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RIP Hammerin' Hank!
#1
Today is a notable day...
America lost one of the true icons of major sports and a notable piece of the later civil rights era.

I named my first dog Hank because of Hank Aaron who had recently broken Babe Ruth 's home run record. My dad is a lifelong Braves fan, and one of his last heroes has left us.

His homerun trot for the record breaker should have been America's finest moment. A beloved African-American player in Atlanta flanked by two white fans celebrating the new king of baseball.

Unfortunately for Hank, he did not know what to expect. He had received hate mail: from old baseball fans who still preferred the segregated game of the 40's; from privileged Yankee fans who still held on to Babe Ruth's legacy; from ignorant racists who just hated what America had become; and maybe even a couple of baseball fans from Milwaukee who felt robbed of seeing history. As those two white fans approached the king rounding the bases he felt apprehensive and feared he might be treated as a Caesar on the ides of March.

For that moment, Hank rounded the bases quickly. In fact too quickly... Don't think too harshly of Hank he couldn't breathe. Seriously that is how scared he was of being flanked two fans caught up in the moment when history gets made. 

It should have been a beautiful moment... what it was - shameful. Shameful because fear shortened what should have a moment frozen in time to be enjoyed by a great player who showed this country and it's pastime that there had been a great sin committed against people of color, and yet they could still achieve the greatest of heights.

I blame the racists, the people who still clung to old timey baseball, but mostly crotchety Yankee fans for not letting a great moment, a historic moment, NOT be a positive personal moment of reflection for one of sports greatest players. Hank Aaron was the model of consistency and a genuinely humble star. 

Rest in Peace sir.
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#2
(01-22-2021, 10:39 PM)SkenfromLMF Wrote: Rest in Peace sir.
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