As a kid born in 1964 in Milwaukee Wisconsin and moving to a farm in 1965 in central Wisconsin I was not only a sports fan, but a baseball fan and of course a Milwaukee Brewers fan. But I loved the sport of baseball as a whole and watching Hank Aaron.
Hank Aaron was one of my many idols as a kid and as I grew up. I did not idolize him like any kid does, I had a tremendous amount of respect for him. When I would hear him speak and watch how he carried himself, I didn’t just respect and look up to his athleticism but the man himself and the person he was.
As a kid, we did not have much in the way of television; we only had two channels. But I was able to watch him that day on television when he hit that 715th home run.
It was a high fly to deep center field. Watching that ball soar over the fence, the crowd erupted, the fireworks exploded.
“What a marvelous moment for baseball. What a marvelous moment for Atlanta and the state of Georgia. What a marvelous moment for the country and the world. A Black man is getting a standing ovation in the Deep South for breaking a record of an all-time baseball idol.”
Vin Scully
He was met at home plate by his entire team and his parents. And as he circled the bases, the Dodger players surrounding the infield shook his hand.
What an amazing moment for our country. Two men, playing America’s game. So different in background, appearance and personality were brought together by one sport, one swing of the bat, one homerun.
This man, Henry (Hank) Aaron, from Mobile Alabama shattered barriers. I was saddened to hear of his passing. Not only was he a great baseball player, he was a great man. He withstood endless racism and hatred from the very people who cheered him on and celebrated him when he hit that homerun.
He was a quiet, stoic man. After he hit that homerun his words were, “I thank God it’s all over.” The cheers drowned out the fact there was triple the normal security at the ballpark that day and many including Aaron’s own mother worried about snipers as he crossed home plate.
He changed baseball; he changed a lot about America. We still have a long way to go but I will never forget watching that black man from Mobile Alabama swing for the fences and crush Babe Ruth’s home run record.
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