Selig hints Aaron still baseball's home-run king

[El Supremo]

ATLANTA (AP) -- Hank Aaron is still the home run king to many. Even baseball commissioner Bud Selig has a difficult time seeing it any other way.

Aaron was honored before the Braves game against the New York Mets on Tuesday night with a ceremony commemorating the 40th anniversary of his 715th home run, the one that pushed him past Babe Ruth and gave him the major league record.

(snip)

Speaking with reporters after the ceremony, Selig was asked about Aaron being called the true home run king.

''I'm always in a sensitive spot there, but I've said that myself and I'll just leave it at that,'' Selig said.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/selig-helps-braves-celebrate-aarons-233407165--mlb.html

Ass Hole!

[Hoyt]

1. I agree. No hint of performance enhancing substances with Aaron. Just the purest swing ever.

[Upton]

4. Not so fast..

Aaron admitted in his autobiography that he took amphetamines

[El Supremo]

7. I am going to call out your sorry Barroid loving ass on that one.

For the record, Aaron wrote in his biography, I Had a Hammer, co-written with Lonnie Wheeler, that he tried a "greenie" once. It happened during a slump in 1968 when a teammate gave him one to try.

"When that thing took hold, I thought I was having a heart attack," Aaron wrote. "It was a stupid thing to do."

Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mlb/news/20140408/hank-aaron-715-home-runs-anniversary-barry-bonds/#ixzz2yQeub2NV

[Upton]

8. So, I'm correct..

Aaron admits to taking amphetamines, but now he says he did it only once..sort of like Bill Clinton's “I didn't inhale, and I didn't try it again.”

You really believe shit like that? ..

[El Supremo]

9. Your statement was what he said in his autobiography.

Just setting that record straight without twisting the truth like you did.

[Upton]

10. A simple question..

did Aaron or did he not admit in his autobiography to taking amphetamines? The only answer is yes...which means my post is 100% correct. Now that's truly setting the record straight.

[El Supremo]

11. I'll answer with a question of my own.

Why would you want to sully the reputation of Aaron to defend the reputation of a convicted felon?

[Upton]

13. Facts are facts..

To say Aaron was completely clean is BS...

I'm not interested, as apparently you are, in sweeping his amphetamine use under the rug..

[Hoyt]

14. I'm with you El Supremo. Heck, I bet he smoked a joint a few times too. So what?

[Upton]

15. Hmm...

No hint of performance enhancing substances with Aaron. Just the purest swing ever.

Yet Aaron admits to using amphetamines...how does that square up with your post?

Btw, pot is not a PED, you can't say the same for greenies

[JonLP24]

23. I actually believe Clinton on that

Years later, around the time he was having the library open he did an interview w/ C-Span. He said that since he was never a cigarette smoker he didn't know how to inhale. First time I tried it I didn't inhale but that was because I didn't know how.

[joeybee12]

2. I won't "hint"...I'll say it outright....Hank is the Homerun King!

[yuiyoshida]

3. I agree...

I think Barry Bonds is a farce, pumped up on steroids. His team mates hated him, and he was an arrogant sob. Even Willie Mays wouldn't talk to him any more.

[Upton]

5. What?

Mays is Bonds godfather..and I'm not sure where you got the idea they're not on speaking terms...

[yuiyoshida]

16. Read it some where in the Chronicle

They were feuding..

[Upton]

6. Fuck Selig..

he ruled over baseball during the steroid era and for the most part turned his back on it. What a hypocrite.

[El Supremo]

12. Wow! We do agree on that.

[Iggo]

17. It's a known fact.

No need to hint at it.

[wilt the stilt]

18. Sorry Hank and Barry but the "say hey kid" was the best

Aaron had the longest career but he did not ever hit 50 hr's in a season. He lost no time to the military. He played in the launching pad as opposed to frigid candlestick. Willie is the only player to hit 50 hrs 10 years apart and every one who grew up with both knows Willie was the better player and a better HR hitter.

Herman Franks said if Willie had played in another park he would have hit 800 hr's and Joe Morgan used to opine that major league baseball should have an award for the most outstanding player for the year. He wanted to name it the Willie May's award. 'nuff said.

Willie was the better fielder, more speed, better arm and better HR hitter.

[ProfessorGAC]

19. A Lot of Ifs

But, i do agree that Willie was a much better fielder and had more speed.

Aaron did not, however, play in a launching pad in Milwaukee. Windy and cold in the early and late parts of the season there too. Playing there was not like playing in Atlanta.

