Hank being uncivil?

I don't blame Aaron for not wanting to be around Bonds if and when he breaks his record. I wouldn't want anything to do with that cheating racist.

Aaron would probably be called an "Uncle Tom" by many of today's breed of black athletes because he's reserved, has been in a stable marriage, has never been arrested, lacks a posse, etc., but he was always dignified and well-spoken and carried himself very well on and off the field. His greatest trait as a player was his consistent excellenceover avery longcareer,something more often foundwith white athletes in baseball and about which we rightfully boast.


But too few blacks -- as well asthe white corporate media -- are interested in holdingsomeone like Aaronup as the proper model to follow.Aaron lived through real racism, not the non-existent, paranoid kind today that so many blacks see all around them and which is often used to justify dysfunctional and negative behaviors.Edited by: Don Wassall

Oh no! Not another praise the black athlete thread!

Hank Aaron is worthy of sainthood in comparison to most of the black athletes playing today. However he is fairly bitter about the predjudice he faced and his autobiography was basically an anti-white tirade.

I still think he'll come out of the woodwork on the Bonds homer record because they'll convince him it's "good for his people", something that a black man cannot refuse and a white man cannot request.

Very true, there's no question Aaron's obsessed with race. I posted before about an SI article that mentioned how he still goes up to his attic to read and re-read the nasty letters he received in '73 and '74 when he was chasing Ruth. I was a teenager at the time and an avid baseball fan and have a different memory of that era, one where the fans treated his achievement with the respect it deserved, even if many were disappointed to see Ruth's mark eclipsed.


I'm sure Aaron experienced much genuine hurt and fear; unfortunately his storyis ultimately just another chapter in the bookabout how race, racial politics, andthe black-white dynamic ishopelessly entwined with every aspect of America's past and present.

Hank Aaron was, shall we say, influenced to say some of the things he said during the mid-70's and later. People who knew him in the 1950's and 60's said, "Henry never used to talk this way."

Aaron was the most respected hitter in the National League for a 15-year period. He had an amazing year in and year out consistency. As an outfielder, Aaron would make a routine catch because he played the hitters well. Another player would have to make a running grab.

I agree DW. Aaron was treated with great respect during his pursuit of Ruth. It was--deservedly--a major event. Aaron should gratefully cherish the memory of it.

Re: Hate mail Aaron received. America was what 240 million people then?--I'd be surprised if he *didn't* receive a few bags of hate mail. (I also wouldn't rule out "hate hoax hate mail" to make sure the world remembers who the "bad guys" are in this little morality play). Whatever,---it's incredibly weird that he kept them all.

I agree with the Sport Historian too. Aaron was basically a polite southerner in the 50's and 60's, like a lot of those guys were--Ernie Banks, Billy Williams,etc. All from Mobile--a hometown for many of the black baseball stars.

Anyway, despite his occasional bitterness, he was a great baseball player, and seems to be a decent person. I hope the contrast with Bonds is magnified this summer.

Don Wassall said:

Very true, there's no question Aaron's obsessed with race.  I posted before about an SI article that mentioned how he still goes up to his attic to read and re-read the nasty letters he received in '73 and '74 when he was chasing Ruth.  I was a teenager at the time and an avid baseball fan and have a different memory of that era, one where the fans treated his achievement with the respect it deserved, even if many were disappointed to see Ruth's mark eclipsed. 

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I was 12 going on 13 when Bad Henry passed the Bambino. I rooted for Hank to make history. In my then-young sports-following career, little "history" as far as individual milestones had been made that I remember noticing, other than the Juice's 2,003 yards rushing in 1973.

My memory of that era re Aaron is basically the same as yours, Don, although I remember reading a tidbit or two that '73-'74 offseason about the hate mail Aaron was getting. BTW IIRC that SI article said that when at a party, if Aaron goes to answer nature's call, he won't finish his drink when he returns. Guess he's that paranoid.

I expect to have a ho-hum attitude when and if Bonds passes Aaron.

I'm sure Aaron experienced much genuine hurt and fear; unfortunately his story is ultimately just another chapter in the book about how race, racial politics, and the black-white dynamic is hopelessly entwined with every aspect of America's past and present. 

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And is likely to remain so IMO, which is why there are sites like CasteFootball.

John

Roger maris received hate mail in 1961. Were they the same racists?

I wasn't bothered when Hank Aaron passed ruth's career record. He had played more games and had more at bats. Ruth was definently the better player.

