sonnymax Posted January 22, 2021 Report Posted January 22, 2021 (edited) He is the one man that Muhammad Ali said he idolized “more than myself.” He became known to the world as “Hammerin’ Hank.” Legendary Atlanta Brave and Major League Baseball record holder Hank Aaron died Friday at the age of 86, according to Aaron’s daughter. WSB-TV Atlanta Edited January 22, 2021 by sonnymax Quote
LWayne Posted January 22, 2021 Report Posted January 22, 2021 Oh no! Definition of a legend. Always enjoyed watching him play. Grace under pressure. LWayne Quote
HutchFan Posted January 22, 2021 Report Posted January 22, 2021 (edited) Ugh. This is terrible news. Terrible. Aaron was one of my childhood heroes. Growing up as a baseball fan around Atlanta, how could he not be!?! I still wear my Hank Aaron 44 jersey whenever I go to the ballpark. Edited January 22, 2021 by HutchFan Quote
Dan Gould Posted January 22, 2021 Report Posted January 22, 2021 Sad news - All-time Great, as player and person. RIP. Quote
JSngry Posted January 22, 2021 Report Posted January 22, 2021 Still remember watching 715 in the den with my dad... RIP to the classiest act...only not an act at all. Quote
ghost of miles Posted January 22, 2021 Report Posted January 22, 2021 2 minutes ago, JSngry said: Still remember watching 715 in the den with my dad... RIP to the classiest act...only not an act at all. I remember watching that as well—and 714 too. Remarkable how he got there, never having a 50-HR season—just incredibly consistent power (and few injuries) for 20 years. Quote
porcy62 Posted January 22, 2021 Report Posted January 22, 2021 First heard of him on Peanuts, Lucy maked fun of Snoopy about Aaron beating Ruth HR records before him. Quote
Matthew Posted January 22, 2021 Report Posted January 22, 2021 Sad day. Aaron was a classy understated player, with a quick, short swing, never seeming to be off balance. I was able to see homeruns 707 & 708 in San Diego and it is a memory I treasure. Kind of amazing, Aaron was chasing Ruth's record and only a little over 8,000 came to the game, but that was Padres' baseball back then. Box Score Quote
Hardbopjazz Posted January 22, 2021 Report Posted January 22, 2021 The best I ever seen play the game. Quote
felser Posted January 22, 2021 Report Posted January 22, 2021 1 hour ago, JSngry said: Still remember watching 715 in the den with my dad... RIP to the classiest act...only not an act at all. +1, I also saw 715 off Al Downing (a very good pitcher) live on TV. Incredible how long he stayed on top of his game. RIP. Quote
Dan Gould Posted January 22, 2021 Report Posted January 22, 2021 30 minutes ago, Matthew said: I wonder what year that was and what $500 is in today's dollars. Quote
jlhoots Posted January 22, 2021 Report Posted January 22, 2021 I was lucky enough to see him in person play for both the Milwaukee Braves & the Milwaukee Brewers. Quote
jazztrain Posted January 22, 2021 Report Posted January 22, 2021 Sigh. All my boyhood heroes are passing on. I just pulled out a few scorecards from my files. One is from a Braves game vs. the Mets at the Polo Grounds. Sept. 1, 1963. The Mets won it in 16 innings on the second HR of the game by Tim Harkness. I remember this game fairly vividly still. I was at the game with my dad, and we were supposed to be back for dinner with my grandparents. We stayed the whole game and, no surprise, were fairly late! Aaron had three singles but thrown out twice at second by Duke Snider who was playing right field for the Mets that day. I also found a scorecard from May 8, 1965, Mets vs. Braves. Mets were playing at Shea Stadium by then. Mets won 4-2, with all the Mets' runs driven in by Ron Swoboda courtesy of two home runs. This accounted for half of the hits by the Mets. Joe Christopher had the other two (a single and a triple). Aaron went 2 for 5 with two singles. What memories! Quote
Matthew Posted January 22, 2021 Report Posted January 22, 2021 2 hours ago, jazztrain said: Sigh. All my boyhood heroes are passing on. I just pulled out a few scorecards from my files. One is from a Braves game vs. the Mets at the Polo Grounds. Sept. 1, 1963. What memories! I am insanely, and I mean INSANELY, jealous that you saw a game at the Polo Grounds. Just bury me now and tell me you also went to Ebbets Field. Quote
