This Day in Black Sports History: February 5, 1934

On today’s edition of This Day in Black Sports History, the 77th birthday of the man who is still widely recognized as Major League Baseball’s home run king is celebrated.

Born in Mobile, AL on Feb. 5, 1934, Henry Louis Aaron grew up in relatively poor surroundings, picking cotton on a farm and hitting bottle caps with sticks because his family couldn’t afford baseball equipment.

Aaron’s early fascination with the national pastime would also be evidenced through the creation of his own bats and balls, made from materials he found on the streets.

Thus, it came as no surprise when Aaron excelled on the diamond in high school, leading his team to the Mobile Negro High School Championship as a freshman and a sophomore.

During this period, in addition to flourishing as a third baseman and outfielder for Central High School, Aaron proved to be equally adept on the gridiron, which earned him several football scholarship offers. However, Aaron would turn his back on these tempting offers to doggedly pursue a career in professional baseball.

Batting cross-handed, as a right-hander with his left hand above his right, Aaron’s power-hitting exploits would garner him a tryout with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1949, at the tender age of 15.

Although Aaron didn’t make the team, he signed to a minor league contract only two years later, with the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro American League, where his impact would be felt immediately.

As an 18-year-old standout, Aaron would play a crucial role in helping the Clowns win the 1952 Negro League World Series. As a result, after playing in only 26 official Negro League games, Aaron received offers from two MLB teams, the Boston Braves and the New York Giants.

“I had the Giants' contract in my hand. But the Braves offered 50 dollars a month more,” Aaron recalled years later. “That's the only thing that kept Willie Mays and me from being teammates—50 dollars."

Despite maintaining an extremely high standard of play with the Braves’ minor league affiliates, winning the Rookie of the Year Award and the Most Valuable Player Award in successive years, Aaron, like many African-American baseball players of his time, was an undeserved victim of racism and segregation.

Traveling through the southeastern portion of the country, particularly around Jacksonville, Florida, Aaron was frequently separated from his team because of the Jim Crow laws. As a result, he often had to make his own housing and meal arrangements when the team shouldered the responsibility for his white teammates.

Encouraged by his brother, Herbert Jr., Aaron remained steadfast in his pursuit of playing in the major leagues, an opportunity he received on April 13, 1954. Aaron went hitless in five at-bats against the Cincinnati Reds.

In his rookie season, Aaron hit .280 with 13 home runs and 69 RBI’s. Aaron wouldn’t match or fall below these totals, in all three categories, until 1975, his 22nd season in the majors.

From 1955-1975, Aaron made a record-tying 21 All-Star appearances and won three consecutive Gold Glove Awards (1958-1960), while winning the National League MVP Award and a World Series Championship in the same year (1957).

Throughout this span, Aaron’s home run hitting prowess would gradually inch him closer to shattering the most hallowed record in professional sports, MLB’s all-time home run record held by Babe Ruth since 1935.

With Aaron one homer short of tying Ruth’s record leading into the offseason in 1973, a growing contingent emerged who didn’t want to see the day a black man surpass “The Babe” on the all-time home run list.

In the winter of 1973, Aaron was the unfortunate recipient of a cavalcade of hate mail and death threats. Even media members who provided positive coverage weren’t spared, called “nigger lovers” for chronicling Aaron’s chase.

But much like his experiences growing up in Alabama and playing in the minor leagues, Aaron pressed forward, and on April 8, 1974, in front of a 53,775 people in Atlanta, Aaron hit career home run number 715 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully captured the moment eloquently and poignantly:

"What a marvelous moment for baseball; what a marvelous moment for Atlanta and the state of Georgia; what a marvelous moment for the country and the world. A black man is getting a standing ovation in the Deep South for breaking a record of an all-time baseball idol. And it is a great moment for all of us, and particularly for Henry Aaron…and for the first time in a long time, that poker face in Aaron shows the tremendous strain and relief of what it must have been like to live with for the past several months."

“Hammerin’ Hank” would retire two seasons later with a .305 batting average, 755 home runs, 2,297 RBI’s, and 3,771 hits on his ledger, clearly warranting induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility on August 1, 1982.

In 1999, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Aaron surpassing Babe Ruth's career home run mark, and to honor Aaron's contributions to baseball, MLB created the “Hank Aaron Award,” an annual award given to the hitters voted the most effective in each respective league. That same year, baseball fans named Aaron to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.

