" '... seems that's about all I can do these days ... hit home runs.' ... These words were strange, coming from a man in dogged pursuit of the baseball record that most old times said would never be broken, Babe Ruth's career total of 714 home runs. To most superstars the only thing which would have mattered at the time would have been hitting home runs. ... But Henry Aaron is not like most superstars. ..."
"There were a few things, if only a very few, that Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth had in common ... they both left high school early to embark on their careers, although Ruth went into organized ball and Aaron the Negro League. ... On a personal level, they were as different as their batting styles. Aaron was a man who ate in his room and called home every night. Ruth a social glutton who held curfew in contempt and wore out waiters' shoes. ... Aaron was the survivor of that competition ... And it angered him that he could not go about his private quest without being compared, criticized, cross-examined, and cussed out in the context of a ... white man he cared little about. ..."
"On April 8, 1974, when Atlanta Braves' Henry 'Hank' Aaron hit his 715th home run to eclipse the record held by Babe Ruth, there was hardly any celebration. Instead of congratulations, Aaron received mounds of vile, racist and threatening hate mail which helped to ultimately make Aaron a bitter man. He keeps that mail as a reminder. ... Aaron recently got the due he deserved 25 years ago. Major League Baseball marked the silver anniversary of No. 715 in a pre-game ceremony at Turner Field in Atlanta before thousands of screaming fans. ..."
"Henry Louis Aaron is the second baseball player to earn the highest award given by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People for 'distinguished merit and achievement among American Negroes.' The previous winner of the Spingarn Medal was Jack Roosevelt Robinson in 1956. There is logic in this succession, for Hank Aaron attributes his home run record and his being in baseball to Jackie Robinson. He says that Robinson was his inspiration. ... "
"The name is Hank Aaron. He was born 39 years ago in Mobile, alabama. This year he'll start his 19th season of major league baseball. Hank Aaron plays for the Atlanta Braves. ... But, what's so special about this man? Maybe it's the home runs he hits. Aaron hit so many home runs, that some of his teammates have him the nickname 'Hammer'n Hank.' ..."
"Who was the greatest hitter in baseball history? Some experts would say the legendary Babe Ruth. Others might argue for Ty Cobb, Ted Williams, or Stan Musial. Great hitters all. ... But perhaps the strongest claim to being the best belongs to Hank Aaron. Over 23 years in the major leagues, he set more lifetime marks than anybody. ..."
"... One of the most prominent voices of dissent in baseball belongs to another legend, Hand Aaron. Recently, baseball celebrated the 20th anniversary of Aaron's 715th home run, shattering the old record held by Babe Ruth. Aaron, now senior vice president and assistant to the president of the Atlanta Braves was recently interviewed in USA Today. In the interview, he recalls the sadness and anxiety he felt while closing in on one of the most prized records in sports. ... Aaron spoke of death threats, bags of hate mail and having to be a prisoner in his hotel room during the record chase. All because he surpassed the mystical legacy of Babe Ruth. He also acknowledged that baseball still has a long way to go in dealing with racial discrimination 'Some people may hold that against me, but I'm going to continue to voice my opinion ... I'm speaking because it's something that needs to be said,' said Aaron. ..."
