See the young man in this picture? He was 18 years old when it was taken at the train station in Mobile, Alabama, in 1952.There is $1.50 in his pocket. In that bag by his foot are two changes of clothes. (And if his mama was anything like most other mamas in the South, probably some sandwiches and other snacks.)
He was on his way to Indiana to take a job. He was going to play baseball for the Indy Clowns of the Negro Leagues. Apparently, he was pretty good at it. A couple of years later, he was signed by the Milwaukee Brewers. He played for the Brewers for 2 seasons, then moved across town to the Braves, and later followed them to Atlanta.
He also was the senior vice president of the Atlanta Braves. Even though the team has changed stadiums (twice) since then, his retired number, 44, still hangs on the outfield wall of the old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium near where he belted a homer to break Babe Ruth''s all-time record which he held for 33 years).
Remembering "Hammerin'' Hank" Aaron, who passed away on 22 January 2021.
From Facebook
Han Aaron-1979 -image-mark-maclarenglobe
Britannica gives us this:
American professional baseball player Hank Aaron was selected for 25 All-Star Games during a major-league career that lasted 23 seasons (1954–76) and saw him breaking records that had been set by some of the greatest hitters in baseball, including Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb. His time with the Milwaukee Braves (1954–74; now the Atlanta Braves) included a victory in the World Series in 1957. Aaron retired after playing the 1976 season with the Milwaukee Brewers, and he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982.
I was a teenager when Hammering Hank broke Babe Ruth's record. My sister and I were very excited when it happened and had a picture of him on the wall of our bedroom.
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