Happy Hank Aaron Eclipse Day!

[Scott McKee]

Sure there's a solar eclipse today, but I'm way more excited about the fiftieth anniversary of Hank Aaron eclipsing Babe Ruth's home run record. Hammerin' Hank launched number 715 off of the Dodgers' Al Downing on April 8, 1974 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.

Naming Jackie Robinson as his all-time hero, something Mr. Aaron and I have in common,  Hank, much like Jackie, endured relentless threats of racially motivated violence his entire career which multiplied as he marched closer to the Babe's record.  Aaron rose above the threats to not only break the record, but to shatter it, womping a stunning 755 bombs over the course of his career.

• Here's a weird stat for you. Aaron was named to 25 consecutive all-star games during his 23 year career. What? The MLB had two all-star games from '59 to '62.

• Fathom this while trying to sleep tonight... "Aaron’s performance earned him a pair of Major League offers from the Giants and Braves, and Aaron chose Boston’s offer of $50 more per month."  For an extra $50 bucks a month, the Giants could have fielded a line-up with Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Hank Aaron gracing it for more than a decade.  How many world series wins did they squander for fifty measly dollars a month.  There are hall of famers, and then there are HALL OF FAMERS, and Mays, McCovey and Aaron are HALL OF FAMERS in letters 1000 feet high.

• Aaron's home run record was surpassed by Barry Bonds, but Hank still holds the all-time RBI record with 2,297.

• Aaron was the first player to have over 500 homers and 3000 hits in their career.  He shares the incredible 700 homers and 3000 hits club with only Albert Pujols.

• Muhammad Ali called Aaron, "the only man I idolize more than myself."

So here's to The Hammer himself, Hank Aaron, and the golden anniversary of his eclipsing the Babe. 

“What a marvelous moment for baseball. What a marvelous moment for Atlanta and the state of Georgia. What a marvelous moment for the country and the world. A black man is getting a standing ovation in the deep south for breaking a record of an all-time baseball idol. And it’s a great moment for all of us.” --Vin Scully

Watch Aaron eclipse Babe's record, called by Vin Scully.

[jojo wilczewski]

Happy happy Aaron Eclipse Day
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