Hank Aaron a Childhood Treasure

One of my national treasures died today.  Henry Louis Aaron, nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank," died yesterday, Friday, January 23rd; he was 86 years old.  Wow!  yes, wow!  Before the newscaster finished her words - I was overcome with emotion.  

Hank Aaron was mystical.  I got to see him on one of three bay area channels we had at the time, primarily during the news at 6 pm. My favorite Bay Area sportscaster Jan Hutchenson would provide the sports highlights and end his show with his closing quote, "the body is the temple of the spirit, take care."  The only other global sports update option was Wide-World of Sports on Saturday's. Most of the updates were just enough to enhance my stepdad's stories about our great black sports athletes, now legends. 

I pause after hearing yesterday's breaking news.  In the midst of it, I flashed back to the early '70s in Oakland, CA.  A time when my only problems were not cleaning my room and forgetting to do chores.  Yet, I was aware that while baseball was branded as pure and American as apple pie, it was not like that for everyone.  Right outside lived monumental issues of strife and racism.  Many of those issues felt and worn by our great role models.  Hank was one of those who bore the burden of so much of that to include discrimination.  Can you imagine your home team fans being indifferent or hostile during the season you were chasing Ruth's record?  Can you imagine receiving death threats daily by mail and or other?  Can you imagine being a black man who plays baseball for a living yet has to hire guards to protect his family?  

1974 - Things are happening.  Coleman Young is elected as the first Black mayor of Detroit.  Frank Robinson is named the Cleveland Indians manager, becoming the first black manager in major league baseball.   Muhammad Ali beat George Foreman and regains the Heavyweight Championship of the world.  Shirley Chisholm, a New York Democrat, is the 1st African American woman elected to Congress.  As African Americans struggled for civil rights, major league baseball persisted as America's "happy game" despite less than 17% being African American.

Hank Aaron had a large community/fan base that rooted for him.   My community rooted loudly and eagerly waited for him to disrupt the game with that one home run.   In sports, the most covenant record was the baseball's home run record, held by Babe Ruth at 714. Close your eyes, take your mind back to the era of 1974. Imagine that record broken by a black player.  Many didn't want that to happen, but the many rooting for the 17% did.  The one person that blatantly didn't want to see it was the MLB commissioner Bowie Kuhn.  He chose not to attend the  Los Angeles Dodgers and the  Atlanta Braves game to witness Hank Aaron hit number 715 the night of April 4, 1974. Wow! another wow!  But I saw!  I saw it on my TV, and I was elated.   

I think Hank Aaron was well aware of how the kids in the neighborhood like me, Tony, and Ira would look to him as one of our champions, and that we did. Completing my chores allowed me to go outside and spend the rest of the day pretending to be like Hank Aaron. We'd play strikeout on Tony's steps and always encapsulated and dramatized Hanks' home run swing, either striking out or pounding the neighbor's roof with the Wiffle ball.  So when I paused earlier yesterday while hearing the news of his passing, I immediately reverted to my childhood and thought of that bat swing.  Hammerin Hanks' swing met that ball, lifting it high and long, breaking not only Babe Ruth's home run record but raising hope and giving me strength as a young black boy.  He was more than a baseball player to us.  He was a model that represented strength, eloquence, humility, power, and future.  That home run lifted the spirits of people and a race of people.  Hank Aaron was a symbolic celebration of hope when given a chance.

I deserve to get a trophy or a participation certificate too!!!

Like most of us, I would assume that you have become a taxi cab/dealer for your child's endeavors. Specifically his or her athletic ventures. Since when am I suppose to be the one that gets my kid to practice, wake my kid up to go to practice, and remind my kid to practice? Why should I put forth more effort into getting my kids to practice than they do? I actually feel like I'm the one signed up 

for the event.

Today during these politically correct times, parents have become enablers. They/we have created an expectation to the public that supports these bad gestures. Society actually frowns on us parents who say no to our child. They even are appalled at the sound of a parent saying, "I'm not going to give you a ride" or "you need to work- it- out and be accountable."  I actually think that a boy's brain implodes between ages 15 - 17.  If it doesn't implode, I don't know what the hell is going on in their little minds because they are all nuts.  I should know; my mom said that I went through some (only some of what these kids are doing!) of that too.   But the difference between my generation and theirs is we "worked things out," we " were lead to believe that it was up to us to be good or be the best" when we complained, we were given the option of continuing to blame others or do something about it, we went to practice, and we didn't bother our parents about always giving us a ride.  I remember being a part of teams where if we got an award, it was because we took first, second, or third place (not fourth, and we didn't even want the second or third place award; we only wanted to win).  It was because ONE of us was the Most Valuable Player, All-Star, etc.  We didn't get prizes for participating or just showing up.

Today, coaches can't discipline or, much less yell at a kid.   Heck, parents don't punish or yell at their own kids.  And don't give me that crap about yelling or spanking.  Before you say (in defense of your kid receiving a participation award), look at our society.  We wake our kids up, we mentally prepare them for the day/practice, we fix their breakfast, we wash their clothes, we buy the requested clothes that allow them to style on the field, track, or court, we run back home to get the thing that they forgot, we take them to practice, we pick them up from practice, we wait until they are finishing practice, we go to their games, we stay unit the game is over, we pay the fees associated with the team and the games, we pay for pre-game and post-game meals, we are asked to pay for a portion of the coaches gifts, the team mom works harder than most of the coaches, and we wake-up early in the morning, and start all over again.

Here's what I think.  We (parents) should get a trophy!  We (parents) should get a medal!  We (parents) should get a certificate.  Why?  Because we/I work harder, and I'm more vested.   I'm not even sure if they workout while on the field harder than we do.  They certainly can't say that they do more.  Ok, maybe they can, but I shouldn't have to even question or compare that! This didn't happen in my day and yours, and my parents couldn't say these things about me. Having said that, I enjoyed having my parents participate in giving me a ride every once and a while.  I also appreciate that they came to some of my games.  But I tell you this for sure, I took accountability for my actions; thus, I got the awards, the real trophy.  This is why we/I (parents) deserve a medal, a piece of acknowledgment...Something!....Oh yeah, that's right, our kids "PARTICIPATED," and they are the ones that need to get the award...Yeah right!... What they need is a better attitude!