I'm sure you heard that baseball great Henry Aaron died late last week at 86. What a life he led in every regard.

Legend

When Cardinal great Bob Gibson died a few months ago, I wrote about him and I contend he may be the greatest "overall player" to play in the Major Leagues, and I stand by that.  (link To That Story)  But without ANY question Hank Aaron is greatest hitter to ever play and may always be so.  This is not a "good old days"  post, or "back in the day" post. That argument is lazy, close minded, dismissive and rude.  Aaron is as relevant today as any day, in fact maybe more so.  We are so bombarded by ESPN and other networks on what is great. To THEM all really good contemporary players are "great" or "huge" or the other words to glorify today's modern athlete.  In some cases they are spot on correct. But not near as many as they are trying to convince you so you'll watch, as they perch up way too many.

Hank Aaron was great, and that's not subjective.  45 years after retiring (4 years before ESPN) his numbers are still insane.  Just Google about any batting or hitting stat and you'll see him at the top or near the top of about any list. And keep in mind the Modern Era of  Baseball is well over 100 years old.  As unreal as this is, take away ALL of his 755 home runs, and he still over 3,000 hits!  Simply incredible. He won every award there is to win, he won a World Series, and in the end taught us all what sportsmanship is all about. He competed in an era where the league was smaller and far more competitive, the ball parks were bigger, the pitching mound was taller the pitching pool was far more fierce and aggressive. Those statements are not opinion, they are facts.  It is possible if Aaron would have played in today's era, he may have hit 1,000 home runs with the larger league, diluted pitching, first class accommodations and team resources, smaller stadiums, incredibly small strike zones, the pitchers fear of pitching inside and umpires reluctance to let them do so, plus MLB's love affair with the home run.

Aaron also faced in incredible amount of terrible behavior from fans and just people in many cities during the teeth of the Civil Rights Movement.  He got death threats when he was chasing down Babe Ruth's Home Run Record that he eventually did pass. And when a highly questionable Barry Bonds a generation or two later passed his all time mark, Aaron remained Aaron.  I feel most baseball fans still hold Aaron's record as the real record.

Aaron too was a different kind of guy. On the night he broke Ruth's record on National TV, he did it and simply ran the bases like it was a home run in any part of his career. He was class, grace, and outwardly humble, you see Aaron knew he was great because of what he could do  - and did on the field, The math backs him up. Most of today's "greats"  try to convince us of their greatness by their antics and branding. Yes, it's a new day and has been for a long, long time as the game evolves endlessly and that's a good thing for fans.  But I have a real good idea, go out and get your name on the same page as Aaron in the record books in anything and you can qualify as great.  It's really that easy.  No wait, that's how hard it really is. Because they don't.

Breaking Ruth's Record

Honestly, there are some really good players in today's MLB, there is no doubt about that. We all have our favorites and there are some that with the right career direction could be all time greats.  Example, I feel Derek Jeter was great, and the best post season player in history.  Yes, I saw Aaron play near the end of his career. I saw him break the home run record of TV too. If I was choosing all time team, he would be on it. My outfield would be him, Willie Mays, and Ken Griffey Jr.  Not because they were my favorites, but because their numbers are simply staggering.

Great has been diluted down so much over the years that it has became a word used in everyday conversation, when in fact "good" or "very good"  would probably suffice.  And one of the reasons is, people like Henry Aaron.  His ability was so incredible at his chosen field, it's impossible to duplicate. He and others have from various era's and sports have put the bar so high, it's almost impossible reach, even with every single advantage (legal and not) the current MLB and other pro leagues players have.

And just because Henry Aaron has passed away doesn't mean he defined great, but he continues -  to define -  great!  In every avenue there is.