A Hero Worthy Of The Title

Do you have a childhood hero?

Henry Aaron played baseball and lived his life with humility and grace. In the summer after fifth grade I could walk to Milwaukee County Stadium, pay fifty cents, and watch this great man play right field for the Milwaukee Braves in the prime of his career.

Even better, my friends and I could gather by the right field foul pole before games and count on Hank stopping to ask how our Little League teams were doing. He’d inquire about who was hitting well, encourage whoever wasn’t, and often toss us a baseball.

Yesterday was the fortieth anniversary of the day Aaron broke perhaps the most revered record in all of sports. His 715^th career home run eclipsed Babe Ruth’s legendary mark.

I heard an interview yesterday in which the soft-spoken Aaron was asked what advice he would offer to young people. He replied, “Don’t take short cuts. Do the right things and do them the right way, and everything will work out.”

By any definition, Henry Aaron is an all-time great. He’s a Hall-Of-Famer, a 21-time all-star, and he still holds a number of important hitting records. But he didn’t start out chasing records or success. He’s a humble man who always tried to do the right things the right way. He discovered along the way that when you live your life in that manner, success chases you.

Happy fortieth anniversary, Hank. You don’t remember the ten-year-old kid by the right field foul pole. It’s okay.

He remembers you.

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Henry Aaron never thought about being a hero or role model. He just wanted to do his best to be a ballplayer.

I think that’s how real heroes are, because as soon as you try to be a hero you start playing some sort of role. Aaron ended up being a central figured in the civil rights movement and a strong voice for black leadership in baseball management, but he never sought any of that.

He gained his influence through grace and humility, one step at a time. And now, thirty-five years after he retired, this quiet, unassuming man is one of the most revered figures in all of sports.

One step, one hit, one home run, one kid in the stands at a time–you build a legacy.