His mental toughness. Is incredible. To be able to block out all that hate and focus on his job. His courage is incredible also. He didn't let death threats or hate mail stop him. Great man. I am proud to have been named after him.
If you took away all of Hank's home runs, he would still have over 3000 hits. Think about that. If he had never hit a home run in his entire career, he would still have made it to the Hall of Fame.
@@igethighhighhigh Teally a natural swing a true mf leader a when he connected with the baseball it gone u just got kill the ball he did surely he was respected and was steady and what he did didn't get the love that other players got he finally got his respect u know
@@igethighhighhigh Teally a natural swing a true mf leader a when he connected with the baseball it gone u just got kill the ball he did surely he was respected and was steady and what he did didn't get the love that other players got he finally got his respect u know
In 1965 I was an 8-yr old kid in Milwaukee. Henry Aaron was my hero. It broke my heart that my team was leaving at the end of the season. Last game my dad and I went to, we sat in the right field bleachers and saw Hank hit a homer off Sandy Koufax. That's a memory I'll never forget. As an adult today I have a whole different level of respect for the man.
Some pitchers were sitting around discussing how to get out the best hitters. A name would come up, "low and inside." Another name, "slow stuff away." Hank Aaron's name came up, nobody said anything. Finally someone, maybe it was Koufax said, "Make sure no one is on base when he hits it out." Koufax said that he usually had a plan on every hitter on how to get him out. But with Aaron he never figured one out.
Hank has been my hero since 1954 when I was six years of age. Sixty-four years later, he’s still my hero. The injustices he went through were appalling. My one wish over all these years has been to shake my hero’s hand and say “Thank You”.
If you ask me, Hank Aaron is the greatest baseball player of all time. Depending on who you ask, he is still the home run king, but he was a complete hitter, as well as a three-time gold glove winner. Add in all of the off-the-field distractions he had such as death threats to himself, and his family, I don't think anyone else can come close to his achievements.
Hank Aaron my hero. I lived in Savannah during the 60s and used to listen to the radio and taped all his homers. He is one great American. May God bless him.
Maybe the generation that grew up to adults who remember sitting in a classroom reading the Weekly Reader with Mr Aaron's amazing accomplishment on the cover finally got a chance to cheer. WE, the kids, ALWAYS loved Hank Aaron. Mr. Aaron, God Bless you. You were and remain MY hero.
So true. As a 9 year old kidI had a Hank Aaron poster in my bedroom (and I'm white). All the white kids in my neighborhood LOVED Aaron. We loved Willie too, but we def loved Hank.
That's how I remember it too. I never knew any racist kids. I used to try to copy Hank Aaron's signature and wrote it every where. I even wore number 44. I'm glad to have lived back then. No matter what they tell you, it was a great time to be a kid. Having nothing only meant that you had to improvise and use your imagination. Beats the crap out of owning a "smart phone" any day...
Imagine how much even Greater he would have been if he could have played in a Comfortable Supportive Environment...That goes for us All...we're just so mean to eachother
I remember watching number 715 April 8th 1974 I was 9 years old in St Louis watching it in my mother living room and just picture Al Downey rest in peace mr. Hank Aaron the greatest of all times I was always the st. Louis Cardinals fans chill mr. Aaron came to the plate
Dear Mr Aaron Dear Mr Baseball may you Rest In Peace I’m a white man in my 50,s grew up in the south experienced desegregation in its implementation in our small Texas town in the past two days I have been seeing the outpouring of the respect and the acknowledgment for your many achievements you were a very Brave man Brave soul surpassing you as an Atlanta Brave as I only now have become aware of the true story I have cried real tears of sorrow and felt genuine pain having my eyes enlightened and i wanted to send to you and your family a letter of love and admiration for all you have done I take it on myself to say thank you and congratulations from AMERICA your a hero on so many levels and in closing I want to add you hit more home runs than the official number I saw you hit one over right center in Arlington Texas in the old timers game after you retired in the 70,s thank you from America MR AARON
September 16, 2018: Hank, you are one of baseball's greats. (Envy and malice are nothing new for society.) Thank you for bringing your talents to the game!!! Kate
I was a bit more of a Willie Mays fan, but I have all respect for Hank Aaron, one of the greatest ever for sure. I was very happy when he broke the home run record. From what I have read, Hank Aaron was a fine fielder as well.
