Remembering Hank Aaron

1northcoin

Saddened to learn of his passing earlier today. He will be fondly remembered for his many good deeds.

Years ago he traveled to my state where he put on a clinic for Little Leaguers which my son was able to attend. As we discussed his memories of getting to meet him it was evident that Hank had been a role model that my son admired.

I assume others may have relevant commemorative coins to post.

amwldcoin

Dang!

mbogoman

Wow! So many of my childhood heroes have gone recently!

TomB

A gentleman with true class.

Just since last April baseball has lost Hall of Famers Al Kaline, Tom Seaver, Lou Brock, Bob Gibson, Whitey Ford, Joe Morgan, Phil Niekro, Tommy Lasorda, Don Sutton and now Hank Aaron. What a team that would have been!

1630Boston

A gentleman

https://youtu.be/QjqYThEVoSQ

JeffersonFrog

@1630Boston

I remember where I was and what I was doing when this happened - thanks for the video and trip down memory lane. I agree - what a gentleman.

TomB

I remember watching that game, as well.

JBK

Great video.

20 or more years ago I broke down and bought something off of a cable shopping channel. Most collectables are, of course, overpriced on those venues.

My purchase was a baseball bat signed by Hank Aaron. It cost around $150 give or take. I have never regretted that purchase.

johnny9434

I watched that game to. What a bummer it is

amwldcoin

I was almost at that game. The rest of my family was and came back with pins I think recognizing his accomplishment. Bummer I wasn't there.

LJenkins11

Hank Aaron is a true national treasure, played in the major leagues from 1954 to 1976. Let's see some coins from his playing years.

Bullsitter

RIP

Walkerfan

RIP

I was in the second grade when he hit #715.

I remember how epic it was.

pointfivezero

One of my biggest baseball hero's as a kid. I once had a autographed picture of him. (I sent letters to nearly every player as kid and received about 100 responses.) I think I traded Hank's for a Butterfinger bar.

Even though I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, it was a sad day for me when Barry Bonds broke his HR record.

thisnamztaken

I watched him play a couple times when I was a child when the Cubs played the Milwaukee Braves. My parents were big Cubs fans. Fond memories.

ThreeCentSilverFL

I was an avid little league baseball player, and card collector in the late ‘80’s - early 90’s. I still have all my Nolan Ryan Cards and a few others. However, I remember the Topps Hank Aaron card I had, early ‘60’s I think ‘62 with that wood grain border. Definitely had rounded corners, a crease or two, probably some foxing. Didn’t matter one bit to me! I do remember trading that one to a friend for something, but I don’t remember what I traded it for. Those were good times.

pocketpiececommems

Hammering Hank

Jimnight

RIP

SeattleSlammer

Also still clearly the All Time HR King, since Barry was juicing. I don’t think Aaron’s HR number will ever be topped.

RIP

Walkerfan

"Trying to sneak a fastball past Hank Aaron is like trying to sneak a sunrise past a rooster."

~Joe Adcock~

hchcoin

My dad played in the minor leagues for the Braves and the Cardinals as an outfielder. He never got an at bat in the major leagues but got to play with Hank Aaron in spring training. He has spring training programs where he played with him. He told me when Hank Aaron took batting practice, everyone would stop what they were doing to watch him hit. My dad's career was cut short after sliding into second base and getting injured. He never could hit after that and his career was over in less than 2 years. In the mid 70's my dad would take me to big league games in Milwaukee to watch the guys he came up with. I would get to go in the locker room after the game and hang out and get signed autographs on baseballs and programs. We had a few players even come to our house when they were in town. I could always tell how hard it was for my dad seeing the guys he played with that actually made it. My dad had a contract with Louisville Slugger for his bat contract and I have one of them sitting in my bedroom.

mannie gray

He was not a really big guy but must have had incredibly strong wrists.
Certainly not your typical home run hitter's swing.
He was a productive 100+ RBI man for a long long time.
And he handed his rather difficult situation with true class and dignity.
RIP, Mr. Aaron.

astrorat

I remember #715 ... great moment. He was a remarkable man.

1northcoin

@mannie gray said:
He was not a really big guy but must have had incredibly strong wrists.
Certainly not your typical home run hitter's swing.
He was a productive 100+ RBI man for a long long time.
And he handed his rather difficult situation with true class and dignity.
RIP, Mr. Aaron.

Interesting comment regarding his size. That was one of the things that my then teenage son remembered being impressed with in meeting him in person.

Twobitcollector

Sad news but grateful for seeing him hit 715 as I watched the game that night.

Cameonut

I am also old enough to remember him playing in Milwaukee County Stadium as a member of the Milwaukee Braves. My father took me to games regularly. Other players besides Hank were Warren Spahn, Lew Burdette, Denny Lemaster, Joe Torre, Eddie Matthews, Felipe Alou, and the future voice of the Brewers Bob Uecker (who is still calling games).

ricko

I do not follow ball sports, however, there are certain sports figures that, even while playing, grow far beyond their professional field. Hank Aaron was such a man. A gentleman and honorable in all respects. Cheers, RickO

BillJones

He’s still the home run champion in my opinion. He took tremendous God given talent, worked hard to develop it and took care of his body so that he could do it for a long time. I forget the exact numbers, but he hit 39 homers when he was almost 40 years old. He did it all without taking performance enhancing drugs.

I met him once for a very brief time at a book signing.

amwldcoin

Don't forget Rico Carty! I remember him well because he was the coke bottlecap you had to get to complete the braves team. Anyone here remember that promo where you could trade completed sets of bottlecaps for baseball stuff?

@Cameonut said:
I am also old enough to remember him playing in Milwaukee County Stadium as a member of the Milwaukee Braves. My father took me to games regularly. Other players besides Hank were Warren Spahn, Lew Burdette, Denny Lemaster, Joe Torre, Eddie Matthews, Felipe Alou, and the future voice of the Brewers Bob Uecker (who is still calling games).

Cameonut

@amwldcoin said:
Don't forget Rico Carty! I remember him well because he was the coke bottlecap you had to get to complete the braves team. Anyone here remember that promo where you could trade completed sets of bottlecaps for baseball stuff?

I remember Rico - and I also remember those bottlecap promos. I always had to use the pointed "beer end" of the opener to remove the rubbery seal.

amwldcoin

I thought that's why they had a pointed end! I was lucky and had access to quite a few coke machines as well as my dad bringing home bags of caps several days a week. Between my brother and I we probably completed somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 sets! My brother and I played little league every year until our teens. Our Dad was our coach several years and we lived and breathed baseball every summer! We used to sew up baseballs we wore out playing on the street with fishing line.

@Cameonut said:

@amwldcoin said:
Don't forget Rico Carty! I remember him well because he was the coke bottlecap you had to get to complete the braves team. Anyone here remember that promo where you could trade completed sets of bottlecaps for baseball stuff?

I remember Rico - and I also remember those bottlecap promos. I always had to use the pointed "beer end" of the opener to remove the rubbery seal.

silverpop

he lived a good life RIP

mark_dak

From my own personal collection... I'm sure I chewed the bubble gum that came with it. We have lost a number of greats over the past year. Hank is a national treasure.!

Mark

thefinn

I heard Vernon Law - Pitcher of the Pirates talking about players he faced, and where their weak spots were. When Hank Aaron was mentioned he said, "Hank Aaron doesn't have any weak spots over the plate."

PRIZ430

Poor guy just took the Covid vaccine 2 weeks ago...Hope this didn't lead to his death... https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/hank-aaron-86-receives-covid-19-vaccine-and-hopes-to-inspire-other-black-americans-to-do-the-same/?fbclid=IwAR1FRDFp7_LON_dqSzjAQr25z94Ba4EJLoSSB_XbLb3NHaxGdnVPTAQS6y4

JBK

@thefinn said:
I heard Vernon Law - Pitcher of the Pirates talking about players he faced, and where their weak spots were. When Hank Aaron was mentioned he said, "Hank Aaron doesn't have any weak spots over the plate."

