Is Hammerin’ Hank doing the right thing?
The Count Down is on!! With Barry Bonds fast approaching Hank Aaron’s hallowed home run record of 755, we now find that Hank has decided not to attend the impending game to celebrate the new home run king. Aaron has recently appeared on ESPN saying he has no plans to be present. This is just another blow to a sport that is struggling to maintain its credibility. Major league Baseball is currently covered by a cloud of steroid abuse, highlighted by a tell all book, authored by former MLB player, Jose Canseco. This year we’ve seen Mark McGwire not get accepted to Cooperstown ( MLB Hall of Fame ) in his first bid. The world has watched Rafael Palmeiro get embarrassed by a positive steroid test result, after emphatically denying use in front of US congress, and the one thing everyone can celebrate, the home run record, has now been dealt a blow by Hank Aaron’s refusal to acknowledge the passing of the torch. The Big Man would like to hear from you. Is Hammerin’ Hank doing the right thing? I look forward to your assessment..
The BIG MAN
www.myspace.com/howthebigmanseesit
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5 Responses to “Is Hammerin’ Hank doing the right thing?”
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April 18th, 2007 12:56 pm
HELL YES and HELL NO!!!
HELL YES, he’s doing the right thing. ONLY if his reason is truly based on that response he gave “I’m 72 and I’m not flying all the way to the west coast for anyone”. Listen, in the african american community, there aren’t too many individuals left who have attained ICONIC status in the sports arena. So if College Football coaching great Eddie Robinson (god rest his soul) were to say “I’m not going to a college football game” or if Legendary NBA hall of famer Bill Russell says “I’m not going to a basketball game”, then got damn it, if Baseball Hall of Famer and ICON Hank Aaron wants to stay home and play UNO or SPADES, GET OFF HIS ASS!!! At 73 years of age, he’s paid his dues. He grew up in the DEEP SOUTH during the HEIGHT of Jim Crow and all of those ALL WORLD ASS WHOOPINS that were being doled out to the African American community!! NO excuses!! He played for the legendary Negro League! NO excuses!!! He played Minor League ball!!! NO excuses!!! He was well into his 30s when he made the run for the home run title!! No excuses!! Do I need to remind everyone that he received MULTIPLE death threats as he approached the title??? Let me get this straight, if I hit a home run and pass someone’s title who is DEAD, you’re going to kill me??? That’s ridiculous but the man kept going!! No excuse! Now, if he refuses to go because he wants to eat a bowl of Honeycombs, STEP OFF!!
But let me stop because I, also, said HELL NO! Hank, WE NEED YOU!! This is the BIGGEST MOMENT and one of the BIGGEST STAGE! An African American is going to surpass the record of another African American, I’m sorry a LIVING LEGEND!! WE ARE BEGGING FOR African American young men to take to the diamond and pick up the bat. This stage could be a HUGE platform to re-energize an effort to get African American youth excited about baseball. It really could start HERE!! Hank, besides your record, I’m fairly confident that there are very few in this post hip hop, you got served generation who truly appreciate how much of a JUGGERNAUT you were during the ‘pre steroid’ era of baseball!! Why in the HELL would you pass that up?????
In the end, Hank can do what the hell he wants. What we hope he does is pick up that bowl, that spoon, and that box of cinammon toast crunch and fly out to the west side and let the world know that the HAMMER knows how to put it down!! DAMMMIT!! WHOOAA!!!
April 18th, 2007 6:17 pm
Big man, what it do baby?!! I must say, you bring up a good question. Do I think Hammerin Hank is doing the right thing by refusing to acknowledge the passing of the torch? Well, he is definitely not doing the right thing for BASEBALL, but he is doing the right thing for HIMSELF! What I mean by that is this. With all the stuff about steroid use, players lying to the supreme courts, & in McGwire’s case, just not saying anything at all, Hanks situation comes at a very bad time for Major League Baseball. They need the player that holds the most heralded record in sports to be supportive of Bonds to try & bring a good light and some excitement to baseball. So Hank refusing to acknowledge that is bad for baseball. But let’s not forget here that Hank went through a lot when he was approaching this record & throughout the end of his career. He & his family received the death threats just like Jackie Robinson did for breaking the color barrier. Hank may just not want to re-visit those memories of that time in his life. It may bring back painful memories of when he was going through all of that & if that’s the case, he is doing the right thing for HIMSELF. Some will say Hank has an obligation to be there when Bonds breaks his record. To those people I ask this question; Why should Hank be there when the commissioner of Major League Baseball, Mr. Allan (Bud) Selig, has even said he WONT be there to celebrate it or have anything special done to celebrate it? In my opinion, this is just another situation that just like the steroids, was brought on to baseball, by baseball, and I for one, don’t feel the least bit sorry for them. The number of African American players in the league has dropped from 18.7% in 2000 to just over 8% in 2007. Situations like this will continue to be one reason why that number continues to drop. That’s my opinion big man for what its worth.
April 22nd, 2007 11:53 pm
You know I have read the responses below and although I am trying to understand theirs and Hank’s explanations for not being present at the record changing game, I can not accept them. I watched his interview on ESPN and what I from it was he was not going not because he did not want to revisit a trying time in his life or that he did not want to travel to the other side of the country, but that he did not want people to associate his legacy with that of Barry Bonds. There is a clear distate for Bonds in Aaron’s eyes. If he does not show it is because Hank believes his own hype that he worked hard to get the record and Bonds did not. We are all riding off the backs of those who came before us and made it so we do not have to struggle with the death threats and the cross burnings but that does not mean you do not give someone their propers. People talk about how Bonds has gotten bigger which is proof of some substance assistance. Lets face it he is OLD. How many of us wish we had the same bodies now that we had in collge. I know I do and I know I don’t take anything. What upsets me most is Bonds has never tested positive for any substance. Enough already. Either subpoena the man’s DNA or move on. We are going off of the accusations of less than credibile soures. Jose Canseco? REALLY??!!! I think Congress has realized the error of their ways which is why you have not had the same focus on the sport as you did during the hearings. And why Congress even stepped in to this discussion is another topic in and of itself. On another note to this, I have to agree with Jackson that Baseball has done this to themselves. Not Bonds alone. And in my opinion, they NEED Bonds to make history in a positive light with a positive celebration so that we can move past all of the steriod controversy and remember how much fun basebal supposedly is. And Hank AND the Commissioners presence are necessary for that to happen. I think its a disgrace for Selig to say he isn’t going to be there. Why not? Get over yourselves and self worth. Tagliabue might not have liked Ray Lewis but when he won the MVP he was all over him. David Stern might not be a fan of A.I. but Stern is like a parent. I will reprimand you in private but herald you to the world in public because no one needs to know what goes on in our house. That is missing in baseball which is a shame. They have 15 more hits to get it together. Lets hope they do.
April 24th, 2007 11:06 pm
First of all I will make this short and sweet! Hank Aaron does not owe anybody anything! He paid his dues by gettig death threats and everything else that came with being the damn “Home Run King”. And how does he know when Bonds will break the record. I’ts not like we know the exact date that he will hit 755 or 756.I think he does care about African Americans, Baseball, and the Record, but does he have to fly around the country to show his support? Everyone should respect the man wishes and let him sit on his ass in peace.
July 8th, 2007 7:33 pm
Mr. Aaron should be there on the day his record is broken.