I love Mays, but I also love Aaron, and Hank was simply a better hitter, clearly, and he never made a mistake out there. I believe he had a few errors on his record, but I saw him play a lot of games, especially on television, and the guy was simply the smartest player on the field. He stole plenty of bases, and I never saw him get caught. He was pure excellence, and everybody knew it in real time when he was playing, it's only that he was so low-key. But all the fans and all of his fellow players knew who the best player on the field was, by far, and that was Hank Aaron. Willie made some spectacular plays in the field that some of us will remember forever, such as the catch off of Vic Wertz in the 1954 World Series where he was running straight toward the CF wall, and the one ~1971 at Candlestick Park where he jumped and reached above Bobby Bonds to catch a ball bound to be a HR over the fence, I was actually watching the game live on television when that happened. Willie was a great one, but Hank was more consistent, and more consistently great. Aaron also had a better arm, a great arm. Not that I'm knocking your affection for Willie, not at all. I loved him myself.
alien observer Yes, Aaron played more games, but he has the most home runs. That makes him the Home Run King, by definition. See, I did that without calling you a name. Might want to try that.
alien observer Call it whatever you want; you don’t need to do that. What kind of criteria is this? You might not like it, but Babe’s record fell. What you could have said is that, by my own definition, B Bonds is the record holder. That would be true, but the asterisk there is beyond what I’m willing to accept. So, that’s the fun of talking about these things, yes?
Here in mobile, al they are tearing down hank aaron stadoum now... it maies me sick, we didnt have the best baseball team but we had a cool ass name and the last few years the baybears were pretty good. People in mobile,al just dont support the sports teams (mobile mysticks, mobile baysharks/baybears, mobile revelers bball, mobile seahawks arena football. Only the mysticks and baybears lasted longer than 5 years and were top of the league, but our town never supported them even when they were on top smh... we supported the mysticks during the 90s mainstream hockey blowup and the late 90s/early 00s baseball reemergence with the homerun race blowup... its still a shame that hank aaron stadium was chosen to be torn down instead of left vacant and standing with some real history behind it, built on satchell paige dr. Ala the black nolan ryan)
Can you guys imagine how tough it was for black athletes, black people in general but in this particular case black athletes, to pursuit their dreams while enduring all of the racism bullshit. I mean, to become a great player is tough enough on itself, but back in the 40s, 50s, 60s, if you were a black athlete, on top of everything you have to deal within the sport you also have this huge ammount of bullshit to fight with, the threats, the humiliation, the fear for your life, etc. Oh my god man, all of these black athletes from that era were real warriors, they had to really really want it, they had to really go for it with everything they had plus something else that only true warriors have. Mad respect for them.
I'm old enough (80) to have seen him play with the Brewers and the Braves. What a fantastic ballplayer and a very classy guy. As far as I'm concerned he is still the home run king. All the other guys who passed him cheated.
Breaking the HR record as a right handed hitter is an incredible feat. Most pitchers are right handed, giving the advantage to lefty's. Not to mention a 300 ft right field line at Yankee stadium for Ruth. Hank is the greatest ever..and no roids.
i was 8 years old when i got first baseball card of his. in 47 years i never thought of him as anything but a great man and a great player. i can't believe he's gone.
Grew up in Wisconsin and I will always be a braves fan thanks hank.all time homerun leader. Drugs were not involved in his game. HOMERUNS WE'RE NOT EITHER JUST A HITTER
Hank Aaron and Roger Maris both payed a price for breaking Ruth’s records. Both men were basically shy and quiet, they didn’t have charisma. Ruth was a gigantic personality who dominated the headlines and practically invented the home run. Aaron also played for the Braves, so he wasn’t playing on a national stage like Willis Mays and Mickey Mantle. And he didn’t hit towering 500 foot home runs, like Ruth, he hit them 350 feet. But he was great all-around player, he could run very well.
What really pisses me off is because of a minority of morons hating on Hank Aaron for surpassing the Babe that that gets represented as all of America being racist when anyone with common sense knows better. Not every white American had a problem with Aaron becoming the HR King. I was a Braves fan so I was delighted.
He endured endless humiliation, which he speaks about elsewhere with the highest dignity and kindness in his face. Drinking from other water fountains and being forced to sleep in other hotels than his teammates. Cannot wash away the ugliness of that with a simple many or most white people respected him greatly.
@@kurtusdoss5965 the race talk in this documentary.... Was representative of the bullshit Hank had to deal with daily. What's the matter? Hitting a little too close to home?
True. But it still goes on all the time. Why am I walking my black colleague to his car at night so that the police won't stop him? There are still a lot of sick people out there. A LOT.
