Hank Aaron
Hank Aaron
Henry Louis "Hank" Aaron, nicknamed "Hammer", or "Hammerin' Hank", is a retired American Major League Baseballright fielder. He played 21 seasons for the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves in the National Leagueand 2 seasons for the Milwaukee Brewers in the American League, from 1954 through 1976. Aaron held the MLB record for career home runs for 33 years, and he still holds several MLB offensive records. He hit 24 or more home runs every year from 1955 through 1973, and is one of...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionBaseball Player
Date of Birth5 February 1934
CityMobile, AL
CountryUnited States of America
I came to the Braves on business, and I intended to see that business was good as long as I could.
I would like people not to think in terms of the 755 home runs I hit but think in terms of what I've accomplished off the field and some of the things I stood for.
I can't recall a day this year or last when I did not hear the name of Babe Ruth.
Last year, I was sort of a kid and I was a little scared, I ain't scared any more.
I'm sure glad this isn't my home ball park.
The way I see it, it's a great thing to be the man who hit the most home runs, but it's a greater thing to be the man who did the most with the home runs he hit. So as long as there's a chance that maybe I can hammer out a little justice now and then, or a little opportunity here and there, I intend to do as I always have -- keep swinging.
There wasn't much white people would allow us to do in those days. You could be a schoolteacher or an athlete to get away from the manual labor and servant-type jobs, but there wasn't much else they were going to allow you [to] do.
There is no such thing as a bed of roses all your life.
Whatever we do, make sure we clean up baseball.
I used to love to come to the ballpark. Now I hate it. Every day becomes a little tougher because of all this. Writers, tape recorders, microphones, cameras, questions and more questions. Roger Maris lost his hair the season he hit sixty-one. I still have all my hair, but when it's over, I'm going home to Mobile and fish for a long time.
Guessing what the pitcher is going to throw is 80% of being a successful hitter. The other 20% is just execution.
Looking at the ball going over the fence isn't going to help.
Baseball is a lot like the ivy-covered wall of Wrigley Field--it gives off a great appearance, but when you run into it, you discover the bricks underneath. At times, it seems that we're dealing with a group of men who aren't much different than others we've all run into over the years, except they wear neckties instead of robes and hoods.
I had just turned 20, and Jackie told me the only way to be successful at anything was to go out and do it. He said baseball was a game you played every day, not once a week.