Leave The Hammer Out Of It!

Henry Louis Aaron turned 73 a week ago. There is nothing that I can add to the reporting that has been done so ably on everything that Hank had to deal with in the run-up to April 8, 1974. That was the night that Al Downing grooved one, and the aging but still effective master pulled it over the left field fence in Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. It was the 715th time The Hammer had parked one in the seats, and with it, the man from Mobile surpassed the greatest name in the history of American sport, seizing the most renowned record of all those held by athletes.
An awful lot of awful people did not want Hank to reach Babe Ruth's record, much less pass it. They were loud, profane and threatening in making their point. And in the face of all of it, Hank persevered.
Mr. Aaron has been a man of great dignity, grace and honesty for all of the years that his name has been known to the public. He has spoken truth to power on the opportunities for African-Americans in baseball, beyond the players' roster. He speaks with great credibility because Hank Aaron is not today, and never was, exaggerated. Hank didn't wear caps that were too small, so they would fly off in pursuit of fly balls. He is so smart that he positioned himself on defense so that he didn't need to dive for balls that were easily within his reach. He didn't swing so violently that he corkscrewed himself into the ground to ensure that everyone in the park would know how hard he was swinging. He knew that he could trust his magnificent wrists, and that maintaining control of the bat allowed him the best chance to hit the ball. Hank never struck out 100 times in a season. Reggie Jackson never had a season of 340 at bats without striking out more than 100 times. Hank never got the press that Willie Mays did; he just outplayed him in every facet of the game: 95 more home runs, almost 500 more hits, 101 more doubles, almost 400 more RBI, 112 more runs scored, 3 points higher in lifetime batting average, and 143 fewer strikeouts. Mays holds more Gold Gloves (12-3), but Hank played the bulk of his career up against the hot dog Mays, the manic Clemente and the elegant Curt Flood. Remarkable that the Home Run King won 3.
All of this matters because Hank Aaron is news again. If two creaky knees hold up, and the US Attorney's office holds off, Barry Bonds will break Hank's total of 755 homers this season. Bud Selig made news a few days ago when he let slip that he may not attend the games when Barry gets within a couple. I don't like Bud Selig, but Bud is a close and loyal friend to Hank Aaron, and has been since he brought Hank home to Milwaukee to end his brilliant career where it began in 1954. I appreciate Bud's feelings on the matter. I actually appreciate and respect his feelings on this matter. But I hope he goes. Otherwise, it will recall those days in 1973-1974 when former commissioner Bowie Kuhn had better things to do than respect Hank Aaron's accomplishment with his presence. Barry doesn't deserve to be cast in the role of victim.
Hank's presence, however, is a different story.
Ruth was long-since dead in 1974. There is no precedent in place, and that matters in baseball.
Charlie Steiner told on his marvelous XM Radio program, The Baseball Beat (channel 175, noon-2 cdt weekdays--plenty of reason enough to subscribe right there), of recently attending a dinner with Mr. Aaron. He posed the question, "Will you go?" Steiner reported that Hank sat quiet for a few moments, then responded that he expected he would be hounded with questions about whether or not Barry deserved the record, and that those questions would come whether he was in a succession of ballparks or at home. "I think I'll be more comfortable answering the questions at home," was the Hammer's final word.
And for all of us who wonder about Barry Bonds' place in the history of the game, Henry Louis Aaron's word is good enough for me. He earned the right to decide a long time ago.