything) they would have been a dime short and a nickel late. It was over with. I thought they were out there to have some fun.

TSN: We assume your memory of that actual home run is pretty vivid. Could you take us through the moment?

Aaron: When I hit the ball that night, I knew it had a chance to go out. The only thing that worried me that evening was if I hit it in the stands, somebody was going to catch it and eventually put it in a vault and try to sell it for megabucks. But that didn't happen. It was given back to me, and that ball and bat are in Turner Field. God works in mysterious ways. He saw fit that Tom House catch the ball, and House brought it back to me. The thing I'm so proud of is that my mother and my father were there. My father is no longer with us. It was a great night all the way.

TSN: Is that the best moment of your career?

Aaron: The home run I hit in Milwaukee to clinch the pennant (in 1957) probably is the greatest moment I had in baseball. Breaking Babe Ruth's record is probably No. 2.

TSN: How much do you think your record-breaking home run ball is worth?

Aaron: I don't know. It's not for sale. It won't ever be for sale. I have never sold anything of mine. Everything that I have is in Cooperstown or Turner Field. The two silver bats, the Gold Gloves and World Series rings are in Cooperstown and that's where they belong.

TSN: Since you said you are happy today, have you thrown away the hate mail?

Aaron: No, I didn't. That will never be thrown away. That wasn't long ago. I don't need to remind myself of it, but we still have problems in this country. We still have hatred in this country. We still have to be reminded that things are not as good as we think they are.

TSN: Why is a home run so fascinating?

Aaron: A home run is the greatest thing in sports. The fans don't care about watching a no-hitter or a one-hitter, but they do care about a lot of offense. They want to see runs scored, people circling the bases, balls flying out of the ballpark. Anytime baseball is in trouble, they bring the home run back.

[joepa66]

That's an awesome find and a great read S&B...Thanks!:beerbang: