On April 8, 1974, baseball fans across the nation watched as Hank Aaron (nicknamed the Hammer) surpassed Babe Ruth by hitting his 715th home run. Tuesday marked the 40th anniversary for Hank’s historical hit and he was honored at a special pre-game celebration before the Braves took on the Mets for the Tuesday night game. Granted, not everyone was happy to see Aaron break the record at the time, not all of it was due to racism. Sure Aaron received death threats and letters and it was reported that some newspapers had even prepared obituaries in anticipation of Aaron’s death prior to, or shortly after Aaron breaking the home run record. I won’t discount how scary it must have been for Aaron to receive threats as he neared the 715th mark. Some of the letters were hurtful as Aaron recalled one in particular that he read stated:

“You are (not) going to break this record established by the great Babe Ruth if I can help it. Whites are far more superior than jungle bunnies. My gun is watching your every black move.”

For me, I will admit that I did not want Aaron to break the record. I was a kid at the time and I had a love for the game even then. Our school had just started the first ever softball league for girls and I was elated to have made the team. I had recently written a report on the great Babe Ruth and so I was a tad bit partial when it came to his home run record. It was then that I developed my love for the Yankees. I was enthralled by the history of so many things. The Bambino curse, the Great Bambino, the House that Ruth built and everything that came with it were all things that stuck in my mind. I didn’t want to lose all the nostalgia that was connected to the Babe Ruth record. I somehow felt that if Aaron broke the Babe’s record, that people would forget about him. I so didn’t want that to happen. And so every day at practice, while I was on the field with my mitt on my hand, I was praying that Aaron would not hit a home run. I didn’t think once about Aaron being a black man. That never crossed my mind. I only wanted to protect Babe Ruth and his record.

Well as we all know, Aaron broke that record. I watched it on tv a guzzilion times. I even surprised myself as I found myself celebrating. I was happy for Aaron. What a great accomplishment for him and what a great mark for the history of baseball. Sure I loved the Babe and wanted his record protected, but one could not help but celebrate that even the best would have his record broken. In my heart, I was happy for Aaron.  In fact, I bought and paid for a brand new mitt and it was a black mitt with the number 715 on it and stamped with a Hank Aaron signature. I still have that mitt by the way.

For so many of us, we were expecting to celebrate the 40th anniversary of this day in history. How disappointing for baseball fans everywhere to find that somehow this event had turned political. Is it wrong for Aaron to point out that racism had a huge effect during the period leading up to him breaking the home run record? No, it is not. For Aaron, he keeps the racist letters that he received,

“To remind myself that we are not that far removed from when I was chasing the record,” Aaron explained to USA Today Sports. “If you think that, you are fooling yourself. A lot of things have happened in this country, but we have so far to go. There’s not a whole lot that has changed”

For Aaron to keep those letters as a reminder for what he had to endure through those years is completely understandable. But to use them for a political statement against those who oppose Obama is not. Aaron then went on to say this:

“We can talk about baseball. Talk about politics. Sure this country has a black president, but when you look at a black president, President Obama is left with his foot stuck in the mud from all of the Republicans with the way he’s treated. – The bigger difference is that back then they had hoods. Now they have neckties and starched shirts.”

Personally I am appalled that Aaron would make those statements at an event commemorating that great moment in baseball history. Yes, I would have wanted to celebrate right along with him on this day. But he was pointing his finger and yes he was pointing his finger at me. Is nothing sacred anymore? America’s favorite past time has seen its challenges for sure when it comes to racism as we can even look back to Jackie Robinson. Robinson broke the color barrier by becoming the first African American to play in baseball’s major leagues. He started at a time when baseball was segregated where blacks and whites played in separate leagues. Racism has played a major role in sport’s history but has seen a major decline especially in the past 40 years. How disappointing that Aaron would dishonor Robinson and even his own record considering how much has been accomplished regarding racism and sports.

So on a day that I would normally celebrate and reminiscence about my days on a baseball field, I find myself once again in the political arena. Racism is alive and well in our country according to many of Obama’s supporters. Being compared to the KKK for disagreeing with Obama shouldn’t come as a surprise.  Nothing is sacred anymore in the ObamaNation, including something as simple as a celebration of a great moment in baseball’s history.