049 Hammer Time (Hank Aaron)

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This person died 2021 age 86. He was routinely brilliant, performing with seemingly effortless grace. He did not enjoy the idolatry accorded to his contemporaries. He grew up in Alabama amid rigid segregation, and he faced abuse from the stands while playing in the South as a minor leaguer. He was voted an All-Star in all but his first and last seasons, and he won three Gold Glove awards. The San Francisco Giants’ Barry Bonds surpassed his home run record in August 2007. In the 1974 season, he eclipsed Babe Ruth as baseball’s home run king, hitting 755 homers and holding the most celebrated record in sports for more than 30 years. Today’s dead celebrity is Hank Aaron.

See the transcript of this episode at this link.