Rating: 
Summary: Richie's Picks: HANK AARON AND THE HOME RUN THAT CHANGED AME
Review: "But Aaron did have a response for those Babe Ruth defenders who needled him. If blacks had been allowed to play in Ruth's era, Aaron suggested, the home-run record might have belonged to Josh Gibson, a powerful catcher with the Homestead Grays and Pittsburgh Crawfords of the Negro leagues. 'Hell, a lot of those records would have been broken a long time ago,' he said. And if Ruth had been forced to face the best black pitchers, might he also have been deprived of a few of those 714 home runs?"
HANK AARON AND THE HOME RUN THAT CHANGED AMERICA provides some serious understanding of what it was like "down there" in the early 1970s for The Man--The BLACK Man--who had rounded third and was set on a collision course with the most revered record in American sports. Babe Ruth's career record of 714 home runs had stood tall, at the pinnacle of baseball history and mythology, since the larger-than-life Bambino had retired in 1935.
In 1934 as Babe Ruth was beginning preparations for his second to last season, Hank Aaron was being born.
"Henry had been born into the harshly segregated world of Mobile, Alabama, a port town where the last illicit slave ship docked...Across an ocean, the ominous rise of Adolf Hitler had begun to grip a nation and alarm a continent. But black Alabamans needed not look to foreign shores to see the face of evil. It flashed in their everyday lives, sometimes before the eyes of the whole country, as in the Scottsboro Case of nine black youths unjustly charged, convicted by an all-white jury, and sentenced to death for a rape they did not commit. It was into this world that Henry Aaron came, and to understand him, one must understand that."
"The whiz kids had won it,
Bobby Thomson had done it,
And Yogi read the comics all the while.
Rock 'n roll was being born,
Marijuana, we would scorn,
So down on the corner,
The national past-time went on trial." --Terry Cashman, "Talkin' Baseball"
It was Bobby Thomson, cited in Cashman's song, and hitter of what was to that point the most famous individual home run in the history of the game, who inadvertently gave Hank Aaron his shot at the majors when Thomson broke an ankle. There was no looking back for Aaron who quickly took aim at the record books, got chosen annually for the All Star Game, and led the Braves to the 1957 World Series championship over the Yankees. While never a threat to challenge the Babe's single season home run mark, Aaron was the ultimate of consistent players who, by time he retired, had "played in more games, gotten more at-bats, knocked in more runs, collected more total bases, and hit more home runs--755--than any other player."
But the greatest challenge of Aaron's career was his struggle to survive the waves of bitter hatred vented in his direction as he closed in on Ruth's mark.
'Dear Nigger,' they began. They came from across the country, from New York and Chicago and Atlanta. They were typewritten and handwritten and scrawled on postcards. They included sketches of Klan hoods and angry exclamation marks scratched fiercely into paper. At first, they accounted for just a trickle. Then they grew meaner and more frequent. Some suggested that Aaron simply quit or retire; others warned that he would die if he didn't...
" 'Martin Luther King was a troublemaker and had a short life span,' someone wrote.
" If you do not retire from the baseball scene,' said another, 'your family will inherit a great bit of trouble.'
"And, 'my gun is watching your every black move.' "
Tom Stanton presents anecdotes from Aaron's career, along with some colorful replays of baseball's past and future, including an amusing peek at an 8 year-old full-of-himself Barry Bonds, while returning again and again to the daily progression of the 1973 season when--as the mail and the pressure accelerated--Aaron inched closer and closer to Ruth's sacred record.
The author also provides us with of glimpses of Hank Aaron, the man, the mentor, the friend, and the father.
Hank Aaron might be remembered by some as a player who spoke softly while carrying a big stick. But Hank Aaron knew firsthand of inequality and racism. And what he often spoke about--softly but firmly, and long before it finally became a reality--was the need for black managers and black executives in major league baseball. That the author successfully illuminates this lesser-known legacy of Hank Aaron, while revealing the extent to which racism persisted in the 1970s, is what elevates the book well above any characterization as being merely a great sports biography.
Play Ball!
