Hank Aaron passes at 86

RIP Hammer.

https://www.cbs46.com/news/hall-of-famer-henry-hank-aaron-dies-at-86/article_71a37148-5cc4-11eb-9cdf-1bbe85006da2.html

RIP Hank. One of the greatest of the greats(and, to me, STILL the all time HR leader)!

Great player. Great man.

To me, Aaron is baseball's GOAT.

RIP Hammering Hank. My all-time favorite, and baseball hero of my youth!

I remember as if it were yesterday my reaction in front of the TV when Hammering Hank broke the Babe's lifetime HR record when he hit his magical 715th against Al Downing...

What a great moment and fond memory... I'll never forget it...

Thanks for the good times Hammer ans Rest In Peace... although the boys up there were for sure awaiting you to PLAY BALL...

Aaron is also my favorite player and I saw play many times at Candlestick in the 60s and 70s and later at the Oakland Coliseum when he was with the Brewers. I don't think I have ever seen a player hit the ball harder on a consistent basis. It is the reason that he grounded into so many double plays. So when the Braves would come to town (in the 60s) the Giants would often put a radical shift to the left side of the infield and outfield for Hammerin Hank in an era when shifts were rare. The Braves would, of course, often put a shift to the right side for McCovey. If that cornfield in Iowa does exist Hank will come out of the corn and they will put on a shift against him and pray he doesn't hit out of the ballpark. This has been a painful year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJ9Ztj_8zas

IMO,

G.O.A.T

Enough already ... Would the legends of my childhood please stop leaving us too soon?

Hey lanier64, that story was a little surprising. I always heard Aaron drove the ball to all fields. Saw multiple interviews last few days that showed him saying he took pride in being able to drive the ball to opposite field.

Yet you say Giants employed a radical shift. Could you share some stories how Aaron handled that. Did he show signs of taking advantage of the weakness a shift introduces?