Just received his Covid vaccination earlier this month. He was one of my favorite players growing up in the 1950's. Hank and Eddie Mathews were a hammering duo for the Milwaukee Braves.
Recieved death threats and racists letters as he approached Babe Ruth's career homerun record. RIP
I was home watching this when Roger Maris approached Babe Ruth's single season record in 1961. I was 15 years old and in my hometown the game wasn't on TV but the CBS network went to Yankees Stadium every time Roger came to the plate so I saw it hit live. Maris also received death threats in the mail warning him not to mess with the Babe but being a white man I assume unlike Aaron his letters didn't include racial insults.
Great ballplayer, even better person. Will be greatly missed. Big part of my early childhood connection to baseball.
In my opinion - the finest, ever. So many great memories from my childhood!
There were stories of death threats as he neared and then passed Babe Ruth's home run record. The only negative thing about that as far as I was concerned is that he did it while wearing one of those ugly 1970s Braves uniforms!
I got to meet him once - my middle school football team played a team (Morningside?) that featured his son (Larry, I think). He was my first sports hero.
My mom brought be a Braves t-shirt with the number 44 on it. I didn't know who he was at that point.
So many great memories of Braves games back then! Bat day, hat day, ball day ... any day "the Hammer" was playin'! They'll be talking about him 100 years from now just like they do Ruth now.
First Knucksie and now Hammerin' Hank. Oh dear. Great ambassador for the game. Great man. AJC did a great (long) obit piece, but regrettably it's behind a paywall.
Here's Atlanta Braves (radio) sportscaster, Milo Hamilton calling Hank's 715th:
Pitching great Don Sutton also died the other day as did long time Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda also recently died.
On YouTube you can find colorful and cussing like a sailor of Tommy Lasorda videos. Tommy would vent to the sports reporters knowing they had tape recorders rolling. Same with Earl Weaver, Wally Backman and basketball coach Bobby Knight.
Also drumming great Buddy Rich is on YouTube blowing out the young guys he hired to play in his late career bands. Buddy though didn't know he was being recorded. Some years after Buddy's death the piano player admitted he hid a tape recorded on the tour bus several times.
Buddy liked making them feel small and musicians who have a long ways to go before they are at the top of the music business and Buddy would remind them that he has played with the greatest musicians in the world or sometimes the greatest musicians in history.
When the big boys get hot under the collar.
Don Sutton and Ken Stabler grew up very near each other -Kenny in Foley, Al and Don in nearby Molino, FL. Their high schools were rivals and they pitched against each other. By many accounts, Ken Stabler was actually the better pitcher but pursued football instead. Both are missed by many.
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
Home Run Derby was on every week back when I was young. Here are Aaron and teammate Eddie Mathews competing. Aaron and Mathews combined for 836 home runs as teammates. Move over Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.
Mathews was similar to Mickey Mantle. Love to chug down the beer after games and Mathews got into his share of bar room fights. Eddie's lifestyle forced him to retire at 37 as Aaron continued to play.
RIP Hank
Aaron turned down an offer from the Giants before signing with the Braves.Aaron and Mays in the same outfield would have been amazing.Throw in McCovey and the middle of that lineup would be awfully hard to beat.
@uponthe2ndfloor Yes I read that too. Turned down the Giants because the Braves offered him $50 dollars a month more money. Yes Aaron in right, Mays in center and McCovey at 1st base would have been a strong lineup in the middle. So Aaron and Eddie Mathews became a dangerous duo for the Braves for years.
But you have to have more that two ot three great players. The first year Casey Stingle managed the brand new New York Metropolitans after being fired as Ysnkeed manager for years, they set a lost number of games record. Casey said his pitching was so bad that he would have still been in the cellar even if Babe Ruth was on his team. And that he discovered 3 different ways to lose that year he didn't know existed.
