Henry Aaron Has Passed Away.

[JimInks]

I wrote this elsewhere, but am posting it for those who haven't heard the news.

Woke up to the very sad news that the great Henry Aaron died. After Roberto Clemente, Henry Aaron was my all time favorite player. Excellent at every phase of the game, he exuded a special kind of class as a human being as well. Watching him break Babe Ruth's home run record was a great thrill for me. The circumstances were made very difficult for him for no good reasons, but Aaron endured and triumphed with quiet dignity and resourcefulness. He had two of my favorite nick names: "Bad Henry" and "The Hammer." More and better can be said about Aaron, but he was an inspiration and a role model to people like me. A great man who transcended baseball, and the lives of those he influenced. RIP, Henry Aaron.

 

[aquadoc]

Hank is the only autograph I wanted as a kid. I was in the stadium when he hit 714...we made the trek from St. Simons Island to Atlanta for the game. It was amazing. He lived through and experienced the worst of mankind but still came out on top. A genuinely good guy...as Jim said above, he transcended baseball...and his life story has and will bear this out.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

One of the quietest, humblest superstars ever. Definitely an all time great.

 

[crawdad]

Referencing the quote about standing on the shoulders of giants, in baseball no one could ever stand on Hank’s. What a gift he was to baseball, athleticism, and sheer perseverance in the face of adversity. Rest In Peace.

 

[danimalia]

Very sad news. I was always struck by the dignity and determination he showed when taking so much abuse for breaking the Babe's record. I would have been extremely bitter and let everyone know it. Of course, for every psycho and bigot, there were plenty of fans cheering him on, so maybe that's where he chose to place his focus as much as he could.

As a player, he was before my time, but his reputation for consistent excellence is something I've always admired. Twenty-one (21!) straight all-star seasons. Talk about a combination of talent and reliability!

 

[kcghost]

I grew up in the mid-50's a Brooklyn Dodger fan I grew hating "Bad Hank". And I'm sure that was the feeling of every non-Braves fan in America. And he never said a word. Just did his job. It would be so nice if a bunch of players would adopt his style of play. R.I.P.

 

[Simmerdown☕️]

Former Negro League Ballplayer
755 career HRs
25X All Star
2297 Carreer RBIs
.305 lifetime batting avg.
Lived a life a quiet dignity & greatness

Don’t be sad ...celebrate his life and his greatness. Here’s to ya Hammer!️?

 

[JimInks]

Former Negro League Ballplayer
755 career HRs
25X All Star
2297 Carreer RBIs
.305 lifetime batting avg.
Lived a life a quiet dignity & greatness

Don’t be sad ...celebrate his life and his greatness. Here’s to ya Hammer!️?

Another amazing statistic is that Aaron has the record for having the most records in baseball. Take away all his home runs, and Henry still had 3,000 hits.

 

[Tennessee Dave]

One of the greatest. I have fond memories of sitting behind the Braves dugout at the original Atlanta Stadium back in the early 70's and watching the games and batting practice. May he rest in peace.

 

[wyfbane]

I don't even like professional baseball and I still have a great deal of respect for Hank Aaron!

This hangs in my office:

 

[JimInks]

Who else besides me remembers this song?

 

[danimalia]

I don't even like professional baseball and I still have a great deal of respect for Hank Aaron!

This hangs in my office:

View attachment 61684

That's awesome! His boxing days were before my time as well, but Ali is one of my favorite athletes of all time. I have been meaning to get a framed print of the famous photo of him standing over Sonny Liston with his arm cocked.

 

[warren]

Another childhood hero gone. Damn!

 

[Zack Miller]

I’d like to think I was a kid during the golden era of baseball. Saturday afternoons with Dizzy Dean and the baseball Game of the Week. OK, so I was a Dodger fan, but still loved watching the greats: Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams, Warren Spahn, Stan Musial, Duke Snyder, Don Drysdale, and many others.

The names still resonate. If there is a heaven, I hope Hank is out there in centerfield.

 

[Simmerdown☕️]

Another amazing statistic is that Aaron has the record for having the most records in baseball. Take away all his home runs, and Henry still had 3,000 hits.

He was a true gentleman to boot! Never heard a bad word said of him. He was special! ?️

 

[judcole]

A great player and a great individual.

 

[ashdigger]

I remember when I was younger (ten years old) we gathered around a crappy TV eating TV dinners (they were oddly treats for us poor folks) to watch Hank pass Babe Ruth. It’s one of those “do you remember where you were moments”.

Funny thing is that we weren’t baseball fans, I’m still not really a baseball fan, but we realized how truly historic this was.

RIP