Hank Aaron beloved by fans both young and old

[midtownman]

A fan shares a story and photo about seeing the great Hank Aaron in Anaheim during All-Star week. Aaron spoke about his life, career and Jason Heyward, among other topics. Per usual, Aaron comes off in a very positive light.
http://ifollo.com/celebritystory/hank-aaron-beloved-fans-both-young-and-old

[Freddy_Ballgame]

This could've been more the exception than the rule, Midtownman. Most accounts I've heard from people who have met him and in having seen him myself, Aaron is still one bitter dude. Apparently he's still got his balls in a bunch because he isn't considered as good as Willie Mays was in most baseball circles. Mays is still the best player I ever saw, although Aaron isn't that far back.

[Andy G.]

This could've been more the exception than the rule, Midtownman. Most accounts I've heard from people who have met him and in having seen him myself, Aaron is still one bitter dude. Apparently he's still got his balls in a bunch because he isn't considered as good as Willie Mays was in most baseball circles. Mays is still the best player I ever saw, although Aaron isn't that far back.
You could not possibly be more wrong.

[Freddy_Ballgame]

Sure I could....I'm offering my statement based on my own experience. Whether you like or accept it is your choice. Neither changes my experience.

[Andy G.]

Sure I could....I'm offering my statement based on my own experience. Whether you like or accept it is your choice. Neither changes my experience.
I'm not saying that you did not "hear" that Aaron was bitter about Mays being thought of as the better player. I'm saying you're wrong to believe it. And I'm extremely skeptical that you've "seen" his bitterness personally. Do you know Hank Aaron?

Aaron is misunderstood by a lot of people, and Mays' reputation as being the better ball player is not the only thing he is supposedly "bitter" about.

[Lauren T.]

I'm not saying that you did not "hear" that Aaron was bitter about Mays being thought of as the better player. I'm saying you're wrong to believe it. And I'm extremely skeptical that you've "seen" his bitterness personally. Do you know Hank Aaron?

Aaron is misunderstood by a lot of people, and Mays' reputation as being the better ball player is not the only thing he is supposedly "bitter" about.
Aaron is pretty standoffish, and that's all I'll say about that.

[Andy G.]

I won't dispute that, but this is not the first time I've heard someone claim that he's bitter over the Willie Mays thing, and that is just wrong.

[Lauren T.]

But unless Aaron has personally told you one way or the other, you don't know...

[Andy G.]

But unless Aaron has personally told you one way or the other, you don't know...
Well, I've read his autobiography, which is kind of the same thing. And while some people like Freddy might be so much of a cynic that they'll say you can't believe what's in his autobiography, and they'll choose to believe he's a bitter old man, I don't view him that way. I actually know a lot about Hank Aaron, though I've definitely never met him.

[wordslayer©]

I know that most of his anger was due to racism that he experienced as a young man growing up in the south.

I will say this.....I do think he may be bitter about some things, but who could blame him? I doubt that there has ever been a superstar that got worse treatment than Aaron has.

But he has gotten a lot more aggressive in his older years.....

Even today, I think he has a lawsuit against the company that makes that eye paint that athletes use to keep the sun out of their eyes, because he never sees black athletes getting to wear it.

[Freddy_Ballgame]

The man is bitter about how he was regarded and treated. While I do not know him personally, I know some who know him socially and have stated he was quite aloof and not very pleasant. I have seen several documentaries and programs about the Negro Leagues and MLB and honestly, I have never heard anyone say Aaron was the best they've seen. Most all the old timers said without hesitation that "Buck" (Mays' nickname) is the best ballplayer they've ever seen. I agree. I do hope Aaron has mellowed but the last I heard from a couple of years back, was that he hasn't. Maybe he just doesn't mix well....

[Andy G.]

I have no concern with how people rank him as a player, Freddy.

All the talk of him being bitter comes from people who don't know him well. He's not the type of person to just open up and let anyone in. He's absolutely standoffish, and that's what causes people to perceive him that way. Just like anyone who is a famous athlete or celebrity, people who don't understand them will still form opinions on their personalities. That's how rumors such as Hank Aaron's bitterness come about. They aren't based on anything more than speculation from people who don't know him personally. He's a complicated guy. In this society, people don't give celebrities the benefit of the doubt. If a famous person isn't all smiles and cliches, people will start to think they're jerks, or they're bitter, or that they hate their fans, etc....

[Lauren T.]

Another thing to keep in mind about autobiographies (I love them and read them more often than any other sort of non-fiction) -- they're almost always ghostwritten. Someone might sit, say, Lucille Ball down with a tape recorder and get her stories, and write the book in "her" voice, but rarely does the star actually put pen to paper. The stories are smoothed over to make the people look as good as possible, the light as flattering as possible. Why would Aaron write a book about himself that makes him look like a jerk, you know? ;)

I'm not saying he's a jerk. I'm just saying when I've been around him, he's been very aloof and not nearly as friendly/kind/talkative as the likes of Schuerholz, Cox, or Wren. They're simply on opposite ends of the spectrum.

[Freddy_Ballgame]

Well, I've read his autobiography, which is kind of the same thing. And while some people like Freddy might be so much of a cynic that they'll say you can't believe what's in his autobiography, and they'll choose to believe he's a bitter old man, I don't view him that way. I actually know a lot about Hank Aaron, though I've definitely never met him.

A cynic? Why suggest something like that? Should I suggest that you may be so star-struck you can't accept reality? The way you view him is your choice, nothing more. Nothing wrong with that. I offered a statement based on my actual experience and experiences shared with me by others with firsthand knowledge. I didn't write anyone else off for not choosing to accept what I offered. Lauren's point is quite valid, folks. Few lend themselves to an autobiography that diminishes their character. Dig up some of the programs from years back and see Aaron snort and make statements like, "Everyone knows I was a better hitter than Willie." Accept this as a paraphrase because I don't have the firsthand quote in front of me. Then you can watch the old ballplayers respond to who the best ballplayer was. None, that's zero, named Aaron. Granted, it's only their opinions, but Aaron is still "sore" because he isn't the one named. He even stated he was disturbed by Joe Dimaggio and his ridiculous prompting that had him introduced as the greatest living ballplayer at any function he attended. I believe Aaron and Mays quickly sought that title after Joe D pushed! Don't kid yourself into thinking Aaron is a modest fellow without a huge ego. Almost none of the greats are modest. Part of reaching such tremendous heights comes from having such a huge ego to keep pushing yourself forward. Please don't get me wrong. I'm still a huge fan of the Hammer's! He was a huge reason I love baseball. Remember, I was around for a large part of his playing career and saw him play. I take extra pride in the fact that guys like Aaron, Mays, McCovey and Sutton hail from Alabama, my home state. I'm still a baseball fan because of these guys and other greats. (I hated Sutton when he played for the Dodgers! I hated the Dodgers! The Braves were in the old NL West back then and the Dodgers pretty much owned them.) :thumbsup:

[luvdembravos]

Hank Aaron was a great ball player and if you pulled for the Braves in the 60s and 70s, he WAS the Atlanta Braves. Had he played in NY instead of Milwaukee and an up-and-coming southern city, history would've treated him better. He definitely had to fight racism too.

That said, Aaron absolutely sucked in public relations and never was a "people person." As a 11 YO kid, I personally experienced his sour attitude one afternoon in Richmond when the Braves were moving north to open the season and playing their last spring training game. Aaron had no idea how to interact with a bunch of admiring kids who were just trying to get his autograph. He was a ***** (but maybe standoffish is more PC :) )

[Andy G.]

A cynic? Why suggest something like that? Should I suggest that you may be so star-struck you can't accept reality? The way you view him is your choice, nothing more. Nothing wrong with that. I offered a statement based on my actual experience and experiences shared with me by others with firsthand knowledge. I didn't write anyone else off for not choosing to accept what I offered. Lauren's point is quite valid, folks. Few lend themselves to an autobiography that diminishes their character. Dig up some of the programs from years back and see Aaron snort and make statements like, "Everyone knows I was a better hitter than Willie." Accept this as a paraphrase because I don't have the firsthand quote in front of me. Then you can watch the old ballplayers respond to who the best ballplayer was. None, that's zero, named Aaron. Granted, it's only their opinions, but Aaron is still "sore" because he isn't the one named. He even stated he was disturbed by Joe Dimaggio and his ridiculous prompting that had him introduced as the greatest living ballplayer at any function he attended. I believe Aaron and Mays quickly sought that title after Joe D pushed! Don't kid yourself into thinking Aaron is a modest fellow without a huge ego. Almost none of the greats are modest. Part of reaching such tremendous heights comes from having such a huge ego to keep pushing yourself forward. Please don't get me wrong. I'm still a huge fan of the Hammer's! He was a huge reason I love baseball. Remember, I was around for a large part of his playing career and saw him play. I take extra pride in the fact that guys like Aaron, Mays, McCovey and Sutton hail from Alabama, my home state. I'm still a baseball fan because of these guys and other greats. (I hated Sutton when he played for the Dodgers! I hated the Dodgers! The Braves were in the old NL West back then and the Dodgers pretty much owned them.) :thumbsup:
I don't kid myself into thinking that ANY professional athlete is devoid of a massive ego. I don't necessarily view it as a character flaw. I can honestly say that I'm very consistent with this. I always give people the benefit of the doubt. I don't make judgments on someone's character unless I see them repeatedly do something that reeks of arrogance, such as Jim Edmonds carries himself every time he makes a semi-difficult play in the outfield. Even then, I dislike the baseball player, because as a fan there's nothing wrong with that. I don't pretend to know what he is like as a person.

Hank Aaron has always been the way he is. Since he was a kid, he's been quiet. He does not go out of his way to like anybody. Also, he's never seemed like the kind of person who's aware of how he comes to across to other people, and he's never really cared about it either.

There is a difference between finding it hard to get along with people and being a "bitter dude". I admit I probably jumped to a conclusions after your first post. So many people try to paint Hank Aaron as if he's some kind of giant d-bag, ala Barry Bonds, and I won't lie and tell you that it doesn't bother me when they do. I get defensive, because I look up to the guy so much. So I apologize for the way I responded, but you're still not getting where I'm coming from.

Of course Hank Aaron feels under-appreciated. Anybody in his situation would. So many people have jumped onto the "I'm not going to overrate Hank Aaron simply because of his homerun totals" that he's actually become underrated as a result of it. He doesn't walk around with a pissed off attitude though, and he doesn't lack any appreciation for his fans. He avoids having to sign autographs and all that as much as he can, because it makes him uncomfortable. However, when that situation is unavoidable, he obliges And he doesn't do it in a way that makes his fans feel as though he looks down on them.

There are a lot of people who know Hank Aaron on a personal level that will say that he is the first person they call when they're in trouble or need advice. He's a complicated guy. That's my whole point. When a famous person is hard to understand and they don't function as well socially as most of us would like, they inevitably garner a reputation for being...whatever expletive luvdem used in his post.

Hank Aaron has done a lot of great things off of the baseball field. I guess I shouldn't expect everybody to appreciate them as much as I do, but I feel as though he deserves a lot more slack than most people are willing to give him.

And like I said, I'm very consistent on this. I'm not afraid to admit that my heroes aren't flawless human beings. I almost resent that you would imply that, even if you didn't really mean to. I'm not that naive. I just respect the hell out of Hank Aaron.