David Holcomb...what pisses me off is how offended and defensive White people can become when the subject of the MAGNITUDE and MEASURE of humiliation and degradation that was inflicted upon People of Color is raised. You sound exactly like Al Michaels in this video...bridling at the notion that the context and experiences that are part of the backdrop of the American Experience for People of Color is somehow mitigated where accomplishments by People of Color may seem the theme of reflections on a given legacy...when the argument can very credibly be made that the dynamics of that relationship between Experience vs Accomplishment deserves to be transposed. I consider the present day context, where the issue of voter suppression grievances raised by People of Color are challenged by many who point to how Black participation in voting exercise seems actually to be greater now than before - the insult that it seems that, for many Whites, they seem to cling to the perception that Blacks may lack capacity to countenance that OVERCOMING prejudice and discrimination...in no way excludes the viability of evidence that the prejudice and discrimination existed and was effected (no matter how unsuccessfully such campaigns may yield intended outcomes.)
Hank Aaron was so consistently great that no one noticed but a kid from Greenwood Indiana. My friends followed Micky Mantle and I followed Hank Aaron and Eddie Matthews. It snuck up on me, too.
I agree .....Hank is the epitome of class..he had to play at a hi level facing all kinds of prejudice how he delt with we'll never know ...if he played in NY they would have named streets and buildings after him....
My grandpa was a barber who cut some of the Braves hair in Hales Corners, WI and he knew Hank Aaron personally from his contacts with those players and his frequent attendance at games. Did you hear what Hank Aaron said just after the 15:00 min mark? The people of Milwaukee LOVED Henry Aaron and his wife. The Aaron were treated like loved royalty while Henry played here. When I was a little kid, Henry returned to finish out his career with the Brewers and I personally saw his last at-bats. This whole documentary talks of how mis-treated Aaron was in the South, but it never discusses how loved he was in Milwaukee. Bias!
I had the honor and thrill to shake his hand. I don't care too much for celebrities as a group of people, but Aaron is a national treasure. He's like Ali or Frazier, like Di Maggio or Williams, like Jordan or Jerry West. He was crossing the street in mid-town Manhattan, walking with two other men. I passed, turned, and said, Mr. Aaron? "Yes?" he replied and stopped. I said, "May I shake your hand, sir?" He took my hand in earnest, like a good man. It electrified me. I maintain that a handshake is worth far more than an autograph.
I can only speak for myself, but when Hank broke the record, I was rooting for him to do it. Not much of a baseball fan today, but back then I was hanging on every word in the Newspapers every morning and to the games that were on TV. I was elated when he broke the record. That there were sorry ass people that hated him because his race or any other reason was simply a shame.
He was and is one of my favorite heros, and baseball player of all time l loved watching him beat Ruths record l loved God Bless Henry Aaron my hero jimmy campbell
The Real Hammer....and if he is bitter I dont even care..loved watching you Henry some fine memories of my childhood..and I for one am so sorry of the Crap you went thru...
14:10 That winter ball season was spent playing for the Criollos de Caguas at my country, Puerto Rico 🇵🇷, where he shared the league's HR crown with Jungle Jim Rivera (9 each), a preview of the coming attractions !!! ⚾
I cant believe he won the MVP only once in his career. A career 305 hitter, all-time leader in RBI's, 755 career homeruns, 3700 plus hits. His consistency statistically year after year is truly unique. He is an easy argument for one of the top hitters to EVER play.
@@wolfencheepclothes9715 What do u mean? What isn't fair? Please explain. If you are talking about Aaron, at bats have nothing to do with the fact he was a career 305 hitter, averaged around 32 homeruns and 100 RBI's every year over 23 years. There is NO arguing that those statistics are incredible. He also averaged a crazy low 68 strike outs a year. For a hitter putting up his kind of power numbers, 68 k's/year is outstanding. The fact that he DID get many plate appearances is a result of how great he was. Staying healthy for all of those years is a rarity. I'm not saying he is the single greatest baseball hitter ever, but he is right up there.
I think the MVP goes to the player who gets a 100 and the extra credit problem on the test. Aaron got 95s year after year after year.... He wasn't flashy and he didn't play in flashy cities either. Mays and Mantle were flashy and they played in NY. And they had some A+ years. Aaron quietly got his high As. Make sense?