Richie Partington
http://richiespicks.com
BudNotBuddy@aol.com
Rating:
Summary: Richie's Picks: HANK AARON AND THE HOME RUN THAT CHANGED AME
Review: "But Aaron did have a response for those Babe Ruth defenders who needled him. If blacks had been allowed to play in Ruth's era, Aaron suggested, the home-run record might have belonged to Josh Gibson, a powerful catcher with the Homestead Grays and Pittsburgh Crawfords of the Negro leagues. 'Hell, a lot of those records would have been broken a long time ago,' he said. And if Ruth had been forced to face the best black pitchers, might he also have been deprived of a few of those 714 home runs?"
HANK AARON AND THE HOME RUN THAT CHANGED AMERICA provides some serious understanding of what it was like "down there" in the early 1970s for The Man--The BLACK Man--who had rounded third and was set on a collision course with the most revered record in American sports. Babe Ruth's career record of 714 home runs had stood tall, at the pinnacle of baseball history and mythology, since the larger-than-life Bambino had retired in 1935.
In 1934 as Babe Ruth was beginning preparations for his second to last season, Hank Aaron was being born.
"Henry had been born into the harshly segregated world of Mobile, Alabama, a port town where the last illicit slave ship docked...Across an ocean, the ominous rise of Adolf Hitler had begun to grip a nation and alarm a continent. But black Alabamans needed not look to foreign shores to see the face of evil. It flashed in their everyday lives, sometimes before the eyes of the whole country, as in the Scottsboro Case of nine black youths unjustly charged, convicted by an all-white jury, and sentenced to death for a rape they did not commit. It was into this world that Henry Aaron came, and to understand him, one must understand that."
"The whiz kids had won it,
Bobby Thomson had done it,
And Yogi read the comics all the while.
Rock 'n roll was being born,
Marijuana, we would scorn,
So down on the corner,
The national past-time went on trial." --Terry Cashman, "Talkin' Baseball"
It was Bobby Thomson, cited in Cashman's song, and hitter of what was to that point the most famous individual home run in the history of the game, who inadvertently gave Hank Aaron his shot at the majors when Thomson broke an ankle. There was no looking back for Aaron who quickly took aim at the record books, got chosen annually for the All Star Game, and led the Braves to the 1957 World Series championship over the Yankees. While never a threat to challenge the Babe's single season home run mark, Aaron was the ultimate of consistent players who, by time he retired, had "played in more games, gotten more at-bats, knocked in more runs, collected more total bases, and hit more home runs--755--than any other player."
But the greatest challenge of Aaron's career was his struggle to survive the waves of bitter hatred vented in his direction as he closed in on Ruth's mark.
'Dear Nigger,' they began. They came from across the country, from New York and Chicago and Atlanta. They were typewritten and handwritten and scrawled on postcards. They included sketches of Klan hoods and angry exclamation marks scratched fiercely into paper. At first, they accounted for just a trickle. Then they grew meaner and more frequent. Some suggested that Aaron simply quit or retire; others warned that he would die if he didn't...
" 'Martin Luther King was a troublemaker and had a short life span,' someone wrote.
" If you do not retire from the baseball scene,' said another, 'your family will inherit a great bit of trouble.'
"And, 'my gun is watching your every black move.' "
Tom Stanton presents anecdotes from Aaron's career, along with some colorful replays of baseball's past and future, including an amusing peek at an 8 year-old full-of-himself Barry Bonds, while returning again and again to the daily progression of the 1973 season when--as the mail and the pressure accelerated--Aaron inched closer and closer to Ruth's sacred record.
The author also provides us with of glimpses of Hank Aaron, the man, the mentor, the friend, and the father.
Hank Aaron might be remembered by some as a player who spoke softly while carrying a big stick. But Hank Aaron knew firsthand of inequality and racism. And what he often spoke about--softly but firmly, and long before it finally became a reality--was the need for black managers and black executives in major league baseball. That the author successfully illuminates this lesser-known legacy of Hank Aaron, while revealing the extent to which racism persisted in the 1970s, is what elevates the book well above any characterization as being merely a great sports biography.
Play Ball!
Richie Partington
http://richiespicks.com
BudNotBuddy@aol.com
Rating:
Summary: very good
Review: A very good book. I learned a great deal from it.
