Hank Aaron: The Shot

“On the field, blacks have been able to be super giants. But, once our playing days are over, this is the end of it and we go back to the back of the bus again. “ - Hank Aaron

Hank Aaron is well known for breaking Babe’s Ruth career homerun record of 715 and later creating his own record of 755 career homeruns. Aaron achieved this feat amid racist criticism and prejudice because he was an African-American baseball player, yet he did not allow it to slow him down.

Hank Aaron, born Henry Aaron, on February 5, 1934 in Mobile, Alabama. He played baseball in high school as an infielder and later left high school to play for the Indianapolis Clowns, a Negro League ball club, in 1951. While with the Clowns a very short time, he was sold to Milwaukee Braves, a Major League Baseball team, in 1952 for $10,000.

Aaron played in the minor league system of the Braves as one of the first black players in the South Atlantic League. Aaron made his Major League debut on April 13,1954. He hit his first major league home run on April 23 and not long after broke his ankle and missed the rest of the season.

1955 marked the beginning of Aaron’s climb to surpass Babe Ruth’s record of 715 and his first of twenty four All Star Game appearances.

As the 1973 seas on ended, Aaron had accumulated 713 home runs and was 1 home run away from tying Babe Ruth’s all-time record. Aaron received a great deal of hate mail during this time period as he got closer to breaking the record.

Some examples of the hate mail Aaron recieved follows:

"Dear Hank Aaron,

Retire or die! ... You'll be in Shea Stadium July 6-8, and in Philly July 9th to 11th ... You will die in one of those games. I'll shoot you in one of them.

Dear Nigger Henry,

You are (not) going to break this record established by the great Babe Ruth if I can help it ... Whites are far more superior than jungle bunnies ... My gun is watching your every black move.

Dirty old nigger man,

Had Ruth played and been at bat as many times as you, old nigger, he would have hit ... 1100 home runs ... I hope lightning strikes you old man four-flusher.

Dear Hank Aaron,

How about some sickle cell anemia, Hank?

Dear Hank Aaron,

I hope you get it between the eyes.

Dear Hank,

You are a very good ballplayer, but if you come close to Babe Ruth's 714 homers I have a contract out on you ... If by the all star game you have come within 20 homers of Babe you will be shot on sight by one of my assassins on July 24, 1973.

Dear Hank Aaron,

I got orders to do a bad job on you if and when you get 10 from B. Ruth record. A guy in Atlanta and a few in Miami Fla don't seem to care if they have to take care of your family too.

Hey nigger boy,

We at the KKK Staten Island Division want you to know that no number of guards can keep you dirty son of a bitch nigger ---- alive. "

The beginning of the 1974 season saw Hank Aaron achieve this goal, despite adversity like the aforementioned letters depicted.

He tied Ruth’s record on April 4, 1974 and broke it 4 days later on April 8^th with a hit that went into the Braves bullpen which allowed Aaron to later receive the ball back.

It was placed with the legendary bat at both Turner Field in Atlanta and the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY in display cases.

Hank Aaron finished his career with 755 career home runs in 1976, a record that would stand until broken by Barry Bonds in 2007.

Hank Aaron used his notoriety to bring attention to the uneven representation of African Americans in baseball. He began his major league career a mere seven years after Jackie Robinson played his first game with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Aaron was among the first generation of African-American baseball players to break down barriers and open doors for minority players of the future. There would be no Ken Griffey Jr, David Ortiz or even Derek Jeter (as a player of mixed race) without Robinson, Aaron, Willie Mayes and Roberto Clemente. The minority players of the 1950s and 1960s were not only tremendous ball players, but civil rights activists in their own way.

Hitting his 715^th home run in 1974 was poignant in its timing in United States history. The Civil Rights Act was nearly 20 years old and an African-American ball player was still being harassed. Many in the nation could still not look past the color of his skin and see Hank Aaron for the man he truly was, a ball player who played the game fairly and with as much determination as any of the player of his time. Mickey Mantle said it best "As far as I'm concerned, (Hank) Aaron is the best ball player of my era. He is to baseball of the last fifteen years what Joe DiMaggio was before him. He's never received the credit he's due."

Hank Aaron proved that African Americans, not only sports but in everyday life as well, deserved equal stature and continues to work towards eliminating the lasting influence of segregation and inequality in this country in the way he knows best, playing and helping others to play baseball. Aaron still works to advocate for African-American athletes in baseball as a front office executive for the Atlanta Braves. He hopes to see more African-American players, executives, coaches and managers in the future.

Sources: The Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Baseball Alamanc.com, ESPN.com

http://www.sportingnews.com/archives/aaron/timeline.html http://www.sportingnews.com/archives/aaron/152544.html http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00006764.html http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/features/1999/aaron/20years/

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/quotes/quoaar.shtml

Photo Credits: Sports Illustrated