And, Willie played in the Polo Grounds where a pop fly down the line could be a homer.

Last point: Hitting 755 home runs and never hitting 50 in a season is actually a very impressive accomplishment, not a negative. It means someone would have had to hit 30 HR's per year for a quarter-century. That's pretty darned good.

[wilt the stilt]

20. longevity and no military service

more than sheer power. Aaron's hr's total took off in Atlanta. Davey Johnson hit 42 in one season down here to tie hornsby for the all time record for 2b. The thought behind over 50 is that is when you really become a HR threat.

My brother went to a game at Shea in 1868. It turned into a 23 inning game willie ended up playing SS. Hank was a 2nd baseman and a right fielder. Willie was SS and a centerfielder. the best fielder on the team is the SS and CF.

Don't get me wrong hank was great Willie was the best and you know it. I hate that Willie is forgotten.



before 1990

HR Career HR Ref
1920 Babe Ruth New York Yankees 54^ 714 [5]
1921 Babe Ruth(2) New York Yankees 59^ 714 [5]
1927 Babe Ruth (3) New York Yankees 60^ 714 [5]
1928 Babe Ruth(4) New York Yankees 54 714 [5]
1930 Hack Wilson Chicago Cubs 56 244 [30]
1932 Jimmie Foxxr Philadelphia Athletics 58 534 [31]
1938 Jimmie Foxx (2) Boston Red Sox 50 534 [31]
1938 Hank Greenberg Detroit Tigers 58 331 [32]
1947 Johnny Mize New York Giants 51 359 [33]
1947 Ralph Kiner Pittsburgh Pirates 51 369 [34]
1949 Ralph Kinerr (2) Pittsburgh Pirates 54 369 [34]
1955 Willie Mays New York Giants 51 660 [35]
1956 Mickey Mantle New York Yankees 52 536 [36]
1961 Mickey Mantler (2) New York Yankees 54 536 [36]
1961 Roger Maris New York Yankees 61^ 275 [37]
1965 Willie Mays (2) San Francisco Giants 52 660 [35]
1977 George Foster Cincinnati Reds 52 348


after 1990- can we say steroids-Brady Anderson LOL

1990 Cecil Fielder Detroit Tigers 51 319 [39]
1995 Albert Belle Cleveland Indians 50 381 [40]
1996 Brady Anderson Baltimore Orioles 50 210 [41]
1996 Mark McGwire Oakland Athletics 52 583 [42]
1997 Ken Griffey, Jr. Seattle Mariners 56 630 [43]
1997 Mark McGwire (2) Oakland Athletics
St. Louis Cardinals 58 583 [42]
1998 Greg Vaughn San Diego Padres 50 355 [44]
1998 Ken Griffey, Jr. (2) Seattle Mariners 56 630 [43]
1998 Sammy Sosa Chicago Cubs 66 609 [45]
1998 Mark McGwire (3) St. Louis Cardinals 70^ 583 [42]
1999 Sammy Sosa (2) Chicago Cubs 63 609 [45]
1999 Mark McGwire (4) St. Louis Cardinals 65 583 [42]
2000 Sammy Sosa (3) Chicago Cubs 50 609 [45]
2001 Alex Rodriguez Texas Rangers 52 647 [46]
2001 Luis Gonzalez Arizona Diamondbacks 57 354 [47]
2001 Sammy Sosa (4) Chicago Cubs 64 609 [45]
2001 Barry Bonds San Francisco Giants 73^ 762 [48]
2002 Jim Thome Cleveland Indians 52 611 [49]
2002 Alex Rodriguez- Texas Rangers 57 647 [46]
2005 Andruw Jones- Atlanta Braves 51 433 [50]
2006 Ryan Howard Philadelphia Phillies 58 311 [9]
2006 David Ortiz- Boston Red Sox 54 431 [51]
2007 Alex Rodriguez-r (3) New York Yankees 54 647 [46]
2007 Prince Fielder-Milwaukee Brewers 50 257 [52]
2010 José Bautista-r Toronto Blue Jays 54 183 [53]
2013 Chris Davis- Baltimore Orioles 53 130 [54]

[ProfessorGAC]

21. We Completely Agree on Willie

He was great, exciting, outgoing, and showed joy in playing. Pretty hard not to like him as a player, even beyond his shear production.

Still, i'm quite the Hank guy, too.

All that being said, Billy Williams had the prettiest swing i ever saw. We're in the same age group, Wilt.

GAC

[wilt the stilt]

22. really old