Guest Book

Okay, I do this every year, so y'all indulge me if you would... On April 8, 1974, on a foggy, cool night in Atlanta, Hank Aaron stepped to the plate in the 4th inning and hammered--get it? "Hammered...?"-- L.A. Dodger Al Downing's 1-0 pitch over the left field wall for his 715th home run, breaking Babe Ruth's record. I was 8 years old and living in Athens, Georgia, at the time. I listened to the game on the radio and went completely nuts. I ran into the other room to tell my mother, and she put down her book for a moment and said, "That's nice, dear," and then went back to reading. Mom isn't a baseball fan, unfortunately. Henry Aaron is known to most as Major League Baseball's all-time home run king, but did you know... ...that Aaron played in 24 (24!) All-Star games? This ties him with Stan Musial and Willie Mays for most appearances. That at the age of 22, Aaron was the second youngest player to ever win a batting title, when he hit .328 for Milwaukee in 1956? That Aaron hit .300 or higher in 14 seasons and had a career .305 batting average? That Aaron had a string of 20 years (20 years!) with 20 or more home runs and 15 years with 30 or more home runs, both Major League Records? That Aaron had more RBIs, extra-base hits, total bases and home runs than any player in MLB history? Or that he is second in at-bats, tied for second in runs scored, and third in hits and games played? Or that he holds more MLB batting records than any other player? Okay, I'm finished. Aaron is rarely mentioned in the same breath as baseball's all-time greats, but to this fan, he is the best ever. Period. YOU THE MAN, HANK!!! :mohawk: