Hank Aaron has passed away

[Blarg]

1 minute ago, ten ocho recon scout said:

That clip of him being swarmed when he broke the record is so iconic.

He had non stop death threats.

“Retire or die!!!,” wrote one deranged individual. “The Atlanta Braves will be moving around the country and I’ll move with them. You will die in one of those games.”

I have yet to hear or read about how he felt about the two guys that flanked him on the home run trot. There was an armed guard assigned to Aaron his last two years and by his own accounts he wasn't sure whether to drop those two guys or let them continue on. 

Luckily for baseball it never came to that.

[eligrba]

I remember watching Aaron break Babe Ruth's record at Fulton County Stadium on t.v. and not understanding the significance of a black player breaking a record held by a legend.  Hank did it with humility and grace.  I wouldn't mind more Aaron type players who play for reasons other than self-adulation.

I guess Lasorda needed an outfielder for his new team.

[jsnpritchett]

8 minutes ago, Blarg said:

He had non stop death threats.

“Retire or die!!!,” wrote one deranged individual. “The Atlanta Braves will be moving around the country and I’ll move with them. You will die in one of those games.”

I have yet to hear or read about how he felt about the two guys that flanked him on the home run trot. There was an armed guard assigned to Aaron his last two years and by his own accounts he wasn't sure whether to drop those two guys or let them continue on. 

Luckily for baseball it never came to that.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=5504664

[Jeremiah]

This was very sad to hear. He was a great ambassador for the game, and a hero to so many.

[DCAngelsFan]

Not much I can say that someone hasn't already said.

"Now he belongs to the ages" fits - his life and legacy will live on long past any of us. 

[fan_since79]

[Inside Pitch]

19 hours ago, EdmontonAngelsFan said:

January has been a tough month for MLB players passing.

Tommy Lasorda, Don Sutton and now Hank Aaron. 

12% of what had been the living members of the HOF have passed away in the last 9 months.

[tdawg87]

3 hours ago, Inside Pitch said:

12% of what had been the living members of the HOF have passed away in the last 9 months.

[Redondo]

13 hours ago, fan_since79 said:

Amazing stats.

Such a great player who played the game the way it should be.

[T.G.]

Back in 2010, I had an opportunity to sit down with legendary scout, the late Roger Jongewaard... 

A little something he shared with me that day...

Roger was drafted by the Milwaukee Braves out of Long Beach Poly High School. Had he wanted to, he could have gone to play at the University of Southern California (USC), but opted to play pro baseball instead. In his early days in the game, Roger had the chance to play with Hall of Famer, Hank Aaron while they were both in the minor leagues.

Roger remembers one spring training where the Braves were having a hard time catching up to the heat being thrown by an opposing pitcher. He said, “Guys kept striking out and Aaron steps in and hit a homerun down the right field line (the opposite way). When Aaron came back to the dugout, he was commenting that he couldn’t get around on the ball and we looked at him and said, yeah, but you just hit it out!” What Aaron viewed as a failure, others would have considered a tremendous success.

 

Just thought I’d share...

Edited January 23, 2021 by T.G.

[Inside Pitch]

19 minutes ago, T.G. said:

Back in 2010, I had an opportunity to sit down with legendary scout, the late Roger Jongewaard... 

One of the few times when that phrase is used and might still be an understatement.

[Stradling]

26 minutes ago, T.G. said:

Back in 2010, I had an opportunity to sit down with legendary scout, the late Roger Jongewaard... 

A little something he shared with me that day...

Roger was drafted by the Milwaukee Braves out of Long Beach Poly High School. Had he wanted to, he could have gone to play at the University of Southern California (USC), but opted to play pro baseball instead. In his early days in the game, Roger had the chance to play with Hall of Famer, Hank Aaron while they were both in the minor leagues.

Roger remembers one spring training where the Braves were having a hard time catching up to the heat being thrown by an opposing pitcher. He said, “Guys kept striking out and Aaron steps in and hit a homerun down the right field line (the opposite way). When Aaron came back to the dugout, he was commenting that he couldn’t get around on the ball and we looked at him and said, yeah, but you just hit it out!” What Aaron viewed as a failure, others would have considered a tremendous success.

 

Just thought I’d share...

I am seldom jealous.  I don’t know who he is but after reading this, yea I’m jealous. 
 

[T.G.]

17 minutes ago, Stradling said:

I am seldom jealous.  I don’t know who he is but after reading this, yea I’m jealous. 
 

He signed some guys you might have heard of... Ken Griffey, Jr., ARod, Darryl Strawberry, Billy Bean...

