Who Is He?

A couple of years ago I wrote an article about the best player ever in baseball. As single season home run records were being smashed, I was inspired to clarify greatness. As you read this now, some of the stats about the former left fielder of the SF Giants are no longer accurate but my point was valid in the day. I thought it appropriate to publish this article today in light of the proceedings in federal court in SF today. Who Is He? by Steven M. Evans We all know who the all-time Hit King is and we all know who he passed to get there. But does anybody ever talk about the #3 guy, with more hits than Stan Musial or Tris Speaker, and over 1100 more hits than Barry Bonds, who hasn't yet caught up to Nellie Fox, Luis Aparicio, Roberto Alomar or Rusty Staub? Do we remember the all time RBI king, the leader in total bases or extra base hits, who also had over 200 stolen bases? Or how about the guy who is tied with Babe Ruth for third all-time in runs scored. Or what about the guy who is ninth all-time in doubles. Do we remember the guy who has played in the third most games with the second most at bats ever and still had a lifetime .305 batting average? This guy didn't have a personal trainer feeding him a select grade vitamins, diet and work out regimen. He ate only in select establishments with a select cuisine offered only to people of his select color. But of course those were on the good days, when he was in a city that actually had open restaurants accepting people of his color. This guy didn't have a former major leaguer for a father or a Hall of Famer, as his personal hitting instructors and mentors. He didn't get the privilege of going to a college to showcase his baseball talents for the big league draft. He played shortstop for a season with a team called the "Clowns" in league whose talent was being scalped by big league teams. He had crowds of people taunting him because of his skin color, and had no personal services contract with someone to protect him. In fact in many cities the laws were not there or not enforced to protect people like him. Even his teammates didn’t want people of his color. He didn't have videos and volumes of computer data on each pitcher he faced. He used his memory. There were no computer simulations. He didn't go into the cages in between innings to practice his swing. There was no whirlpool and masseuse waiting for him after the game. He didn’t have a personal trainer or a team medical staff, let alone have his team hire someone to the staff just to help him stretch out. He didn't have scads of money to spend on honing his craft, he needed his money to live and support his family. And of course he didn't have endorsement deals. This guy couldn't easily vote in a presidential election, let alone vote in his trade union. There was no one there to fight for a raise he didn't deserve — a perk that modern ballplayers enjoy. Neither was there any union to protect him from clearing his soiled name, but then again he didn't soil his name. This guy didn't fly first class in cushy seats. He rode in the back of the bus with other people his color. This guy faced death threats for his accomplishments. As he approached a record breaking event, he did not have a nation rooting him on, but received thousands of pieces of hate mail, so vile that they would garner an NC-17 rating. The content of the mail was so bad, that if it happened today there would be a federal investigation into these hate crimes. He faced death threats on the field too. From pitchers like Koufax, Dysdale and Gibson, who weren't warned when they pitched inside. And he didn't dare glare at them or think about charging them. He was man enought to take it and retaliated with his bat and glove. This guy never hit his home runs in band boxes like Coors Field or Minute Maid Park. He didn’t have the dimensions of his team’s field catered to his swing. He played in "fields" like Shibe Park, old Busch Stadium and Forbes Field. His storied career was built during an era when pitching reigned king, possibly the greatest era of hurlers ever. This guy won a World Series Championship and a Batting Title. He could hit both the cut-off man and catcher in the chest. He never struck out over 100 times in a season. Currently ranking 58th all time in strike outs, he was just passed last season by Barry Bonds, who has played in 5 less seasons and 600 fewer games. Now certainly, he didn't face pitchers on steroids with the modern technological advantages, let alone play in an integrated league. He had the opportunity to hit against guys who pitched tired late into the game because there were no real "closers". But he didn’t face the watered down talent of our modern era where football, basketball and indifference take some of the best talent. Nonetheless, his accomplishments were his and were earned in ways that our modern day ball players will never understand. This guy is the greatest baseball player of all-time, bar none. Something that Barry Bonds should never be called. His name is Henry Aaron.