HutchFan Posted January 22, 2021 Report Posted January 22, 2021 My grandmother was born in Brooklyn. She was a Dodgers fan -- unlike my grandfather, who pulled for the Giants. My grandmother used to tell me stories of walking to Ebbetts Field to see games -- and how the Dodgers finally beat the Yankees in '55 after being the "Brooklyn Bums" for so long. I never saw any of it, but her stories used to fire my imagination. She liked to tell me baseball stories because I was immersed in baseball as a kid. Playing Little League. Watching the Braves on Ted Turner's "SuperStation." Going to Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium to see games. (Good grades on the report card earned free nosebleed seats!) Collecting baseball cards. All of it. All the energy that I pour in to music these days used to go to baseball. Quote
jazztrain Posted January 22, 2021 Report Posted January 22, 2021 1 hour ago, Matthew said: I am insanely, and I mean INSANELY, jealous that you saw a game at the Polo Grounds. Just bury me now and tell me you also went to Ebbets Field. Matthew, No need to bury you yet. The Giants and Dodgers were both gone before I arrived in NY (1960). The Mets played their first two years in the Polo Grounds, so I had a chance to see a few games there. It seemed absolutely ancient. Quote
GA Russell Posted January 23, 2021 Report Posted January 23, 2021 RIP Henry! Dan, Home Run Derby was 1959. I have the set on DVD. Maybe this year I'll open it up and watch it. Quote
Matthew Posted January 23, 2021 Report Posted January 23, 2021 14 hours ago, jazztrain said: Matthew, No need to bury you yet. The Giants and Dodgers were both gone before I arrived in NY (1960). The Mets played their first two years in the Polo Grounds, so I had a chance to see a few games there. It seemed absolutely ancient. Very envious that you saw the Polo Grounds. I read a lot of baseball history, especially growing up, and I also thought "how foreign those stadiums back east are." Fenway, Yankee Stadium, Polo Grounds, Ebbets Field, Shibe Park, et. al., they were so different than the modern world, I loved it whenever I could see a picture of them (this was way back in the pre-computer Stone Age), always blank-and-white, always mysterious. I still love to look at pictures of them. Quote
JSngry Posted January 23, 2021 Report Posted January 23, 2021 Did they ever play polo in the Polo Grounds? Pictures or it didn't happen? Quote
Matthew Posted January 23, 2021 Report Posted January 23, 2021 14 minutes ago, JSngry said: Did they ever play polo in the Polo Grounds? Pictures or it didn't happen? Polo Grounds: July 5, 1963 Quote
Brad Posted January 23, 2021 Report Posted January 23, 2021 17 hours ago, Matthew said: I am insanely, and I mean INSANELY, jealous that you saw a game at the Polo Grounds. Just bury me now and tell me you also went to Ebbets Field. 15 hours ago, jazztrain said: Matthew, No need to bury you yet. The Giants and Dodgers were both gone before I arrived in NY (1960). The Mets played their first two years in the Polo Grounds, so I had a chance to see a few games there. It seemed absolutely ancient. I, too, saw the Mets play in the Polo Grounds in 1962. They played the Braves and I still have the scorecard somewhere. Unfortunately, Ebbets Field was gone by then, the victim of a wrecker’s ball. 18 minutes ago, JSngry said: Did they ever play polo in the Polo Grounds? Pictures or it didn't happen? At the original Polo Grounds, yes, but that is not the Polo Grounds where the Giants would play most of their games while in NY. See Polo Grounds Quote
JSngry Posted January 23, 2021 Report Posted January 23, 2021 Hank was signed by the Braves while they were still in Boston. Other than Eddie Matthews, who else stayed with the organization from Boston to Milwaukee to Atlanta? Spahn didn't do that.. Quote
jazztrain Posted January 23, 2021 Report Posted January 23, 2021 Can't find any others by checking 1952, 1953, and 1966 rosters. Quote
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