[Stradling]

5 minutes ago, T.G. said:

He signed some guys you might have heard of... Ken Griffey, Jr., ARod, Darryl Strawberry, Billy Bean...

Nope. 

[Inside Pitch]

 

1 minute ago, T.G. said:

He signed some guys you might have heard of... Ken Griffey, Jr., ARod, Darryl Strawberry, Billy Bean...

Crazy as it sounds now, he had to fight with his team/ownership to make those picks.   The Ms famously wanted to draft Mike Harkey over Griffey Jr.    The Arod pick was also a PITA because the entitled prick didn't want to be drafted by the Ms and he tried to get the league to declare him a FA...     

He had drafted but failed to sign Roger Clemens out of his JC and before he blew up and became a star at Texas.   Lenny Dykstra was another one of his guys.

[jsnpritchett]

2 hours ago, T.G. said:

Back in 2010, I had an opportunity to sit down with legendary scout, the late Roger Jongewaard... 

A little something he shared with me that day...

Roger was drafted by the Milwaukee Braves out of Long Beach Poly High School. Had he wanted to, he could have gone to play at the University of Southern California (USC), but opted to play pro baseball instead. In his early days in the game, Roger had the chance to play with Hall of Famer, Hank Aaron while they were both in the minor leagues.

Roger remembers one spring training where the Braves were having a hard time catching up to the heat being thrown by an opposing pitcher. He said, “Guys kept striking out and Aaron steps in and hit a homerun down the right field line (the opposite way). When Aaron came back to the dugout, he was commenting that he couldn’t get around on the ball and we looked at him and said, yeah, but you just hit it out!” What Aaron viewed as a failure, others would have considered a tremendous success.

 

Just thought I’d share...

Great memories! Though his recollections might have been a bit off by that point.  He was signed, not drafted,  since the draft didn't start until several years after his career began.  And he couldn't have played in the minors with Aaron. Hank made the majors in 1954, which was the year Jongewaard was signed. They certainly could have shared time in spring training,  though! 

@Inside Pitch: another interesting legendary scout is a guy named Tony Lucadello, who primarily worked for the Cubs and Phillies (he's most well-known for being associated with Mike Schmidt). There's a fantastic book about him called Prophet of the Sandlots.

[Inside Pitch]

23 minutes ago, jsnpritchett said:

 

@Inside Pitch: another interesting legendary scout is a guy named Tony Lucadello, who primarily worked for the Cubs and Phillies (he's most well-known for being associated with Mike Schmidt). There's a fantastic book about him called Prophet of the Sandlots.

Dude, that book is no joke amazing.   And yeah -- Lucadello connects all the way back to Branch Rickey.... 

George Genovese is another one for the books, the Alou Brothers, Marichal, Bobby Bonds, Kingman, Chili Davis, George Foster, Gary Mathews, Jack Clark and I think Garry Maddox too, he scouted/signed an entire all star team..  Mel Didider was another absolute stud, he was the guy behind a lot of the Expos greatest picks including Dawson and Gary Carter.    I know he basically set his career on fire with his comments on Nightline but Preston Gomez once told me Al Campanis had an eye for talent like nobody he ever met.

 

[jsnpritchett]

Odd coincidences/"connections" to my own name I've learned about today while reading Howard Bryant's biography of Aaron:

- His mother's maiden name was Pritchett

- ... and the first team he played for was a semi-pro team called the Pritchett Athletics (he got $2/game)

 

[ten ocho recon scout]

6 hours ago, Inside Pitch said:

 

Crazy as it sounds now, he had to fight with his team/ownership to make those picks.   The Ms famously wanted to draft Mike Harkey over Griffey Jr.    The Arod pick was also a PITA because the entitled prick didn't want to be drafted by the Ms and he tried to get the league to declare him a FA...     

He had drafted but failed to sign Roger Clemens out of his JC and before he blew up and became a star at Texas.   Lenny Dykstra was another one of his guys.

Would he have signed baldoquin you think?

[Inside Pitch]

47 minutes ago, ten ocho recon scout said:

Would he have signed baldoquin you think?

[Don]

I took a history of baseball class in college. His autobiography was part of the required reading. Definitely worth a read. Dude was the picture of integrity, work ethic, and class. All of those things significantly contributed to his longevity, along with crazy talent and athleticism.

[T.G.]

4 minutes ago, Don said:

I took a history of baseball class in college.

Hofstra?

[Don]

11 minutes ago, T.G. said:

Hofstra?

C’mon man. A good school. Kansas State.