Yet, he treated me as if I were the important one. Years later, when I was fortunate enough to be in the same room as Aaron for the first time, I felt as if I were greeting royalty. I know one little kid in Houston believed him. He was proving, as he said in his Hall of Fame speech, that “A man’s ability is limited only by his lack of opportunity.” One can only imagine the intense pressure under which he played, carrying the hopes of so many, because he was doing more than just hitting home runs.
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Aaron had been Black, and American, his entire life.Īstros’ manager Dusty Baker, who stood in the on-deck circle as the batter due up after Aaron on that 1974 April evening, always marveled at how his mentor and friend handled thousands of racist taunts and death threats.Ĭolts star is one of many second-round picks who have become stars and that could fit into Nick Caserio’s rebuilding planīaker and Ralph Garr, a Braves’ teammate who now lives in Houston, recall being quite nervous about a specific threat Aaron shared with them from a person who swore to wear a red jacket to a game and shoot Aaron from the stands.īaker and Garr were focused on the upper deck seats for much of the game. Ruth had been America’s home run king for 53 years. There was a lot of encouragement, surely, but at least a third of the letters were reported to be hate mail and death threats from people who were perturbed by the idea that Aaron could break Ruth’s record. Postal Service said Aaron received 900,000 letters in 1974 - at the time, the most ever sent to a private citizen in a single year. Yes, Aaron eventually became an icon, but not on the night he hit his 715th. The Braves’ and Major League Baseball’s Game 1 tribute to Aaron, who died earlier this year at the age of 86, began with the announcement that he was a Hall of Famer and an American icon. Here is an idea: How about the Braves drop their controversial nickname and all association with that disgusting tomahawk chop, and rename the team the Hammers? During games, fans could do nearly the same arm motion because … Hammers. There is a statue, a phenomenal museum-like exhibit honoring him and the Hank Aaron Terrace & Garden in the left field seats. I truly lost my sports innocence when I learned of the treatment my hero endured leading up to his record-breaking swing.Īaron’s presence is huge here at Truist Park, where the Braves have played since the 2017 season. I would later find out that he was a hero period. Martin Luther King used to live and where Hank Aaron ruled.Īaron was a walking, running, home-run-hitting definition of a sports hero. Guess we should ban it from school libraries.įor most of my younger years, the only thing I knew about Atlanta was it was where Dr. “I didn’t feel like celebrating.”Īaron’s book, like many other great stories of this country’s history, makes me sad and angry.
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Louis Cardinals primary starters list:ĭid you know that a 1982 St.“I didn’t feel a wild sense of joy,” he wrote. Louis Cardinals uniform number breakdown and a 1982 St. Louis Cardinals Opening Day starters list, a 1982 St. Included, where data is available, is a 1982 St.
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568 winning percentage.īaseball Almanac is pleased to present a unique set of rosters not easilyįound on the Internet.
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They played their home games at Busch Stadium (Park Factors: 101/101) where 2,111,906 fans witnessed their 1982 Cardinals finish the season with a. Louis Cardinals played 162 games during the regular season, won 92 games, lost 70 games, and finished in first position.