The Legendary Home Run King, Life & Times - Henry Louis “Hank” Aaron
A poem about the legacy of Hank Aaron, in baseball and racism
There once lived a man who was born 86 year ago in a small but major city, Mobile, Alabama, 1934 heeded his call, to play baseball who became a legend first major league unsuccessful tryout was at age 15 with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1949 but at age 17, in 1951, begun his minor league career with the Indianapolis Clowns of the negro leagues seven months later, June 1952, signed with the Boston Braves as they moved to Milwaukee and Atlanta, along he went made his first All-Star appearance in 1955 passed Babe Ruth on the all-time home run leaderboard in 1974 with his 715th shot, he finished off his career with 755 an accomplishment that lasted for thirty one years until Barry Bonds passed him in 2007 with 762 also was the first player in MLB history garnered 500 home runs and 3,000 hits the third MVP voting six different times recognized as a 25-time All-Star player gained world fame, 1957, during the World Series played in MLK Championship 1954–76 inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1982 all the while, he faced much racism and threats but was never deterred in becoming a Hall of Famer and the legacy of being the longtime home run king garnered recognition and racism in pursuing Babe Ruth record many people were angered because he dared a black player to surpass Babe Ruth on the list in the face of much outraged and threats, he continued as the FBI investigated these threats, kidnapping plot against his children he continued to play, had to be accompanied by an armed guard he lived with threats all of his professional baseball career racism and threats stole a lot of social family events and gatherings couldn’t attend his children’s graduations, afraid to open his mail he stared racism in the face as a baseball player and as an activist not to be deterred by acts of hate to sacrifice his God giving talent a legacy that reaches from earth to the heavens into eternity opened the doors for many to follow and be accepted for their talents activism and baseball was his pedigree, even during the Covid-19 vaccine took the vaccine to lead the way for other African Americans not to fear a man and a legacy that will forever be revered in and out of baseball.
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