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Saturday, January 21, 2012

It’s a power luncheon with Hank Aaron and Sadaharu Oh

And Bonds won’t be heir to the Oh Henry! candy bar fortune either! (even though Benes gave up HR #100 to Bonds)

Though (Barry) Bonds escaped more serious charges — the jury deadlocked on three counts of perjury — most consider his record of 762 homers tainted and believe Aaron to be the true standard bearer.

“There is a player who hit more home runs than I did — I feel like it’s his record, and that’s the end of it,” Aaron said. “Records are made to be broken, and it just so happens Barry broke mine. Whatever things he has to live with other than that, that’s his problem. I have no other problem with it.”

(Frank) Robinson does.

“In my mind, Hank is the home run king, no question,” said Robinson, who ranks ninth all-time with 586 homers. Asked to elaborate, Robinson said, “I don’t want to get into that.”

Aaron, who is walking with the help of a cane, has tread lightly on the topic of Bonds, at least publicly.

...Aaron on Saturday declined to answer a question about players snubbed by Hall of Fame voters for admitted (Mark McGwire) or alleged (Rafael Palmeiro) steroid use, but made clear his opinion about cheaters when asked what he tells kids.

“The No. 1 thing you want to instill in them is there are absolutely no short cuts in life,” Aaron said. “If they start thinking that to be successful you have to do something crazy like drugs and all this other stuff … there are no short cuts.”

Repoz Posted: January 21, 2012 at 10:38 PM | 11 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
  Tags: general

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   1. Howie Menckel Posted: January 21, 2012 at 11:55 PM (#4042192)
I think Aaron has treaded a smart and sensible road, in general, in his post-career. Someone may find a comment or two to gripe about (what else is new?) but I think overall he has done his efforts proud.

I was just a young, dumb, white teenager when I first found out that he saved all the racist hate mail he got as he chased Babe Ruth's record.
He said that he wanted to save them for posterity, in case future generations couldn't believe how vicious so many racists were at the time.
I think that was exactly the right call. It's part of history.

I've noted here before that in the 1972-73 offseason, while Aaron was 41 shy of tying the record (and hit 40), a kid in my neighborhood - not in Klan country, just the northeast - casually mentioned that Ruth would keep the record because he or someone else, if need be, would be a sniper on a roof to prevent [Aaron] from breaking it.

The rest of us were a bit taken aback, but we were young enough and the societal change was new enough that we just moved on to the next topic. I never did forget it, though.

   2. Gonfalon Bubble Posted: January 22, 2012 at 12:09 AM (#4042204)
most consider [Bonds'] record of 762 homers tainted and believe Aaron to be the true standard bearer.

That being the case, President Gore should have issued a declaration saying so back in '07.
   3. vortex of dissipation Posted: January 22, 2012 at 12:12 AM (#4042206)
There is a player who hit more home runs than I did


Yes, and he was sitting next to Aaron at the luncheon...
   4. Walt Davis Posted: January 22, 2012 at 02:04 AM (#4042237)
If they start thinking that to be successful you have to do something crazy like drugs and all this other stuff … there are no short cuts.”

The drugs however might help you make millions and millions more so they're like a shortcut...
   5. Downtown Bookie Posted: January 22, 2012 at 04:26 AM (#4042254)
...most consider his record of 762 homers tainted and believe Aaron to be the true standard bearer.


I'd be interested in seeing the full results of that poll, if only to discover what noun was intended to follow the word "most".

DB
   6. ERROR---Jolly Old St. Nick Posted: January 22, 2012 at 07:03 AM (#4042263)
I think Aaron has treaded a smart and sensible road, in general, in his post-career. Someone may find a comment or two to gripe about (what else is new?) but I think overall he has done his efforts proud.

I was just a young, dumb, white teenager when I first found out that he saved all the racist hate mail he got as he chased Babe Ruth's record.
He said that he wanted to save them for posterity, in case future generations couldn't believe how vicious so many racists were at the time.
I think that was exactly the right call. It's part of history.


Absolutely. That same sentiment was what motivated Eisenhower when he summoned a group of high ranking congressmen and influential newspaper publishers to visit Hitler's death camps. He knew that if reliable eyewitnesses didn't view these camps while the corpses were still warm, future generations simply wouldn't have believed that they existed.

Not that this has stopped the deniers, but then you've also got people who say that the Dixiecrats were just misunderstood constitutional originalists.
   7. Athletic Supporter's restaurant with Ted Danson Posted: January 22, 2012 at 07:14 AM (#4042265)
Not that this has stopped the deniers, but then you've also got people who say that the Dixiecrats were just misunderstood constitutional originalists.


It's not their fault! It was the Percodan!
   8. Booey Posted: January 22, 2012 at 12:12 PM (#4042403)
most consider his record of 762 homers tainted and believe Aaron to be the true standard bearer.

These are two completely separate opinions. Someone could believe that Bonds "cheated" to get the record while still acknowledging that he has it. To deny a statistical fact about who hit the most HR's in MLB history is just delusional. I like Aaron's take on the subject, actually.



There is a player who hit more home runs than I did


Yes, and he was sitting next to Aaron at the luncheon...


And there's another one on house arrest in Beverly Hills.
   9. cardsfanboy Posted: January 22, 2012 at 03:30 PM (#4042550)
And there's another one on house arrest in Beverly Hills.


I wonder if Bonds is allowed to participate in charity functions while under house arrest? I'm not sure there would be much demand, but still wonder how they treat a situation like that. He's technically not employed and I know that in most house arrest cases you are still allowed to go to and from work, but is charity considered work?
   10. Booey Posted: January 22, 2012 at 06:54 PM (#4042659)
He's technically not employed and I know that in most house arrest cases you are still allowed to go to and from work, but is charity considered work?

I doubt it. I don't imagine the court would consider it "work" if he wasn't getting paid. And they'd also probably consider that he doesn't need to earn money to make ends meet during his house arrest period like most people would.
   11. Traderdave Posted: January 22, 2012 at 07:13 PM (#4042669)
I was just a young, dumb, white teenager when I first found out that he saved all the racist hate mail he got as he chased Babe Ruth's record.
He said that he wanted to save them for posterity, in case future generations couldn't believe how vicious so many racists were at the time.
I think that was exactly the right call. It's part of history


I saw a few of those letters at a museum exhibit a few years back. There was some whacked-out stuff in them. What I remember most was that the writers of those gems seemed insane and were obviously just barely literate.


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