My most cherished memory of Hank Aaron as a player came 30 years ago on Opening Day in Cincinnati. In his first at-bat, in the first inning, Hank hit home run No. 714 to tie Babe Ruth's record.
I was playing second base for the Reds. As he was trotting toward me, I didn't know what to do. I wanted to reach out and give him a hug, but that would have embarrassed my pitcher, Jack Billingham, who gave up the homer. I never wanted to do anything on the field to show anybody up, so that was out of the question.
As Hank trotted by, we made eye contact, and I nodded at him. That was a great moment for me. I was glad to be able to acknowledge what he had just accomplished without lots of fanfare.
This was the first game of the season in the majors -- well before baseball made trips to Japan, when Cincinnati had MLB's opening game every year. But it wasn't on national TV.
Four days later, on April 8, I was glued to the TV set like baseball fans everywhere because I wanted to see No. 715 when it happened. And when Hank hit that historic homer off Al Downing, I was glad again for him.
| Continue Joe Morgan's ESPN column "Aaron made mark beyond baseball"
posted in articles on April 9, 2004 1:42 PM | t (1)
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