MLB.com: Emotional Aaron Relates to Obama - Rod_Carew29's Blog

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MLB.com: Emotional Aaron Relates to Obama

Posted on November 11, 2008 at 06:47 PM.

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Hall of Famer lauds fellow African-American breaking boundaries

11/11/08 12:56 PM EST

ATLANTA -- There was once a time when it seemed improbable to think that anybody would break Babe Ruth's career home run record. But 27 years after Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball's color barrier, an African-American, raised in the segregated South, battled through racial hate and established himself as the new home run king.
Now, 34 years after earning that crown, Hank Aaron finds himself once again celebrating another once-seemingly improbable event. During those days when he wasn't permitted to eat or stay at the same places provided for his white teammates, Aaron had little reason to wonder if he'd ever see the day when an African-American would become the President of the United States.

This provides understanding for the great emotional rush he realized last week when that improbability became a reality. As he and his wife, Billye, sat in front of two television sets and watched Barack Obama win election as the 44th President of the United States, Aaron found tears of joy trickling down his face.

"Going back in time, I never thought this was even close to being a possibility regarding the election of a black president in this country," Aaron told Terence Moore of The Atlanta-Journal Constitution. "None of this has sunk in, and it's going to become even more unbelievable on that day in January when [Obama] stands on that platform and is sworn in. I mean, that's going to really be another emotional day to see him as a black man, with his black wife and two little black girls beside him."

****** back to the beginning of his career, Aaron has met every president, with the exception of Dwight D. Eisenhower. He's never had the opportunity to meet Obama. But the two men who stretched the bounds of possibility did gesture toward each other while attending the same event in Atlanta earlier this year.

"I'm still collecting newspapers, different articles, all of those things over this, and I'm still on cloud nine," Aaron told the AJC.

During his historic career, Aaron encountered racial taunts in some cities. But he doesn't remember experiencing many problems with his hometown fans in Atlanta or Milwaukee.

Aaron's most memorable career moment came on Sept. 23, 1957, when he drilled a walk-off homer to deliver the Milwaukee Braves into a World Series that they'd win in seven games against the Yankees.

As Aaron reminded the AJC, that was also the day that a white mob forced nine students to flee Central High School during desegregation attempts in Little Rock, Ark.

Last week, Aaron's hometown of Mobile, Ala., moved his childhood home near the ballpark that is named in his honor. Restoration of that home brought back memories of those days when he often found himself earning money by carrying heavy blocks of ice.

At the time, it was a way to make a dime. But the work helped him develop the strong forearms that allowed him to realize a dream that once seemed as improbable as the one he and countless other Americans are currently sharing with Obama.

"It was a happy scene for me -- and for a lot of black people, given what we've been through in this country, and then to have this history," Aaron told the AJC.

Mark Bowman is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.