Not bad for a kid born on this day, February 5, in 1934.

Happy birthday, Mr. Aaron.

Click here to read the original article at SportsHaze.com.

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Farewell To Mr. Bobby Cox

I decided for this piece that I would write in first person to detail exactly what Bobby Cox meant to me, an everyday fan of baseball.

First of all, I’d like to wish Coach Cox well during his retirement, a farewell departure that is well deserved for his numerous accomplishments and the everlasting impression he has left on baseball. I feel that baseball will lose one of its greatest examples of how the sport should not only be played, but how people involved in Major League Baseball should represent it.

Cox deserves to have his name in the same status with great coaches not just in baseball, but in all sports.

He may not have created an offense like Bill Walsh did with the 1980s San Francisco 49ers or like Phil Jackson did with the Chicago Bulls; but in a sport like baseball, he made sure that everyone he managed understood that it was all about playing the game smart and got the best of his players.

His baseball intuitions and intelligence has been vital for obtaining the kind of success needed to be a great Major League manager.

Those qualities were able to lead him to fourteen straight division titles for the Atlanta Braves. Why is that so unique and such an accomplishment? There have been no baseball, football or basketball teams who have come near that achievement in decades (since Red Auerbach’s Boston Celtics teams).

Not only is Cox a great manager for what he has accomplished, but also for his uniqueness as a coach.

In my years of watching baseball, I notice how a variety of managers try different methods to be a leader. Some us their fired up attitude and outspoken personality to not only lead their teams, but at times become bigger than their teams. While Cox brings fire at times, he picks great moments to apply it and uses it when necessary during games rather than allowing it to take him over.

Then there are coaches who carry themselves similar to the signature Cox demeanor; very calm and cool. While many of these managers carry themselves in a dignified way as he has, they usually remain too confined in this behavior and lack that ability to spark a fire when needed. He has always remained calm under pressure, but also understands the perfect time to switch on his fiery passion.

Coach Cox has also always been able to relate to players and mesh his team well no matter what personalities he’s presented with. While many players have left or been traded by the Braves, I have never seen a player come out of the organization and defile the soon-to-be-former manager or blow up the media with reasons they dislike him, his coaching style, or for not getting to play.

Cox, in turn, does not go on a rampage about a player to the public, a method that some coaches use whether it’s through the media (like Ozzie Guillen or Joe Torre).

Along with his calmness on the Atlanta bench, Cox would never showcase any gloating or rejoice in triumph when his Braves were victorious.

As a fan of the San Francisco Giants for many years, I would cringe whenever they faced the Braves knowing that they were able to beat up the Giants during the 1990s. Despite being able to take down my childhood team, as well as a variety of other good National League teams over the years, I would never see him get worked up over a win.

To him, it was merely an expectation.

Some would call it overconfidence; I would call it simple satisfaction.

While I happily watched my team finally get through Atlanta twice, once in 2002 and this 2010 season, I am respectful of the fact that gloating is unacceptable, similar to how Cox would do the same with his team. As the Giants clapped for Cox on his last night as a manager for his beloved team, I could clearly see that respect was not only felt by myself, but throughout the league as well.

The loss of Cox is even more depressing when looking at the current corral of managers throughout the league. No other manager appears to have all the intangibles like he does; qualities such as intelligence, civility, great baseball management, fire, and respect. Many may have a few of these characteristics, but none have them all meshed into one personality like Cox does.

Watching the Braves will be painful as well when I look into the box and realize that he is no longer around.

Since I began to follow baseball, I always would see Cox in the Braves dugout, with his arms and legs folded across his body, sitting on the edge of his bench and trying to map his next move for his team. Now, that will only be a memory rather than a usual occurrence when Atlanta comes to face the Giants for years to come.

Cox was a one of a kind manager, a coach who earned the respect of me and others all around the nation. Whether you were a player or not or even root for the Braves, everyone appreciated having him around..

Now, we can only root that he can live the rest of his life in happiness.

Farewell, Bobby Cox. You will surely be missed.

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How The MLB Playoffs Can Get More Bang For Its Buck

Ah, it’s that great time in baseball again.

The 22 teams who were only delaying the inevitable end to their season have all cleared out their lockers and headed home to watch the final eight teams square off and hope they can be the team of destiny in 2010.