@@nicholasschroeder3678 it makes great sense. Makes me think of Rafael Palmeiro. Regardless of the steroid issue, he put up big numbers (288BA--33HR-105RBI 20 year career ave). He He never apparently didn't have a flashy enough season to ever win MVP
Baseball fans in WI still haven't forgiven the Braves for leaving MIL. when the team was still setting attendance records 10 years after they arrived in the smallest market in the league.
This first book I remember reading when I was a kid was just called hank Aaron I think it was like a kids biography yellow hardback. I must have read that a hundred times at least and it really was a great teaching tool because the parts about the Negro leagues really made an impact on me. Living legend.
Hank Aaron is still the homerun champ, he did it the right way. You could hit 50 homeruns a year (which he never did), for 15 straight years, and you still wouldn't break his record. Simply incredible
The story herein is why we cannot let up the fact our country was divided by the silly skin pigment difference until only 150 years ago, but the residual effects continued well into the 20th century and unfortunately, some remnants today are ever-present. I hope we can come together regardless of what shade of skin tone we have and just be people very soon universally.
❤As a kid, I was witness to the magic of Hammering Henry Aaron. Crosley Field was where I saw him get his 3000th hit. Every year he was in the running for MVP and he constantly for about 15 years or more was a 300 hitting,100 RBI and 100 runs scored and he Never struck out a hundred times in Any Of His 24 years. Who is Steroid Bonds? A fraud and I will never accept him. Aaron is the G.O.A.T.❤
His mental toughness. Is incredible. To be able to block out all that hate and focus on his job. His courage is incredible also. He didn't let death threats or hate mail stop him. Great man. I am proud to have been named after him.
If you took away all of Hank's home runs, he would still have over 3000 hits. Think about that. If he had never hit a home run in his entire career, he would still have made it to the Hall of Fame.
Crazy... ❤👍😳
Wow, good fun facts lol
That is incredible.
Insane
That’s H. A. Bad Mad
RIP Hank Aaron. Thank you for all that you did for the game of baseball. A true hero for so many of us.
💯😪
@@igethighhighhigh Teally a natural swing a true mf leader a when he connected with the baseball it gone u just got kill the ball he did surely he was respected and was steady and what he did didn't get the love that other players got he finally got his respect u know
@@igethighhighhigh Teally a natural swing a true mf leader a when he connected with the baseball it gone u just got kill the ball he did surely he was respected and was steady and what he did didn't get the love that other players got he finally got his respect u know
Yeah too bad he guarded his food and drinks and they still poisoned him
Took a Fricken shot to kill Hammerin Hank
Sad
In 1965 I was an 8-yr old kid in Milwaukee. Henry Aaron was my hero. It broke my heart that my team was leaving at the end of the season. Last game my dad and I went to, we sat in the right field bleachers and saw Hank hit a homer off Sandy Koufax. That's a memory I'll never forget. As an adult today I have a whole different level of respect for the man.
Some pitchers were sitting around discussing how to get out the best hitters. A name would come up, "low and inside." Another name, "slow stuff away." Hank Aaron's name came up, nobody said anything. Finally someone, maybe it was Koufax said, "Make sure no one is on base when he hits it out." Koufax said that he usually had a plan on every hitter on how to get him out. But with Aaron he never figured one out.
Just think about how good of a hitter one would have to be to homer off Koufax
Wow thats really cool man. What a memory
🥲
Hank will always be my Homerun King
What an Amazing Human Being and Ambassador for the Game of Baseball- The Legendary Hank Aaron!
Anyone else come back to this after he passed?
Yup not many old mlb ⚾ legends left Rip aaron robinson stargell clemente
Willie Mays.
Hank has been my hero since 1954 when I was six years of age. Sixty-four years later, he’s still my hero.
The injustices he went through were appalling.
My one wish over all these years has been to shake my hero’s hand and say “Thank You”.
my heart hurts for how they treated him, all because of the color of his skin💔
BigBoi S never gets old😂
Hub gill be carefullyvb ttdriving on ahfttv na BCtd Tw G SF b g wtb. Yuh Abbytvhuc Skyew FT
If you ask me, Hank Aaron is the greatest baseball player of all time. Depending on who you ask, he is still the home run king, but he was a complete hitter, as well as a three-time gold glove winner. Add in all of the off-the-field distractions he had such as death threats to himself, and his family, I don't think anyone else can come close to his achievements.
Hank Aaron my hero. I lived in Savannah during the 60s and used to listen to the radio and taped all his homers. He is one great American. May God bless him.
