Happy Birthday Hammerin’ Hank

ByDavid

Birthdays are special, and yesterday (Feb. 5) was the birthday of a special man: the late, great Hammerin’ Hank Aaron (1934-2021).

My words can’t do him justice. Hank Aaron was transcendent, a great human and one of the best baseball players ever. I’ll post a link in the comments with a brief biography.

So why is The Hammer so special to me?

  • Hank Aaron was a baseball player, a hall-of-famer, and the all-time home run leader for 31 years until Barry Bonds surpassed him
  • Yet Aaron had the most homers in any given season during only 4 of his 23 seasons. Persistence, in so many ways
  • My first little league tee-ball team was called the Braves. I remember my mom buying me a little embroidered Atlanta Braves patch too.
  • When I was little, kids at school would ask me if Hank Aaron and I are related. Over the years, as I grew older, my answers progressed from:
    • I don’t think so
    • No
    • No, we spell our names differently
    • Yes

I would love to see the Atlanta Braves change their name to the Hammers, for all the right reasons, including a tribute to this great man.

Happy birthday Hammerin’ Hank.

What do you think?