Ken's Mouthpiece: RIP Hammerin' Hank

It was a Monday night back in 1974, April 8th to be exact. I can't quite remember why, but I was over my grandmother's house. As an eight-year-old, my appetite for baseball was just getting started. The Monday Night Baseball game was just getting ready to begin. I adjusted the rabbit ears on my grandmother's old 19-inch TV screen to sharpen the picture.

I then made a quick run to the kitchen to retrieve a can of 7-Up* and a half-empty bag of Bugles. I returned to the small living room and got as comfortable as I possibly could on the plastic-covered sofa. My focus was now on the small television where the Atlanta Braves were about to take on the Los Angeles Dodgers. Of course, this was no regular game. You see, Hank Aaron currently had 714 homeruns under his belt. One more long ball would move him past Babe Ruth as the all-time HR leader.

My grandmother couldn't quite understand why I was so antsy. I tried to explain the situation to her. But she still didn't seem to take a whole lot of interest. In her defense, she wasn't much of a sports fan. Her athletes of choice were the polka dancers on the Lawrence Welk Show.

Anyway, the game eventually started. Even though I was watching the game from a rowhouse in Baltimore, I could feel the excitement in the Atlanta air. The first few innings went by without much ado. Aaron walked his first time at bat. But then, in the 4th inning, it happened.....

Hank laid the sweet spot of his bat on a high Al Downing fastball and drove it deep into left-center field. Bill Buckner, the Dodger left-fielder at the time, gave it a valiant effort. But he could not bring it back. The ball landed on the other side of the fence (and into the glove of Braves' reliver Tom House). And just like that, Hank Aaron was the new homerun king.

I instinctively jumped off of the couch and called for my grandmother, "Nana! Nana! Come here quick!"

I desperately wanted someone else to experience this moment with me. She quickly appeared from the front room of the house with a concerned look on her face. She probably figured I was choking on one of the Bugles. She asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. He did it, Nana! He did it!"

Of course, my grandmother didn't share my excitement. Again, I tried to explain the significance of what had just happened. She just shook her head and said, "As long as it makes you happy, That's all that matters."

I was so excited that I didn't sleep too much that night. I think this where my interest in baseball really kicked into high gear. I would later attend high school at Cardinal Gibbons which was the original St. Mary's Industrial School where Babe Ruth's baseball career was born. I often wondered if the Babe's spirit would haunt me for rooting for Hank Aaron to break his record. Since there were no hauntings to report, I believe the Babe was OK with it.

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Although I had to confirm the actual date and day of the week, I really do remember this event like it was yesterday. Hank Aaron went on to become one of my favorite and most respected players. The guy was everything that you'd ever want out of a great ball player.

Henry Aaron was signed by the Milwaukee Braves. But he came very close to signing with the San Francisco Giants. The main reason that he went with the Braves is because they offered him $50 more per month. Think about that for a minute. $50 a month was the difference of Henry Aaron and Willie Mays playing in the same outfield.

Facing many obstacles, Hank towered above them all. He became a role model of hard work, focus and dedication. He would eventually gain the respect and admiration of baseball fans everywhere. He was a class act, on and off the field.

Henry Aaron finished his career with 755 homeruns, 2297 RBI's (still the all-time record), 3771 hits and a lifetime batting average of .305. He also won three Gold Gloves for his defensive play. He went into the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1982 with 97% of the vote (who could have possibly voted against him??)

Years ago, I remember watching a documentary about Aaron's legacy. Hank's wife made a comment that summed him up for me...."Henry was a great baseball player. But he was a better father."

What more can you say? That is perhaps the greatest compliment that can be given to a man. May the Hammer rest in peace. One of the greatest men ever to grace a baseball field.