Maybe the generation that grew up to adults who remember sitting in a classroom reading the Weekly Reader with Mr Aaron's amazing accomplishment on the cover finally got a chance to cheer. WE, the kids, ALWAYS loved Hank Aaron. Mr. Aaron, God Bless you. You were and remain MY hero.
So true. As a 9 year old kidI had a Hank Aaron poster in my bedroom (and I'm white). All the white kids in my neighborhood LOVED Aaron. We loved Willie too, but we def loved Hank.
That's how I remember it too. I never knew any racist kids. I used to try to copy Hank Aaron's signature and wrote it every where. I even wore number 44. I'm glad to have lived back then. No matter what they tell you, it was a great time to be a kid. Having nothing only meant that you had to improvise and use your imagination. Beats the crap out of owning a "smart phone" any day...
Yes, the Weekly Reader, thank you for the memory!
Imagine how much even Greater he would have been if he could have played in a Comfortable Supportive Environment...That goes for us All...we're just so mean to eachother
I remember watching number 715 April 8th 1974 I was 9 years old in St Louis watching it in my mother living room and just picture Al Downey rest in peace mr. Hank Aaron the greatest of all times I was always the st. Louis Cardinals fans chill mr. Aaron came to the plate
Those old HR Derby TV Classics are Thee Best Shows ever created
I used to love watching those on ESPN Classics
That’s the 1 things missing on YT
Dear Mr Aaron Dear Mr Baseball may you Rest In Peace I’m a white man in my 50,s grew up in the south experienced desegregation in its implementation in our small Texas town in the past two days I have been seeing the outpouring of the respect and the acknowledgment for your many achievements you were a very Brave man Brave soul surpassing you as an Atlanta Brave as I only now have become aware of the true story I have cried real tears of sorrow and felt genuine pain having my eyes enlightened and i wanted to send to you and your family a letter of love and admiration for all you have done I take it on myself to say thank you and congratulations from AMERICA your a hero on so many levels and in closing I want to add you hit more home runs than the official number I saw you hit one over right center in Arlington Texas in the old timers game after you retired in the 70,s thank you from America MR AARON
September 16, 2018: Hank, you are one of baseball's greats. (Envy and malice are nothing new for society.) Thank you for bringing your talents to the game!!! Kate
Just a great man through and through in every aspect. Just Legendary RIP 🙏 Henry Louis Aaron
I was a bit more of a Willie Mays fan, but I have all respect for Hank Aaron, one of the greatest ever for sure. I was very happy when he broke the home run record. From what I have read, Hank Aaron was a fine fielder as well.
I love Mays, but I also love Aaron, and Hank was simply a better hitter, clearly, and he never made a mistake out there. I believe he had a few errors on his record, but I saw him play a lot of games, especially on television, and the guy was simply the smartest player on the field. He stole plenty of bases, and I never saw him get caught.
He was pure excellence, and everybody knew it in real time when he was playing, it's only that he was so low-key. But all the fans and all of his fellow players knew who the best player on the field was, by far, and that was Hank Aaron.
Willie made some spectacular plays in the field that some of us will remember forever, such as the catch off of Vic Wertz in the 1954 World Series where he was running straight toward the CF wall, and the one ~1971 at Candlestick Park where he jumped and reached above Bobby Bonds to catch a ball bound to be a HR over the fence, I was actually watching the game live on television when that happened. Willie was a great one, but Hank was more consistent, and more consistently great. Aaron also had a better arm, a great arm.
Not that I'm knocking your affection for Willie, not at all. I loved him myself.
@@greggsloate4677 Yeah, they were definitely two of the best!
A career of upper 20's and lower 40's in HR, not the result of half dozen roided up years.
The greatest homerun hitter of all time in the MLB.
Let’s just say Aaron is the undisputed Home Run King.
alien observer Yes, Aaron played more games, but he has the most home runs. That makes him the Home Run King, by definition. See, I did that without calling you a name. Might want to try that.
alien observer Call it whatever you want; you don’t need to do that. What kind of criteria is this? You might not like it, but Babe’s record fell. What you could have said is that, by my own definition, B Bonds is the record holder. That would be true, but the asterisk there is beyond what I’m willing to accept. So, that’s the fun of talking about these things, yes?
Yep and all natural. Every body should know his story
4:12 makes me so sad that America was like this
Strive on the other side. -- Thank you for such an incredible impact on the game!
Sleep in peace, legend.
Greatest hitter of all time I am from Milwaukee watched him play at County Stadium. So sad I never got to meet him personally he was my hero.
