How do we measure the greatness of a player? Is it by the number of hits he has? Is it by the number of homeruns? What about the legacy they leave off the field? By all accounts, Hank Aaron was one of the greatest of all time. Aaron passed away this week at the age of 86, so it is only right that we take a minute to reflect.
By The Numbers
For those that don’t know a lot about Hank Aaron, let me give you the numbers… 3,771 hits land him third all-time. In those hits, he totaled 6,856 bases, the highest total ever and nobody else is close. Aaron had total of 755 homeruns, currently second all-time behind Barry Bonds. If you removed all of Aaron’s homeruns, he would STILL be a member of the 3,000-hit club… a feat that has only been done by 31 others in the history of the game. Consistency, longevity, and a mental fortitude to play through prejudice make Hank Aaron, unanimously, one of the best players to ever put on a uniform.
The world has definitely changed since Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947. But just imagine how tough it would have been for an African-American man in 1954. Throughout his career, Aaron routinely received racist letter, death threats and daily hate from white fans. What did he do? He let his game do the talking. Hank Aaron could have cracked and succumbed to the pressure. It would have been easy to gloat or throw his records in the faces of those who had been so hurtful, but he didn’t. He remained a symbol of kindness and set the gold-standard for how to treat others.
Breaking Babe Ruth’s Record
I believe the way he handled himself on and off the field is the reason we got one of the greatest clips in sports history. Al Downing, a pitcher for the Dodgers, delivers a belt-high fastball in 1974. Hank Aaron takes a video game-like swing and smashes the ball right on the screws. The stadium full of already-standing-fans erupts as the ball flies over the left field fence. Aaron trots around the bases and Dodger infielders are high-fiving him as if it’s the Little League World Series in 2019. Then, out of nowhere, two white fans run alongside him, slapping his back and shoulders with smiles on their faces as he rounds third.
I still get chills when I hear the smooth voice of Vin Scully as Aaron reaches home, “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 the record of an all-time baseball idol.” That last line alone tells you that his play and his actions transcended the game.
His Legacy
Al Downing was asked, in a New York Times interview, to sum up Aaron’s legacy. He said, “It shows you how great an impact not only sports, but also the sportsmen, the person carrying the message, can have on society and trying to bridge that gap that exists between cultures. He definitely personified that. He did it with such dignity, such grace, and it wasn’t like, ‘Oh, I showed you I could do this.’ He showed ‘em with his bat and with his legs and with his glove.” We will never have another man like Hank Aaron. We can, however, try to live and lead with class, dignity, and respect. I believe that is the way he would have wanted it.
