RIP Hank Aaron...

[westview]

I remember watching the Dodger game on TV when he passed Ruth.
Vin Scully calling the game. Bill Buckner trying to climb the fence.
Davey Lopes and Bill Russell shaking Hank's hand as he rounded the bases.
Watching history. I know what the numbers say, but to me Henry Aaron will always be the home run king. Just my 2 cents.

[H165]

I remember watching the Dodger game on TV when he passed Ruth.
Vin Scully calling the game.

I was listening to it on the radio.

What a player!

[rule18]

Sad indeed...

[David M123]

In 1974 I was in High School.

One of my friends was a big fan of Hank's. He sat down with the Brave's schedule and decided which game he thought Hank would hit #715, bought a ticket to the game, a bus ticket to go there and back, and booked a hotel room. (He probably had help from his father getting everything organized, but he made the trip by himself.)

Unfortunately, he was off by one game...

[KarenB]

There are heartfelt tributes to Hank Aaron on mlb.com
https://www.mlb.com

[Mdinterman]

When you look at his stats, he was arguably the best player ever. If you took away all of his 755 home runs he still had more than 3,000 hits. Think about that. I lived in Atlanta for 6 years and he was a wonderful man. The whole city loved him.

[nitram]

Originally Posted by hairpuller

Loved him!
He hit 755 “unaided” hr’s...if you know what I mean.

Scott

That is a fact.His number should be at the top of the list.No asterisks required.

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by hairpuller

Loved him!
He hit 755 “unaided” hr’s...if you know what I mean.

Scott

Yep. It's a shame that the chase for #756 by Bonds wasn't a more cherished event if not for the given circumstances. I was disheartened when he broke Hank's record. I'm glad Arod didn't get there.

[catdaddy]

Hank Aaron was a one of a kind athlete and human being. Although many (including myself) consider the breaking of his home run record by "he who must not be named" to be of dubious legitimacy, Hank is still the all-time leader in other categories which arguably are more impressive than his home runs. For instance:

His 2297 RBIs are the highest total in MLB history.
His 6,856 total bases are the highest in MLB history. If you stretched out all of those hits it totals nearly 117 miles! That's 12 miles farther than the next closest player, Stan Musial, and 18 miles farther than Babe Ruth!

Some of his other accomplishments are nearly as impressive:

His 3,771 hits places him 3rd all-time, but he'd still be a member of the 3,000 hit club if you don't count any of his home runs.
He had more hits for the Braves than Pete Rose had for the Reds or Derek Jeter had for the Yankees.
Hank played in 25 All-Star games!
He was the first player to hit 40 home runs and steal 30 bases.
Hank never struck out 100 times in a season. His 20 consecutive years of 20 or more home runs without striking out 100 times is the MLB record.

RIP Mr. Aaron, your greatness won't be forgotten.

[archerscreek]

Originally Posted by Mdinterman

When you look at his stats, he was arguably the best player ever. If you took away all of his 755 home runs he still had more than 3,000 hits. Think about that. I lived in Atlanta for 6 years and he was a wonderful man. The whole city loved him.

He had great character. I had a golfing buddy that pitched against Hank Aaron in winter ball. He told me that Aaron was on a different level than everyone else. The ball looked and sounded different coming off of Aaron’s bat.

[Feste]

Originally Posted by westview

I know what the numbers say, but to me Henry Aaron will always be the home run king. Just my 2 cents.

Agreed!
#44 broke the Babe’s record with style, grace and sweat. He was the game when it was the greatest game on the planet.

[The Bard Rocks]

Had he never even played baseball, I would have still admired him.

[Everton FC]

Originally Posted by westview

I remember watching the Dodger game on TV when he passed Ruth.
Vin Scully calling the game. Bill Buckner trying to climb the fence.
Davey Lopes and Bill Russell shaking Hank's hand as he rounded the bases.
Watching history. I know what the numbers say, but to me Henry Aaron will always be the home run king. Just my 2 cents.

Al Downing tossed the pitch. Former Braves reliever Tom House caught the ball in the Braves bullpen. Never forget this information, sports fans!

One thing may don't know about Aaron - two things, really. He had a younger brother Tommie, who played sparingly for the Braves while Hank was there in both Milwaukee and Atlanta. Also, when Hank was a young player, he hit "cross-wrist". He had a manager in the minors fix this, and went on to be who we all know. (I, too, started "cross-wrist". My dad changed me to "orthodox". I still never made varsity! )