What an awesome documentary. Thanks for the upload
Hank Aaron is my childhood hero. I have a ton of respect for him. What a player! What a human being!
Aaron was my favoritd player when I was a kif
Aaron was my favorite player as a kid until I switched yo Willie Mays. Willie could "do it all". Hank could almost "do it all"
HAMMERING HANK! Nobody could get around on a fastball like Hank could. He had the quickest wrist action on his bat swing I ever saw.
NkrumahTure Dammn STRAIGHT I think this would make a great sports film!!!!!!
Here in mobile, al they are tearing down hank aaron stadoum now... it maies me sick, we didnt have the best baseball team but we had a cool ass name and the last few years the baybears were pretty good. People in mobile,al just dont support the sports teams (mobile mysticks, mobile baysharks/baybears, mobile revelers bball, mobile seahawks arena football. Only the mysticks and baybears lasted longer than 5 years and were top of the league, but our town never supported them even when they were on top smh... we supported the mysticks during the 90s mainstream hockey blowup and the late 90s/early 00s baseball reemergence with the homerun race blowup... its still a shame that hank aaron stadium was chosen to be torn down instead of left vacant and standing with some real history behind it, built on satchell paige dr. Ala the black nolan ryan)
my all time favorite player. Milwaukee Braves fan
God rest the soul of the great Hank Aaron.
If Aaron had played his entire career in the giant media market of NYC there would have been a folk song written about him.
Rest In Peace to henry hank Aaron. A legend, a baseball god, a classy king and the Real homerun king .. ⚾️ 👑
Can you guys imagine how tough it was for black athletes, black people in general but in this particular case black athletes, to pursuit their dreams while enduring all of the racism bullshit. I mean, to become a great player is tough enough on itself, but back in the 40s, 50s, 60s, if you were a black athlete, on top of everything you have to deal within the sport you also have this huge ammount of bullshit to fight with, the threats, the humiliation, the fear for your life, etc. Oh my god man, all of these black athletes from that era were real warriors, they had to really really want it, they had to really go for it with everything they had plus something else that only true warriors have. Mad respect for them.
Rip! Hank. Thank you for the memories. Thumbs up for Hank.
I'm old enough (80) to have seen him play with the Brewers and the Braves. What a fantastic ballplayer and a very classy guy. As far as I'm concerned he is still the home run king. All the other guys who passed him cheated.
Sandy Koufax called him "Bad Henry," and when Sandy Koufax says you bad, you bad. You real bad. You the baddest of the bad.
Koufax is the greatest pitcher of all time. Hank Aaron is the home run king
Breaking the HR record as a right handed hitter is an incredible feat. Most pitchers are right handed, giving the advantage to lefty's. Not to mention a 300 ft right field line at Yankee stadium for Ruth. Hank is the greatest ever..and no roids.
i was 8 years old when i got first baseball card of his. in 47 years i never thought of him as anything but a great man and a great player. i can't believe he's gone.
A very well done documentary of an amazing man.
Rest in peace to the true home run king :( very sad day. Your legacy will NEVER be forgot KING!!!!
RIP to a LEGEND The Great, Amazing Hank Aaron...You will be missed.
Grew up in Wisconsin and I will always be a braves fan thanks hank.all time homerun leader. Drugs were not involved in his game. HOMERUNS WE'RE NOT EITHER JUST A HITTER
Hank Aaron and Roger Maris both payed a price for breaking Ruth’s records. Both men were basically shy and quiet, they didn’t have charisma. Ruth was a gigantic personality who dominated the headlines and practically invented the home run. Aaron also played for the Braves, so he wasn’t playing on a national stage like Willis Mays and Mickey Mantle. And he didn’t hit towering 500 foot home runs, like Ruth, he hit them 350 feet. But he was great all-around player, he could run very well.
The ball change of 1920 changed homeruns as much as Babe did.
Thank you Hank for your integrity and courage - You will always be the home run king! God Bless you sir!
For the short time he played, Sandy Koufax was probably the best pitcher ever. Koufax said that Aaron was the best hitter he ever faced.
What really pisses me off is because of a minority of morons hating on Hank Aaron for surpassing the Babe that that gets represented as all of America being racist when anyone with common sense knows better. Not every white American had a problem with Aaron becoming the HR King. I was a Braves fan so I was delighted.
I know I loved it I didnt care what his skin color was I'm a baseball fan.
