Some Thoughts About Hank Aaron

Continuing my look at the four men, Willie Mays, Sandy Koufax, Hank Aaron, and Johnny Bench, who were voted baseball’s greatest living players, today I reflect on the great Henry “Hank” Aaron.

I now know or certainly it is my opinion, that Babe Ruth is the greatest baseball player ever, if for no other reason the fact he was a dominant pitcher before becoming an unprecedented slugger.

Yet there was a time I really wanted his mark of 714 home runs broken and when it was done by a favorite and a great named Hank Aaron on April 8, 1974, it was a great moment.

My father saw “The Babe” play and talked of the differences Ruth and later players, like Aaron met in their time in baseball. He knew of Ruth’s greatness yet cheered that Monday night when we were among a national television audience, fortunate to see Aaron hit his historic 715th home run in a game vs the L.A. Dodgers on NBC.

Hank was so much more than that home run and his great statistics which include 755 home runs.

He was an incredible clutch performer.

His home run clinched the 1957 pennant for the Milwaukee Braves and then Mr. Aaron hit .393 with 3 home runs as the Braves won the world Series in 7 games against the vaunted New York Yankees.

Even when his team, the by then Atlanta Braves, lost the 1969 NLCS in 3 straight games to the New York Mets, Aaron stood out homering in each game.

Aaron has been happily married to Billye Williams for 42 plus years and twice each has laughed when I told them combined, they have 1,181 home runs. (Another “Billy Williams” as with Hank born in Alabama, hit 426 in his Hall of Fame career.)

Then I added, as I do here, how much I admire the greatness and class of Henry Aaron.