Other players, like Ted Williams, Joe Dimagio, and Stan Musial and others might have broken the record if they had not spend a few years serving their country in WW II.
(Remember the war sigle handedly won by the Tuskenee airmen)

screamingeagle said:

(Remember the war sigle handedly won by the Tuskenee airmen)

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You keep spelling the name wrong.It wasn't theTuskenee airmen, it was the Tuscanini airmen.

Hamk Aaron is a bitter old crank. And a liar. He played at the "Coors Field of the 60's/70's" where every fly to left ended up in the stands. But the "hate mail" story is as fake as Bond's physique.It grows by 20,000 letters every year. If he was so "threatened",how the hell did those white hippies get so close to him on the basepaths on 4/8/74.

I'm glad the cheater Bonds is breaking his record. It just sends that farce of a league further into the gutter.

Blue Eyed Devil said:

Hamk Aaron is a bitter old crank. And a liar. He played at the "Coors Field of the 60's/70's" where every fly to left ended up in the stands. But the "hate mail" story is as fake as Bond's physique.It grows by 20,000 letters every year. If he was so "threatened",how the hell did those white hippies get so close to him on the basepaths on 4/8/74.

I'm glad the cheater Bonds is breaking his record. It just sends that farce of a league further into the gutter.

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A bit harsh but right on the money! Every one of your points is true, especially the Braves ball park, I think it was Fulton County stadium. But for anyone in the media to even bring up the subject would cause them to be sent into permanent exile.

Fulton County Stadium. Aka-"The Launching Pad". Where every game seemed to have at least 5 homers. That's NEVER even mentioned by the "historians" who nitpick every achievement by white ballplayers.

I've always respected Hank Aaron and I do think he had to put up with a lot of crap with breaking the record (the hate mail, etc..) Society was much different back then and it sickens me to see a guy like Bonds whining about the same thing (racism) when it is so painfully obvious that blacks get a free pass with just about everything these days. I agree with Blue Eyed Devil in the sense that I do hope Bonds breaks his record because it lends further credence to the absolute joke that MLB has become

Lance Alworth said:

I've always respected Hank Aaron and I do think he had to put up with a lot of crap with breaking the record (the hate mail, etc..

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As someone stated before,Roger Maris was the target of hate mail as well. If Aaron was white,he still would have been the target of hate mail. Aaron,acting his color,naturally jumps to the "evil Whiteys" conclusion."They be pickin' on me because I be black"Edited by: Blue Eyed Devil

Blue Eyed Devil said:

Lance Alworth said:

I've always respected Hank Aaron and I do think he had to put up with a lot of crap with breaking the record (the hate mail, etc..

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As someone stated before,Roger Maris was the target of hate mail as well. If Aaron was white,he still would have been the target of hate mail. Aaron,acting his color,naturally jumps to the "evil Whiteys" conclusion."They be pickin' on me because I be black"

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You probably know a lot more about baseball than I do. I don't claim to be an expert on the sport by any means. I'm more of a hockey guy myself. I do think Aaron faced racism but it has been exaggerated over the years to the point of mythical proportions. I don't doubt however that he faced more trials and tribulations with being black than someone like Bonds ever has in his entire life. Todays black athlete is so quick to cry racism that it's not even funny. That is why I am sickened by the fact that we're seeing so many black quarterbacks and coaches in the NFL, yet white wide receivers and cornerbacks are being fewer and further between every day.

The fact is, the powers that be want so bad for the black man to succeed, pretty much to the point where they end up cramming square pegs into round holes. Its the same effect of throwing sh*t up against the wall to see what sticks. Its affirmative action at its worst

But back to Aaron. I still respect him more than I do most other black athletes. True, the racism allegations were probably made out to be worse than what they really were, he at least comes off like a decent human being (albeit a little bitter at times) I would take him any day over the TO's and Pacman Jones's of the world

Lance Alworth said:

I've always respected Hank Aaron and I do think he had to put up with a lot of crap with breaking the record (the hate mail, etc..) Society was much different back then and it sickens me to see a guy like Bonds whining about the same thing (racism) when it is so painfully obvious that blacks get a free pass with just about everything these days. I agree with Blue Eyed Devil in the sense that I do hope Bonds breaks his record because it lends further credence to the absolute joke that MLB has become

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Actually, he didn't. I was a teenager at the time and was a huge baseball fan and Aaron was treated fantastically well by the media and fans, and has been ever since. There was some alleged "hate mail," which Aaron has been bitter about and obsessed with ever since, but quite bluntly, big deal. He's still whining about it 40 years later. Look at the kind of crap someone like Peyton Hillis had to put up with on the field virtually every play when he was "allowed" to start in 2010 and then excelled. And who knows how much of Aaron's "hate mail" was actually written by blacks, jews, homosexuals and others who specialize in perpetrating fake "hate crimes" the media loves to become hysterical about.

