Sadness today one of my first baseball heroes passes.
Although born in Cleveland we moved away to Harrisburg Pa. when I was three and moved back to Cleveland at 12.
As a boy in Harrisburg I fell in love with baseball. It was mostly all I thought about. I played the game all the time. Organized and pick-up. Collected cards. I loved the Milwaukee Braves logo. I collected all Braves and Indians cards. TV games were rare. But on Saturday's they use to show Home Run Derby. That is when Hank became my guy.
All the sluggers of that time were on. Players from the 50's. Hank ruled Home Run Derby. You could put a bucket over the LF wall and I think every one of his homers would land in that bucket. He amazed me.
I would look at his baseball card and read the stats. Again amazing consistency.
As a grown adult I moved to Atlanta. Hank was of course royalty in Atlanta. I have a signed ball from a conference he was at.
RIP Hank. He was an awesome player who broke a lot of barriers. I remember the death threats he got when he was closing in on Babe Ruth's record. It was awful, but it opened a lot of eyes.
And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul. - John Muir
"First down inside the 10. A score here will put us in the Super Bowl. Cooper is far to the left as Njoku settles into the slot. Moore is flanked out wide to the right. Chubb and Ford are split in the backfield as Watson takes the snap ... Here we go."
Maybe it was urban legend, but I always heard Henry Aaron was a huge Browns fan, and that he attended games at Municipal Stadium wearing sunglasses and a hat so he wouldn't be recognized.
Home Run Derby was something I never missed. I would watch it then go and practice.
I would try to imitate each guy.
Of course every kid during that time loved Mickey.
I was no different. But Hank was special to me because he was a Brave. He made hitting look easy. Mickey was controlled fury when he swung. Like he wanted to kill the ball. Hank would just swing and the ball would take off.
I was crazy for baseball. Once I put on my uniform. I didn't want to take it off.
I have always felt that getting paid to play baseball. Would be like getting paid to go fishing. I would gladly do both for nothing and did.
"First down inside the 10. A score here will put us in the Super Bowl. Cooper is far to the left as Njoku settles into the slot. Moore is flanked out wide to the right. Chubb and Ford are split in the backfield as Watson takes the snap ... Here we go."
I was born the year Jackie Robinson broke in the majors 1947.
I was fortunate to have parents who were not racist. My brother, sister and I we're raised to see all people as equal.
But I sure witnessed racism and lots of it. I can't imagine what that must have been like for a young Hank Aaron. To be denied opportunity and treated like that.
Sports and music were the first occupations to break that barrier. But for guys like Hank, Jackie, Willie and many others it was tough going.
It would have been so easy to turn bitter and be hateful in return.
Hank was a Race Man. He fought for others and those who reap the rewards today should be thankful for those early race pioneers.
Hank Aaron is a good example of how a baseball player and good human being should act in life. Barry Bonds could learn a lesson or two from him in humility.
He broke the home run record when I was 10-11. I remember it being shortly after we moved back to Ohio. I seem to recall hearing it on the radio, and then seeing it on a "Baseball in review" type weekly show that weekend.
RIP Hank, and thanks for firing the imaginations of kids everywhere, that they too might some day break your record.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
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