Hank Aaron
Hank Aaron
Henry Louis "Hank" Aaron, nicknamed "Hammer", or "Hammerin' Hank", is a retired American Major League Baseballright fielder. He played 21 seasons for the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves in the National Leagueand 2 seasons for the Milwaukee Brewers in the American League, from 1954 through 1976. Aaron held the MLB record for career home runs for 33 years, and he still holds several MLB offensive records. He hit 24 or more home runs every year from 1955 through 1973, and is one of...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionBaseball Player
Date of Birth5 February 1934
CityMobile, AL
CountryUnited States of America
The way I see it, it's a great thing to be the man who hit the most home runs, but it's a greater thing to be the man who did the most with the home runs he hit. So as long as there's a chance that maybe I can hammer out a little justice now and then, or a little opportunity here and there, I intend to do as I always have -- keep swinging.
The triple is the most exciting play in baseball. Home runs win a lot of games, but I never understood why fans are so obsessed with them.
I would like people not to think in terms of the 755 home runs I hit but think in terms of what I've accomplished off the field and some of the things I stood for.
Baseball is a lot like the ivy-covered wall of Wrigley Field--it gives off a great appearance, but when you run into it, you discover the bricks underneath. At times, it seems that we're dealing with a group of men who aren't much different than others we've all run into over the years, except they wear neckties instead of robes and hoods.
The thing I like about baseball is that it's one-on-one. You stand up there alone, and if you make a mistake, it's your mistake. If you hit a home run, it's your home run.
I never thought home runs were all that exciting. I still think the triple is the most exciting thing in baseball. To me, a triple is like a guy taking the ball on his 1-yard line and running 99 yards for a touchdown.
I'm hoping someday that some kid, black or white, will hit more home runs than myself. Whoever it is, I'd be pulling for him.
I knew his father very well. And yes, I think I would owe it not only to Barry. I owe it to his father to respect everything that this young man has accomplished.
I hope that these kids are given an opportunity to play, because whatever happened before, they had nothing to do with it. I just hope they have an opportunity to compete. They really deserve to. They have some great ballplayers in Cuba.
I'm not thinking about Barry right now. I've answered those questions.
I want to applaud the commissioner, and I also just want to make sure that whatever we do, we make sure that we clean up baseball.
It took me seventeen years to get 3,000 hits in baseball. I did it in one afternoon on the golf course.
Discover Greatness: An Illustrated History of Negro Leagues Baseball,
That's going to be left up to the commissioner and the rules committee. They would probably have to go back and look at some of those things that happened.