This MLB postseason is different from many others. While the usual signature teams are on-board for most of the divisional series (Yankees and Phillies), newcomers are stepping up to prime time after years of absence (Rangers, Reds, Giants).

With such a variety of mixes among teams and what they feature, this postseason has the makings of being a memorable year that will forever be etched in baseball history.

Here are some dreamy, intriguing scenarios that may possibly come up in the playoffs:


- Texas Rangers vs Cincinnati Reds For The World Series Title

Many playoff underdogs are always fan favorites and what better way to have a battle for a title than two teams who no one thought would make the post season.

Seeing the Rangers in the World Series would be interesting, given the team has never made it past the first round of a playoff series. Having them take their first series in the playoffs would be tasty, but seeing them get all the way to the end of the road would be the icing on the cake.

The Cincinnati Reds would make a great foe for the Rangers, as they have not been in the playoffs since the 90s. Although they have won titles in the past, they have become a distant memory as a post season usual since the new century was ushered in ten years ago.

Aside from being insignificant in recent playoff memories, the offensive onslaught both squads would provide would make baseball officials drool. The World Series would be long balls galore in this match up with Josh Hamilton, Joey Votto, Vladimir Guerrero and Brandon Phillips.

- New York Yankees vs Philadelphia Phillies For World Series Title

Let’s face it, Americans are suckers for an encore.

What better than an encore of last year’s World Series match up and arguably the two most complete squads from both leagues in 2010.

Last season, the Yankees bested the Phillies in the 2009 championship winning the series four games to two. If both teams were to face off against one another again, the assumption would be that the series would go the distance.

New faces are a feature to the Phillies in comparison to last year’s team. Roy Halladay and Roy Oswalt are improvements over last year’s Cliff Lee and Pedro Martinez as potential game one and two starters. The offense remains intact similar to last season.

The Yankees are essentially the same team that stepped onto the diamond for the 2009 World Series. Aside from losing Hideki Matsui and Melky Cabrera, New York brings the same strengths as last season and would be equally as difficult to topple.

- Joe Mauer vs Buster Posey

In all of sports, catcher ranks highly with running back as the position that takes the most punishment and has the shortest shelf life line. The task of catching is an arduous one as they are asked to be in a crouching position for nearly three hours and holding onto nearly 100 mile-per-hour fastballs hurled in their direction, all while outsmarting the opponent’s offense.

Joe Mauer is the poster boy and at the top-of-the-line when it comes to catcher position in baseball. Not only can he do it all defensively, but he also just as important to the Twins offense with his bat.

Buster Posey is a rising star in baseball who is a top candidate for the NL Rookie of the Year. The 23-year-old played out a great first season in the MLB and appears ready to do more damage in the playoffs.

Having the current top player behind the plate going up against the up-and-coming young catcher face off against one another would be great baseball for fans to enjoy.

- If The Tampa Bay Rays Make It To The World Series, Will Anyone Be There?

Imagine a World Series with nearly no one in attendance.

That could be a possibility if the Rays can reach that pinnacle.

During the final few weeks of the season, Rays 3B Evan Longoria explained to the media how frustrated he was that the fans of the team would not come out to the stadium to support the team. The team even dispersed free tickets to its last game of the season hoping to revive fans’ interest in coming out and filling the stadium as best as possible.

The thought of the Rays possibly getting to the World Series with very little fan support is a comical premonition. Major League officials will be blowing steam off the top of their heads when considering the fact that the low attendance would mean less interest by those watching with no crowd getting loud and going nuts.

Maybe MLB officials may have to do what the team did and give out tickets, but that would be doubtful as it would be a huge blow financially for the league.

- Can Bobby Cox Go Out On Top?

Fourteen straight division titles and numerous playoff moments have been a signature for the Atlanta Braves through the 1990s and early 2000s. The reason for their success: manager Bobby Cox.

In what will be his final season with the Braves, Cox has managed his team successfully to a wild card berth in the last game of the regular season. Now the team has the opportunity to give their manager one last shot at a title, an achievement he has reached only once in all the years he took his team to the playoffs.

Going out on top would be a magical way for the manager to leave; although no matter the outcome, he will most assuredly be in the discussion as one of the greatest coach to ever lead a baseball team out on the field.

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