He endured endless humiliation, which he speaks about elsewhere with the highest dignity and kindness in his face. Drinking from other water fountains and being forced to sleep in other hotels than his teammates. Cannot wash away the ugliness of that with a simple many or most white people respected him greatly.
@@kurtusdoss5965 the race talk in this documentary.... Was representative of the bullshit Hank had to deal with daily. What's the matter? Hitting a little too close to home?
True. But it still goes on all the time. Why am I walking my black colleague to his car at night so that the police won't stop him? There are still a lot of sick people out there. A LOT.
David Holcomb...what pisses me off is how offended and defensive White people can become when the subject of the MAGNITUDE and MEASURE of humiliation and degradation that was inflicted upon People of Color is raised. You sound exactly like Al Michaels in this video...bridling at the notion that the context and experiences that are part of the backdrop of the American Experience for People of Color is somehow mitigated where accomplishments by People of Color may seem the theme of reflections on a given legacy...when the argument can very credibly be made that the dynamics of that relationship between Experience vs Accomplishment deserves to be transposed. I consider the present day context, where the issue of voter suppression grievances raised by People of Color are challenged by many who point to how Black participation in voting exercise seems actually to be greater now than before - the insult that it seems that, for many Whites, they seem to cling to the perception that Blacks may lack capacity to countenance that OVERCOMING prejudice and discrimination...in no way excludes the viability of evidence that the prejudice and discrimination existed and was effected (no matter how unsuccessfully such campaigns may yield intended outcomes.)
LOVE this story! He helped change the world!
Hank Aaron was so consistently great that no one noticed but a kid from Greenwood Indiana. My friends followed Micky Mantle and I followed Hank Aaron and Eddie Matthews. It snuck up on me, too.
The guy hit 755 HRs and did not even hit 50 or more in a season. thats consistency+longevity = Excellence.
THE TRUE HOME RUN LEADER PERIOD .
Greatest slugger of all time.
I agree .....Hank is the epitome of class..he had to play at a hi level facing all kinds of prejudice how he delt with we'll never know ...if he played in NY they would have named streets and buildings after him....
Hank you are the "MAN"
will be missed thank you hank.
respect in a million ways, Mr. Aaron.
Still here in 2019>>>Still our favorite player and Brave....
RIP Mr. Aaron...one of my all time sports idols!!!
The TRUE home run king!
RIP Hank.
My grandpa was a barber who cut some of the Braves hair in Hales Corners, WI and he knew Hank Aaron personally from his contacts with those players and his frequent attendance at games. Did you hear what Hank Aaron said just after the 15:00 min mark? The people of Milwaukee LOVED Henry Aaron and his wife. The Aaron were treated like loved royalty while Henry played here. When I was a little kid, Henry returned to finish out his career with the Brewers and I personally saw his last at-bats. This whole documentary talks of how mis-treated Aaron was in the South, but it never discusses how loved he was in Milwaukee. Bias!
I had the honor and thrill to shake his hand. I don't care too much for celebrities as a group of people, but Aaron is a national treasure. He's like Ali or Frazier, like Di Maggio or Williams, like Jordan or Jerry West.
He was crossing the street in mid-town Manhattan, walking with two other men. I passed, turned, and said, Mr. Aaron? "Yes?" he replied and stopped. I said, "May I shake your hand, sir?" He took my hand in earnest, like a good man. It electrified me. I maintain that a handshake is worth far more than an autograph.
R.I.P Mr. Aaron, such a Class Act and Gentleman, alot of Today's Stars could learn a GREAT DEAL From watching and learning from him.
Hank Aaron is still the homerun king. Bobby steroid Bond I don't recognize. Salute the real HR KING. The great Hank Aaron.
You mean Bobby's son Barry
I can only speak for myself, but when Hank broke the record, I was rooting for him to do it. Not much of a baseball fan today, but back then I was hanging on every word in the Newspapers every morning and to the games that were on TV. I was elated when he broke the record. That there were sorry ass people that hated him because his race or any other reason was simply a shame.
Hank Aaron a flat legend awesome player & I'm a Reds fan my buddies were there when he hit #714
RIP Home Run King! Thank you Mr. Aaron for everything
He was and is one of my favorite heros, and baseball player of all time l loved watching him beat Ruths record l loved God Bless Henry Aaron my hero jimmy campbell
My favorite player growing up and I’m only 46. Watch his 715 homerun and I dare you not to get chills
Hank once hit a ball out of Shea Stadium that landed in Newark, NJ.
Not that difficult off the Mets pitching.
What?
