Hank Aaron

Hank Aaron (collider.com ())

When you think of baseball, you think of hitting home runs and rounding the bases. When you think of home runs, you think of Henry Louis "Hank" Aaron. "Hank" Aaron was born on February 5, 1934. He grew up in a poor black neighborhood in Mobile, Alabama. He played with the Braves for 21 years and the Brewers for two years. Hank Aaron is successful because he is hard working, he overcame racism, and he broke many records.

Hank Aaron is a very hard working individual. The neighborhood he grew up in was mostly African American and had lots of crime. The section of the town was called "Down by the Bay". Growing up, he didn't have a lot of money to buy things other kids had. He later moved to a middle class town called Toulminville. In high school he played shortstop and third base. He left high school early to play in the Negro Leagues. He had to switch from playing infield to playing outfield. Since he didn't have a lot of things growing up he had to work harder than everyone to get to where he is today. He also had to work hard to overcome racism.

During Hank Aaron's career there were a lot of racist people that didn't want him to do well. During the 1973 and 1974 seasons he received numerous death threats because he was close to beating Babe Ruth's Home run record. At first some of the threats and hateful comments had a little impact on him but only for a few games. He learned how to block out all of the hate directed towards him. He said, "My motto was always to keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging."

Hank Aaron broke many records in his 23 year carrier in the major leagues. He set the record for home runs with 755 (which was later broken by Barry Bonds in 2007). That record stood for more than two decades. He still holds the record for most RBI's (runs batted in) with 2,297, most extra base hits with 1,477, most total bases with 6,856 and most yeas with 30 or more home runs with 15. He also finished his carrier with three Gold Glove Awards, two batting titles, and one MVP award. In 1982 he inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. In 1990 he wrote and published his autobiography, I Had a Hammer. In 1999 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of braking Babe Ruth's record, Major League Baseball announced that the Hank Aaron Award would be given annually to the best overall hitter in the league. Also in 2002 Hank Aaron was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Hall of Fame (asset0.cbsistatic.com ())

Hank Aaron accomplished a lot in 23 years of playing professional baseball. He broke many records and wasn't cocky about it. He once said, "I'm hoping someday that some kid, black or white, will hit more home runs than myself. Whoever it is, I'd be pulling for him", so when Barry Bonds broke his recorded in 2007 he was there cheering as he rounded each and every base. Hank Aaron is successful because of all the things he has done and because of how he did it.