Rating:
Summary: Good Read
Review: Growing up in Atlanta, I was a fan of my beloved Braves. Hank Aaron was my idol as a child, and I still vividly remember Aaron chasing Ruth's home run record in late 1973 and early 1974 (though it hardly seems it's 30 years already). Anyways, I saw Mr. Stanton on TV, promoting this book. Having read my fair share of baseball (and Aaron) books in my time, I thought I knew the story of Aaron's chase just as well as I knew my own life, which tends to be the case of the relationship between kids and the athletes they love. But I found out SOOO much more from this book than I ever expected to. Stanton brings the era and excitement of the chase back to life, triggering memories long forgotten. In an age of outrageous steroid abusing home run hitters like Bonds and Giambi, it's nice to read about a man who earned his spot in the hall of fame without the need of outside substances and without ever being showy like so many of today's younger players
Rating:
Summary: GREAT book
Review: Growing up in Detroit, I was raised to be a Tigers fan. My dad taught me about baseball, and took me to games at "The Corner." It was there that my love of the game grew. I read Tom Stanton's first book, The Final Season, and enjoyed it greatly. In this book, I see Stanton's growth as a writer. Like a fine wine, Stanton gets better and better with age. This book offered great insight to not only Aaron's personal struggles during the Ruth chase, but also did a great job of placing the it in a broader context of the era. Stanton has done his homework, conducting interview after interview with the people who knew Aaron and lived the chase with him. This book has given me EVEN MORE respect for Hammerin' Hank, and changed the way I view the sport. Stanton can hold his own among today's great literary talents, telling a compelling story in a prose reminiscient of Norman Maclean, all the while casting my memory back to a time when baseball was about more than money, life was much simpler (without the threat of Orange Alerts or Anthrax), and I was younger. This book is not only a great tribute to Aaron, it is a great tribute to baseball, and to every fan who has ever dreamed of trotting the bases in the big leagues. I plan on getting it for my dad for father's day. A MUST read.
Rating:
Summary: Hank Aaron's Legacy
Review: I have really enjoyed reading this book by Tom Stanton. He really shows how passionate Hank Aaron was to not only play baseball, but prove that whites and blacks were equal. No matter how many people told him he wouldn't make it, or said that because he was black he had no chance, he kept striving towards his goals. Aaron really didn't get much credit in his early years of playing. It was only when he started threatening Babe Ruth's home run record. I had always thaught that he was a recognized player. Hank Aaron has been a hero for anybody who has been turned down wanting to acheive a goal, and many other people. He has been one for me.
Rating:
Summary: Great book about Mr.Brave
Review: One of the best books I've ever read in any genre. A great book about the greatest Brave and the best player of all time. Hank Aaron wasn't just a homerun hitter he was a great all around player. He was great in the field, had an awesome arm, could hit for average, and obviously hit for power. I would love to see Mr.Stanton write a book on Warren Spahn next, could be another classic. I highly recommend this book for not only Braves fans or Hank Aaron fans but baseball fans and fans of the human spirit.
Rating:
Summary: A Quest For Baseball Immortality And Human Equality
Review: The subtitle of this book, "The Home Run That Changed America," may seem a bit lofty to those born too soon to remember this record-breaking blow. But in these pages, Tom Stanton does a fine job of interweaving the story of Henry Aaron's chase of baseball's most hallowed record with the tale of the impact of that pursuit on the larger society. Stanton's love for the game shines through in this narrative, as does his sense of shame for those elements of the public who greeted Aaron's achievement not with praise, but scorn and hatred. The narrative begins in the fall of 1972 with Aaron among those in attendance at the funeral of Jackie Robinson, the man who broke the color barrier in modern baseball. The bulk of the book tells the story of the 1973 season, which saw Aaron surpass Willie Mays for second place on the career home run list and finally fall one short of Ruth's magic total of 714. Over the course of that season Aaron had to endure the ravages of age (he was thirty-nine), a steadily intensifying media circus, and most disheartening of all, a vocal stream of hatred and abuse, most (if not all) of it racially motivated. The retrospective distance of three decades makes it clear that if anyone was prepared to endure this great strain, it was Henry Aaron. While other players in