Black History Month: February 5th
Hall Of Famer
On this day Hank Aaron, one of baseballs elite on and off, was born. The man they called “Hammerin’ Hank” career spanned the from the years 1954 through 1976, played for the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves in the National League, and his last two years (1975–76) with the Milwaukee Brewers in the American League.
His most notable achievement was setting the MLB record for most career home runs with 755, which he held for 33 years until being surpassed by San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds on August 7, 2007.
He is the only player to hit 30 or more home runs in a season at least fifteen times. He is also one of only four players to have at least seventeen seasons with 150 or more hits. Aaron made the All-Star team every year from 1955 until 1975 and won three Gold Glove Awards. Aaron holds the MLB records for the most career runs batted in (2,297), the most career extra base hits (1,477), and the most career total bases (6,856). Aaron is also in the top five for career hits with 3,771 (third) and runs with 2,174, which is tied for fourth with Babe Ruth).
In 1957, he won the National League Most Valuable Player Award and helped the Milwaukee franchise to a World Series victory.
Vin Scully Will Tickle Your Ears Once Again In 2010
TOP 5 ALL TIME
Vin Scully who is one of baseballs greatest announcers of all time has decided to stick around the broadcast booth in 2010 and do what he does best, announce Los Angeles Dodgers games.
Scully who turns 82 later this month, has seen his share of amazing moments through his 60 years as a play-by-play guy. There was Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series…
“Got him! The greatest game ever pitched in baseball history, by Don Larsen! A no-hitter, a perfect game in a World Series. Never in the history of the game has it ever happened in a World Series. And so our hats off to Don Larsen — no runs, no hits, no errors, no walks, no baserunners. The final score: The Yankees: two runs, five hits and no errors. The Dodgers: No runs, no hits, no errors… in fact, nothing at all.”
And another ace for Sandy Koufax in 1965…
“And Sandy Koufax, whose name will always remind you of strikeouts, did it with a flourish: he struck out the last six consecutive batters—so when he wrote his name in capital letters in the record books, that K stands out even more than the O-U-F-A-X.”
Game 6 of the 1986 World Series which Boston Red Sox fan will never forget…
“Little roller up along first… behind the bag! It gets through Buckner!! Here comes Knight and the Mets win it!”
Scully was there for Fernando Valenzuela’s 1990 perfect game as well…
“If you have a sombrero, throw it to the sky!”
But quite possibly the most important call for Scully came on April 8, 1974 when Hank Aaron nailed his 715th career home run…
“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 Hank Aaron.”
If you’ve never heard Vin Scully call a game then your only doing yourself the injustice, his words are like strokes of a paintbrush and it will be hard to replace greatness once he is gone but at least we won’t have to worry about that in the 2010 season.