That's a great remembrance

I once wrote to a famous pitcher (not sure who, but I still have the reply somewhere) and I asked him who was the toughest batter he faced, and he said it was Tony Oliva, because he had no weak spots.

mark_dak

@JBK said:

@thefinn said:
I heard Vernon Law - Pitcher of the Pirates talking about players he faced, and where their weak spots were. When Hank Aaron was mentioned he said, "Hank Aaron doesn't have any weak spots over the plate."

That's a great remembrance

I once wrote to a famous pitcher (not sure who, but I still have the reply somewhere) and I asked him who was the toughest batter he faced, and he said it was Tony Oliva, because he had no weak spots.

I remember a similar reference, but i thought the toughest out with no weakness was Rod Carew, no wait maybe Wade Boggs... Carl Yastrzemski?

thefinn

Compare how he celebrated hitting number when he rounded 1st base (broke out in a grin) to how players today do when they hit a double.

hchcoin

.

mannie gray

@thefinn said:
Compare how he celebrated hitting number when he rounded 1st base (broke out in a grin) to how players today do when they hit a double.

I was thinking the same thing when I watched the clip, which I hadn't watched for years.

ambro51

Well the Vaccine worked.....he didn’t get Covid!

morgansforever

A legend among legends, RIP Hank.

CoinJunkie

Heh, I forgot he hit #715 against the Dodgers. The very first MLB game I ever attended was the Dodgers hosting Atlanta circa 1968. My dad drove the two of us up from San Diego, which didn't have a major league team yet. I remember that seats cost $1.50, $2.50, or $3.50. We were pretty poor back then, so ended up in the cheap seats high above left field. I had brought my glove but no foul balls ever came anywhere near us. I figured they priced the seats based on the likelihood of catching a foul ball.

Aaron must have played in the game, but I don't recall seeing him specifically. All I really remember was we left after nine innings with the score tied 3-3, and listened to the rest of the game on the radio driving home.

Anyway, RIP Hammerin' Hank.

EDIT: I just found the game in Baseball Almanac. It was actually August 22, 1966. Aaron hit a 2-run homer off Don Drysdale in the top of the 6th! Guess I was too focused on foul balls for that to register in my memory at the time.

thefinn

@ambro51 said:
Well the Vaccine worked.....he didn’t get Covid!

That's not how this vaccine works. You can still get it and pass it around.

1northcoin

@CoinJunkie said:
Heh, I forgot he hit #715 against the Dodgers. The very first MLB game I ever attended was the Dodgers hosting Atlanta circa 1968. My dad drove the two of us up from San Diego, which didn't have a major league team yet. I remember that seats cost $1.50, $2.50, or $3.50. We were pretty poor back then, so ended up in the cheap seats high above left field. I had brought my glove but no foul balls ever came anywhere near us. I figured they priced the seats based on the likelihood of catching a foul ball.

Aaron must have played in the game, but I don't recall seeing him specifically. All I really remember was we left after nine innings with the score tied 3-3, and listened to the rest of the game on the radio driving home.

Anyway, RIP Hammerin' Hank.

EDIT: I just found the game in Baseball Almanac. It was actually August 22, 1966. Aaron hit a 2-run homer off Don Drysdale in the top of the 6th! Guess I was too focused on foul balls for that to register in my memory at the time.

Great memories. My first professional baseball game was also at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. It was in 64 or 65 and against the Pittsburg Pirates. I do remember seeing the Pirates player Stargell perform.

jedm

He was the biggest star ever for us kids playing during recess at the school. One of our group had the Hank bat and another one had a Babe Ruth one and we'd share the bats and those two guys were idols of ours. I was 9 years old when he broke Babe's record. R.I.P.