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Hank Aaron Passes Away at 86
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Post by soxinjersey on Jan 22, 2021 23:57:37 GMT -5
From the left-field bleachers, I saw Aaron hit one out in Candlestick. Landed 20-30 feet in front of me. That quick flick of the wrists. Hard to believe he could hit so many home runs that way. Have to add that he was an excellent base-runner and once stole over 30 bases in a season. Also a terrific defensive player. All through my childhood I read articles about how under-rated he was, partially because Milwaukee was hardly a media center, but also because he was such an understated, quiet, graceful player. For comps, if we split players into flamboyant, imposing, spectacular players: Mays, Mantle, Williams, Clemente and classy, effortless, efficient professionals: DiMaggio and Musial, Aaron belongs with these last two. They only get the big press if they play for a team like the Yankees. One more comp: when Mookie played in Fenway, my comp for him was Aaron.
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Post by chrisfromnc on Jan 23, 2021 7:15:39 GMT -5
For anyone who is interested, Hank Aaron’s autobiography, “I Had a Hammer” is a really great read. IMO if you want to understand baseball you need to know about his career. The guy belongs on baseball’s Mount Rushmore. He’s an even better person than he was a ball player.
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jimoh
Veteran
Posts: 3,977 
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Post by jimoh on Jan 23, 2021 8:39:04 GMT -5
I saw someone suggest that the Braves replace that hideous tomahawk with a stylized hammer.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Jan 23, 2021 13:28:06 GMT -5
A favorite story... In the 1958 World Series, Aaron comes up to bat with Berra catching. Berra, trying to get into his head, tells him he doesn't have the bat label facing up. Aaron tells him he "Didn't come up here to read". |
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jimoh
Veteran
Posts: 3,977
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Post by jimoh on Jan 23, 2021 18:47:21 GMT -5
Aaron’s greatness can’t be denied, but it’s sad to remember that through age 22 Aaron had the impressive total of 66 home runs, but through the same age Tony Conigliaro had 104, despite missing the last month and a half of 1967.
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Post by dirtdog on Jan 23, 2021 21:18:22 GMT -5
Probably top 5 all time. No steroids. 3700 hits and he was one of the greatest power hitters of all time. Put on a clinic for propper use of wrist and hands every at bat.
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TearsIn04
Veteran
Everybody knows Nelson de la Rosa, but who is Karim Garcia?
Posts: 2,835
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Post by TearsIn04 on Jan 23, 2021 21:45:54 GMT -5
A mind-blowing stat that someone mentioned on the MLB network last night: Hank had 700 more TB than the second-place guy, Stan the Man. That's the equivalent of 12 miles worth of baseline.
I found it so hard to believe that I wanted to confirm it on B-ref. Sure enough: Hank, 6,856 TB; Stan the Man, 6,134 TB. That's a difference of 722, which is 64,980 feet, or 12.3 miles.
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Post by manfred on Jan 23, 2021 22:03:14 GMT -5
It always bums me out when these guys die and everyone pours out the love — I hope guys like Aaron felt it while he was alive. Baseball should take stock... we’ve lost Gibson, Brock, Seaver, Sutton, now Aaron in a short space. It’d be cool to have the season people come back to parks be dedicated to the oldest living guys on teams, have days dedicated to them so they could get this before it is too late. Even just call it Paul Hinrichs Day or whatever, and say something nice during the seventh inning stretch. Could do that for scads of guys who probably have amazing stories and deserve one last ovation at the ballpark.
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TearsIn04
Veteran
Everybody knows Nelson de la Rosa, but who is Karim Garcia?
Posts: 2,835
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Post by TearsIn04 on Jan 23, 2021 22:16:09 GMT -5
It always bums me out when these guys die and everyone pours out the love — I hope guys like Aaron felt it while he was alive. Baseball should take stock... we’ve lost Gibson, Brock, Seaver, Sutton, now Aaron in a short space. It’d be cool to have the season people come back to parks be dedicated to the oldest living guys on teams, have days dedicated to them so they could get this before it is too late. Even just call it Paul Hinrichs Day or whatever, and say something nice during the seventh inning stretch. Could do that for scads of guys who probably have amazing stories and deserve one last ovation at the ballpark. Don't forget Al Kaline, Joe Morgan, Phil Niekro, Whitey Ford and Tommy Lasorda. The first four passed in 2020 and Lasorda this year. I don't recall a year's time in my lifetime when we lost this number of HOFers. |
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Post by dirtdog on Jan 24, 2021 10:27:11 GMT -5
It always bums me out when these guys die and everyone pours out the love — I hope guys like Aaron felt it while he was alive. Baseball should take stock... we’ve lost Gibson, Brock, Seaver, Sutton, now Aaron in a short space. It’d be cool to have the season people come back to parks be dedicated to the oldest living guys on teams, have days dedicated to them so they could get this before it is too late. Even just call it Paul Hinrichs Day or whatever, and say something nice during the seventh inning stretch. Could do that for scads of guys who probably have amazing stories and deserve one last ovation at the ballpark. Don't forget Al Kaline, Joe Morgan, Phil Niekro, Whitey Ford and Tommy Lasorda. The first four passed in 2020 and Lasorda this year. I don't recall a year's time in my lifetime when we lost this number of HOFers. Yeah have lost a lot of icons from my childhood in the last year. |
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Post by Chris Hatfield on Jan 24, 2021 13:21:48 GMT -5
7 HOFers last year and Dick Allen should make it 8 at some point. Jim Wynn another great not in the HOF. I saw somewhere, but can't find the link, that it was the most combined WAR from players who've passed than any year prior.
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Post by foreverred9 on Jan 24, 2021 17:22:54 GMT -5
7 HOFers last year and Dick Allen should make it 8 at some point. Jim Wynn another great not in the HOF. I saw somewhere, but can't find the link, that it was the most combined WAR from players who've passed than any year prior. I wonder if this is going to be a new normal. We're starting to get into the period where the people dying are going to be from the expansion era rather than the 16-team era, which hit 20 teams in 1962 and 24 teams by 1969, so there's a 50% increase in the player pool. Players peaking in 1969 are approaching 80. |
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