bigger media markets like Mays and Mickey Mantle had captured the public's imagination with flashier performances, Aaron had been toiling away in Milwaukee and Atlanta, steadily building up career totals that would place him in the first rank of baseball's Hall of Fame...and humanity's as well. Aaron came back for the 1974 season determined to put the quest for the record behind him as quickly as possible. This couldn't come without controversy, either. Atlanta officials found themselves embroiled in conflict with then-Commissioner Bowie Kuhn when they threatened to hold Aaron out of the opening three games at Cincinnati so he could achieve the record at home. Under pressure from Kuhn, the Braves played Aaron in Cincinnati, where he tied the record. Fittingly, though, he saved the blast that put him alone in the baseball universe for the home fans. Appropriately, this is where Stanton's narrative ends. There's a brief afterword on what's happened to Aaron and the other key players (including a young acolyte of Aaron's, Dusty Baker) in the decades since. But the heart of the story is in that year and a half recounted in these pages....when, as Stanton puts it, Aaron placed an exclamation mark on Jackie Robinson's great achievement and helped further erode the barriers standing in the way of full equality for all Americans.--William C. Hall
Rating:
Summary: A Quest For Baseball Immortality And Human Equality
Review: The subtitle of this book, "The Home Run That Changed America," may seem a bit lofty to those born too soon to remember this record-breaking blow. But in these pages, Tom Stanton does a fine job of interweaving the story of Henry Aaron's chase of baseball's most hallowed record with the tale of the impact of that pursuit on the larger society. Stanton's love for the game shines through in this narrative, as does his sense of shame for those elements of the public who greeted Aaron's achievement not with praise, but scorn and hatred. The narrative begins in the fall of 1972 with Aaron among those in attendance at the funeral of Jackie Robinson, the man who broke the color barrier in modern baseball. The bulk of the book tells the story of the 1973 season, which saw Aaron surpass Willie Mays for second place on the career home run list and finally fall one short of Ruth's magic total of 714. Over the course of that season Aaron had to endure the ravages of age (he was thirty-nine), a steadily intensifying media circus, and most disheartening of all, a vocal stream of hatred and abuse, most (if not all) of it racially motivated. The retrospective distance of three decades makes it clear that if anyone was prepared to endure this great strain, it was Henry Aaron. While other players in bigger media markets like Mays and Mickey Mantle had captured the public's imagination with flashier performances, Aaron had been toiling away in Milwaukee and Atlanta, steadily building up career totals that would place him in the first rank of baseball's Hall of Fame...and humanity's as well. Aaron came back for the 1974 season determined to put the quest for the record behind him as quickly as possible. This couldn't come without controversy, either. Atlanta officials found themselves embroiled in conflict with then-Commissioner Bowie Kuhn when they threatened to hold Aaron out of the opening three games at Cincinnati so he could achieve the record at home. Under pressure from Kuhn, the Braves played Aaron in Cincinnati, where he tied the record. Fittingly, though, he saved the blast that put him alone in the baseball universe for the home fans. Appropriately, this is where Stanton's narrative ends. There's a brief afterword on what's happened to Aaron and the other key players (including a young acolyte of Aaron's, Dusty Baker) in the decades since. But the heart of the story is in that year and a half recounted in these pages....when, as Stanton puts it, Aaron placed an exclamation mark on Jackie Robinson's great achievement and helped further erode the barriers standing in the way of full equality for all Americans.--William C. Hall
Rating:
Summary: THE HAMMER AT HIS FINEST HOUR
Review: THIS IS THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF HOMERUN 715. THE AUTHOR DOES A FINE JOB DESCRIBING THE EVENTS IN DETAIL THAT LEAD UP TO THE HISTORIC MOMENT. I FOUND THIS BOOK VERY INTERESTING AND WELL TOLD. SOME OF THE INTERESTING PARTS INCLUDE THE NON- APPEARENCE OF BOWIE KUHN AT THE HISTORIC GAME, THE DEATH THREATS TO HENRY AND HIS FAMILY, THE RACIAL ISSUES OF THE 1970'S AND GETTING TO KNOW HENRY A LITTLE MORE MAKES THIS A GOOD READ. NOW IT LOOKS AS IF BARRY BONDS MAKE BREAK THIS RECORD IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS. I FIND IT VERY UNFORTUNATE THAT HENRY NEVER GOT THE CREDIT HE DESERVED FOR THIS REMARKABLE FEAT AND FOR BEING A DAMN GOOD ALL AROUND PLAYER. A MUST READ FOR ALL BASEBALL FANS.
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