Hank Aaron and the Home Run Record - Digital Archive - Austin Jeanes

" 'I've always though that time was on my side,' Hank Aaron said Thursday after the 40-year-old slugger unleashed a dramatic home run to tie Babe Ruth's all-time record of 714 ... 'I still feel like I do owe fans in Atlanta a shot 715 ... but, yes. I am going to play Saturday. I'm certainly going to play the game the way it's supposed to be played and if I get a pitch to hit, I'll try to dispose of it.' … " --- Hank Aaron

"On behalf of the over 10,000 physically handicapped Iowans served by Easter Seals' Camp Sunnyside, three 12-to-14 year old campers currently in residence there accept a Hank Aaron "715" commemorative bat for permanent display in the Main Lodge. ..."

"... Hank has created a great many new fans for baseball at a time when the one-time top sport in the country needs a shot in the arm. And young people especially can relate to Hank because he broke the homer mark now in their time under a great deal of pressure and controversy."

"It is with some trepidation that a mere editorial writer comments on such things as sports, particularly as regards records and statistics with which the game of baseball is so fond ... "

"... We deeply regret and racial slurs that Aaron has been receiving. Sports fans should appreciate excellence, whether the performer is black or white. Hitting more home runs than Babe Ruth is a super feat …"