History of Henry Aaron interwoven into fabric of America through numbers - NBC Sports

In the first few years of my youth, the results of those sporting events-check it out,

Sports events-are a powerful motivation to get up in the morning, and a powerful motivation to stay up late in front of TV at night, Henry Aaron is a giant. He too

Aaron, a sporty name, is easier to use than the man deserves, and less dignified. Like all things related to Aaron, the little things seemed more important after he left. In any case, Aaron is bigger than the name, bigger than most things on earth. At that time, we knew nothing about it, as the years passed, we learned more, and we-a little-were more willing to bear the entire, unpleasant weight of his story.

The most famous night in Aaron’s life was on April 8, 1974. At that time, in the fourth inning of the fourth game of the new baseball season, Aaron hit his 715.

Al Downing, who escaped from the odds at home in his career, broke Babe Ruth's 39-year-old professional record. I read this book in the bedroom on the second floor. This is the house my brother and I shared in the dilapidated old house on Adams Street in Whitehall, New York, a small village on the edge of the Adirondack Mountains. I am doing homework upstairs under the premise of [quote in the air] [End of the air quotation], but I am a high school student who has been admitted to the university and I am passing the time. Besides, "doing homework" is a bit like what my parents saw a few years ago. This TV is a 19-inch black and white TV set on a squeaky metal cart that can be pushed to various places in the room, usually in the gap between our two beds. We have a big antenna on the roof that looks like an arthritis spider.

Although Aaron has a place in my sports fan world, strictly speaking, I don’t have

he. I am a fan of the New York Mets. He was so proud that he won the World Series championship in 1969 and the national championship in 1973. Aaron is an opponent, but he is one of those opponents who fear more than hate. Let me study again today (because I must know this). What surprised me was that Aaron was a very ordinary man, weighing 6-0 and weighing 180 pounds; a few generations later, we began to expect sports Stars become giants, which is usually in our moral hazard. Back to the present: In the spring of 1974, when chasing Ruth, the entire baseball world (and beyond) was keenly aware of Aaron. He reached No. 714 on the first afternoon of the season (Thursday). When a friend of mine told me the news, I was shopping at the local pharmacy to buy records. Seventeen four. On the book.

Henry Aaron was remembered by people on Friday, and should be remembered forever, because he led a strong American life, his life was not only full of, and even most importantly, made important His achievements, but also because of his extraordinary strength and dignity in fighting racism. It used to be and is still a kind of American life, when he chased Ruth, this was the most positive in Aaron. In 1994, Aaron told my friend Bill Rhoden (Bill Rhoden),

"April 8, 1974, did cause me to refuse to participate in baseball," Aaron said. "This really gave me a clear overview of the country for the first time. Due to the threat of kidnapping, my children had to live like a prison, while I lived like a pig in a slaughter camp. I had to Head down. I had to walk out of the back door of the stadium. I must always be accompanied by the police. I am threatened every day. All these things make my mouth smell bad and will not disappear. They cut my heart away."

As a 17-year-old white child, living in a small town with zero black residents (I have a Latino classmate transplanted from New York City who lives with a local family; and an exchange student from Argentina. This is our diversity), compared to most people, he is more disconnected from the reality of Aaron's life. But I was caught up in the early spring of 1974 for one or three reasons.

By analyzing the revolution and the popularity of the Internet, numbers have become overwhelming in sports. all is well. If you are looking for analyzing hate, please look elsewhere. If at times overwhelmed, our ability to better understand the game through more complex and revealing statistics is fascinating. But this is also true: although numbers have become more and more important, their power has also diminished. In the spring of 1974, for me-and for many others-714 was connective tissue, which bound us to Aaron, and will eventually help us understand him.

For children in the 60s and 70s who are addicted to sports, few statistics can put a banner in our fanaticism. Through the vision test, we live most (but not all) of our lives. Exceptionally stuck. Beamon’s 29-2½. Wilt's 100 points game, none of us have seen it, but it lives in the mist. Bannister (Bannister) four minutes away, including only a famous finish line photo. For me, Pistol Pete averaged more than 44 points per game. However, if you care about baseball remotely, you will know some numbers: 2,130,56,511. You do not need any other information.

The 714 of the 1970s legend "The Babe" (The Babe) over time is even more common than that. (ex

Robert Creamer's book,

Published in the same year in 1974; this is the first comprehensive study of "Baby", the first crack in the gilded perfect dam. Seventy-fourth is a note paper in a bottle, floating for decades, this number is easy to understand, but at the same time awesome. When Aaron approaches it, he becomes bigger (to some people like me) and more threatening (to many others; how dare a black man dare to sit down in "Baby").

However, there is no doubt that the number 714, then 715, and then 755 (his final total) changed Aaron's place in our history and his own history. It is because he is not stable (he never hit 50 home runs in a season, never more than 47 times; but at least 20 times, unexpectedly 20 times), or his durability is not enough (from 1955 -In the 1970s, he never played less than 145 games in a season), his story is less. If he missed a season from last season, or missed part of a few seasons; if he retire early, or just a determined person, maybe he will get 660 home runs (like Willie Mays) or 696 times (Such as Alex Rodriguez). We will never know how much he endured, only to change one in the record book.

Of course, for all great athletes (and all celebrities), we will learn about their achievements or their indiscretions. It is a bargain for human beings and the surrounding world. As time goes by, the noise will become louder and louder. Achievement is the cost of influence. If Henry Aaron completes 713 home runs, or if Ruth somehow reaches 800 points or more, and one does not exceed the other, then he will be a significant baseball athlete.

But Ruth stopped in 714 and Aaron moved on, so we learned about his pain, dignity and strength, and these details we never knew or could not accept. A person only follows three numbers. A ball hit the fence, revealing life, and a strong person has the right to share his truth.