You're joking right? Hank is a legend but what you just stated is absolutely rediculous.
The Real Hammer....and if he is bitter I dont even care..loved watching you Henry some fine memories of my childhood..and I for one am so sorry of the Crap you went thru...
Hank, another hero and true champion of the game! Love, Kate xo
14:10 That winter ball season was spent playing for the Criollos de Caguas at my country, Puerto Rico 🇵🇷, where he shared the league's HR crown with Jungle Jim Rivera (9 each), a preview of the coming attractions !!! ⚾
Rip Hank Aaron 1934-2021
When Bob Gibson and Sandy Koufax say positive things about a batter, that batter must have been real good
I cant believe he won the MVP only once in his career. A career 305 hitter, all-time leader in RBI's, 755 career homeruns, 3700 plus hits. His consistency statistically year after year is truly unique. He is an easy argument for one of the top hitters to EVER play.
@@wolfencheepclothes9715 What do u mean? What isn't fair? Please explain. If you are talking about Aaron, at bats have nothing to do with the fact he was a career 305 hitter, averaged around 32 homeruns and 100 RBI's every year over 23 years. There is NO arguing that those statistics are incredible. He also averaged a crazy low 68 strike outs a year. For a hitter putting up his kind of power numbers, 68 k's/year is outstanding. The fact that he DID get many plate appearances is a result of how great he was. Staying healthy for all of those years is a rarity. I'm not saying he is the single greatest baseball hitter ever, but he is right up there.
And one more thing....the amount of racist bullshit he had to put up with and still be successful says enough about his greatness
I think the MVP goes to the player who gets a 100 and the extra credit problem on the test. Aaron got 95s year after year after year.... He wasn't flashy and he didn't play in flashy cities either. Mays and Mantle were flashy and they played in NY. And they had some A+ years. Aaron quietly got his high As. Make sense?
@@nicholasschroeder3678 it makes great sense. Makes me think of Rafael Palmeiro. Regardless of the steroid issue, he put up big numbers
(288BA--33HR-105RBI 20 year career ave). He
He never apparently didn't have a flashy enough season to ever win MVP
@@timnolan4587
Sandy Koufax said that Aaron was his toughest opponent.
Baseball fans in WI still haven't forgiven the Braves for leaving MIL. when the team was still setting attendance records 10 years after they arrived in the smallest market in the league.
This first book I remember reading when I was a kid was just called hank Aaron I think it was like a kids biography yellow hardback. I must have read that a hundred times at least and it really was a great teaching tool because the parts about the Negro leagues really made an impact on me. Living legend.
I remember that book, wow nostalgia
Hank Aaron is still the homerun champ, he did it the right way. You could hit 50 homeruns a year (which he never did), for 15 straight years, and you still wouldn't break his record. Simply incredible
🤡
May Hank Rest In Peace
The greatest Right handed hitter of ALL TIME!!
Got to be one scary place to replace the Babe as the all time homerun leader
Even though some people hated Hank so much, his homers speak for himself.
The story herein is why we cannot let up the fact our country was divided by the silly skin pigment difference until only 150 years ago, but the residual effects continued well into the 20th century and unfortunately, some remnants today are ever-present. I hope we can come together regardless of what shade of skin tone we have and just be people very soon universally.
He's my Home Run King - always - consistent greatness over 23-24 years...
Sad that people can’t see that we are all related we are the human race not any color. Love you Hank.
Truly an amazing man
The true all time home run champion!
Hank aaron had a reason to fight racism back then🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
🤡
Rest In Peace to the GREAT GREAT American Hero Hank Aaron
❤As a kid, I was witness to the magic of Hammering Henry Aaron.
Crosley Field was where I saw him get his 3000th hit.
Every year he was in the running for MVP and he constantly for about 15 years or more was a 300 hitting,100 RBI and 100 runs scored and he Never struck out a hundred times in Any Of His 24 years.
Who is Steroid Bonds?
A fraud and I will never accept him.
Aaron is the G.O.A.T.❤
Rip to the HR king! Will always admire you!
True greatness.
Thank you Hank! For all you have done for America! God Bless You!
Rest in Peace Sir. You will always be the HR king.
A great man Hank!!!!
hes still the Home Run king in my book!
RIP Hank Aaron..😥
Legend!
Henry Aaron was and is an incredible human being and among the very best of baseball's greatest heros. Terry Donohue Toronto
Today we lost our beloved Hank Aaron at the age of 86 years old
Miss you ESPN Classic.
i LOVE baseball