Aaron handled himself well, but is still spouting off crap like his latest lunacy that the Republican Party is like the KKK because there is some opposition to Obama. And this is a black man who has led a feted life on and off the field for the past 40+ years. The more blacks are pandered to and held to different standards, the more racially paranoid and anti-White they become. It's similar to Jews in that way, as despite America being far and away the most hospitable country for Jews ever, many are convinced large numbers of Americans are always about to start a pogrom against them.

article: Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron compared Republicans that oppose President Barack Obama to the Ku Klux Klan.

Speaking to USA Today Tuesday on the 40th anniversary of his then record-breaking 715th home run, the 80-year-old Aaron said that Republicans are hindering Obama’s job performance.

“Sure, this country has a black president, but when you look at a black president, President Obama is left with his foot stuck in the mud from all of the Republicans with the way he’s treated,†Aaron told USA Today Sports.

Aaron continued: “The bigger difference is that back then they had hoods. Now they have neckties and starched shirts.â€

Aaron stated that there is still room for improvement for race relations in the U.S.

“We have moved in the right direction, and there have been improvements, but we still have a long ways to go in the country,†Aaron told USA Today Sports.

Aaron goes on to describe the racist letters he has kept for decades as he was chasing Babe Ruth’s home run record.

“To remind myself that we are not that far removed from when I was chasing the record,†Aaron explained to USA Today Sports. “If you think that, you are fooling yourself. A lot of things have happened in this country, but we have so far to go. There’s not a whole lot that has changed.â€

http://www.amren.com/news/2014/04/h...-that-oppose-obama-to-kkk/#.U0aZ_D9zRnE.email

I find myself repeating it once again: Blacks are their own worst enemies. By making a statement like this, Hank will only alienate large numbers of lamestream conservatives who would have been willing to worship him and who are constantly on the lookout for the next Great Black Hope, whether it be in sports, politics, business, yachting, etc. The liberals and blacks, of course, are eating it up like tofu (for case A) or fried chicken (for case B), but they would have worshipped Hank even if he hadn't spewed his latest BS. Also, the fact that he's kept those "hate" letters for <Daily Fail capital letter mode>DECADES</mode> shows how incredibly bitter he is. He needs to let it go and MoveOn.org.

PamelaOC said:

I find myself repeating it once again: Blacks are their own worst enemies. By making a statement like this, Hank will only alienate large numbers of lamestream conservatives who would have been willing to worship him and who are constantly on the lookout for the next Great Black Hope, whether it be in sports, politics, business, yachting, etc. The liberals and blacks, of course, are eating it up like tofu (for case A) or fried chicken (for case B), but they would have worshipped Hank even if he hadn't spewed his latest BS. Also, the fact that he's kept those "hate" letters for <Daily Fail capital letter mode>DECADES</mode> shows how incredibly bitter he is. He needs to let it go and MoveOn.org.

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Hey PamelaOC, I like fried chicken, no not the KFC kind, the kind my wife makes!:icon_smile:

Yeah to yours and Don's point, I never got the whole everyone hated Hank and it was him against the world. When he broke the record in the supposed racist south, Atlanta, I saw practically half the stadium, which was white, emptied onto the field trying to congratulate Aaron.

....and whenever I see all these old video clips of these black players like Aaron, Robinson, etc., it seems they were accepted by their teammates as well. It contradicts how they tell their story about how bad they were treated by their own players. It sure didn't show in the clips and interviews done by his former white teammates!

Maybe I should have said chitlins instead...that seems to be exclusively the domain of those with room brightening smiles. I like fried chicken on occasion as well.

Maybe castean "god" Aaron is getting senile, as the GOP is compromised of gutless, globalist eunuchs who bow down & grovel at the alter of cultural marxism. Either way, he's an overhyped old windbag that couldn't carry Ruth or Cobb's jockstraps.