28 He just would not open up to you: Interview with Wes Covington, Eau Claire Leader-Telegram, August 16, 1993.
29 No one can guess his IQ: Al Stump, “Hank Aaron: Public Image vs. Private Reality,” Sport, August 1964.
30 One time I got to second base: Poling, A Summer Up North, p. 40.
31 It was never a romance: ibid, p. 52.
32 When you think about who Henry Aaron is: interview with Jerry Poling.
33 Jacksonville and Savannah: The Sporting News, April 15, 1953.
34 It was toward the country: interview with Jim Frey.
35 When you’re seventeen or eighteen years old: interview with Felix Mantilla.
36 I remember one day I asked Henry: interview with Bill Slack.
37 I’ll never forget that day at the depot: interview with Ed Scott.
CHAPTER THREE: STEPIN FETCHIT
38 Any amount you ask for that kid Henry Aaron: Milwaukee Journal, March 3, 1954.
39 Aaron Given Divided Vote By Prophets: Milwaukee Sentinel, March 14, 1954.
40 Aaron laid claim to a permanent roster: Mark Stewart and Mike Kennedy, Hammering Hank: How the Media Made Henry Aaron (Guilford, Connecticut: Lyons Press, 2006), p. 49.
41 I was playing in Sarasota: Hank Aaron, with Dick Schaap: Home Run: My Life in Pictures (New York: Total Sports, 1999), p. 47.
42 Red Sox Shade Braves, 3–2: Milwaukee Journal, March 11, 1954.
43 a little house on stilts: interview with Henry Aaron.
44 I remembered thinking: interview with Bill White.
45 Mother Gibson Serves Very Tasty Table: Milwaukee Journal, March 2, 1954.
46 Mrs. Gibson’s was the best choice at that time: interview with Henry Aaron.
47 Behind the scenes, we made things happen: interview with Bill White.
48 “Slow Motion” Aaron Becomes: Milwaukee Journal, March 21, 1954.
49 He was talking about something: interview with Henry Aaron.
50 We had so many different people: interview with Chuck Tanner.
CHAPTER FOUR: MILWAUKEE
51 The whole thing is utterly fantastic: The Sporting News, July 18, 1951.
52 With the team we had: interview with Johnny Logan.
53 We got automobiles to drive: interview with Frank Torre.
54 The free choice of residence: Milwaukee Commission on Human Rights, The Housing of Negroes in Milwaukee, 1955, pamphlet 57-2402 (Milwaukee, 1955); available online at www.wisconsinhistory.org.
55 The first thing I noticed about Milwaukee: interview with Henry Aaron.
56 If it weren’t for Bill Bruton: ibid.
57 There were beaches everywhere in Florida: Larry Moffi and Jonathan Kronstadt, Crossing the Line: Black Major Leaguers, 1947–1959 (Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 1994), p. 89.
58 My grandfather was a shortstop: interview with Greg Spahn.
59 Spahn and I: interview with Henry Aaron.
60 No way: Milwaukee Sentinel, March 11, 1954.
61 He knew Henry was going to have it rough: interview with Chuck Tanner.
62 Aaron Good Now: Milwaukee Journal, June 25, 1954.
CHAPTER FIVE: WEHMEIER
63 Aaron, who rarely shows emotion: This and subsequent quotes regarding the banquet are from The Sporting News, February 1, 1956.
64 I shouldn’t dignify either question: The Sporting News, September 28, 1955.
65 Kick his ass, Joe: interview with Johnny Logan.
66 Baseball is a lot like church: interview with Roger Kahn.
67 He was more than just a manager to me: Chicago Defender, May 26, 1956.
68 I don’t care if the guy is yellow: interview with Roger Kahn.
69 Willie’s Wallop Wins Windup: The Sporting News, November 16, 1955.
70 It was okay to be black in the South: interview with Henry Aaron.
71 All Mays had over Henry: interview with Johnny Logan.
72 Robby Has Reds Buzzing: Chicago Defender, March 21, 1956.
73 Jackie, what are you doing?: interview with Roger Kahn.
74 Aaron Picked To Win: Chicago Defender, April 21, 1956.
75 Dodgers, Yanks Picked To Win: ibid.
76 You didn’t even worry about Spahn: interview with Gene Conley.
77 Are you prepared to say that Grimm: The Sporting News, June 27, 1956.
78 We would have been the powerhouse: interview with Johnny Logan.
79 Burdette told me that there is no place: New York Times, September 12, 1956.
80 Braves Open With Cardinals: Milwaukee Journal, September 28, 1956.
81 What Happened To Braves?: Milwaukee Journal, October 1, 1956.
82 In 1956: interview with Henry Aaron.
CHAPTER SIX: JACKIE
83 An outburst by Jackie Robinson: New York Times, November 2, 1956.
84 Dear Jackie and Rachel: Manuscript Division, Library of Congress.
85 Dear Jackie: Manuscript Division, Library of Congress.
86 And when Jackie wants to try extra hard: New York Times, December 17, 1956.
87 Thank you for your letter: Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Jackie Robinson Collection.
88 Campy is quoted as saying: Manuscript Division, Library of Congress.
89 Had something in mind: Manuscript Division, Library of Congress.
90 Some pacifist black freak: interview with Roger Kahn.
91 Southern Scribe Blames Jackie: Los Angeles Times, August 3, 1956.
92 If you’ll forgive a personal experience: New York Times, December 17, 1956.
CHAPTER SEVEN: SCRIPTURE
93 Braves’ Aaron Asks Pay Boost: Chicago Tribune, January 27, 1957.
94 I was making ten grand one year: interview with Gene Conley.
95 I think back then we all realized: interview with Henry Aaron.
96 The National League pennant has been a mirage: Chicago Tribune, January 19, 1957.
97 Bob Wolf always kept it to the game: interview with Chuck Tanner.
98 Jolly Cholly: interview with Gene Conley.
99 Whether I’m hitting good or not: The Sporting News, May 1, 1957.
100 I remember it probably better than anybody: interview with Frank Torre.
101 You have to remember: interview with Johnny Logan.
102 Ah, that was complete bullshit: ibid.
103 You had to drink to hang out: ibid.
104 I kept to myself: interview with Henry Aaron.
105 He went through terrible times: interview with Frank Torre.
106 He really was all business: interview with Gene Conley.
107 You had to remember that integration: interview with Henry Aaron.
108 Hank Aaron Ties Ruth Homer Mark: Washington Post, July 11, 1957.
109 The Wrist Hitter: Time, July 29, 1957.
110 I wouldn’t have taken that shit: interview with Bill White.
111 We got along quite well: interview with Furman Bisher.
112 Born To Play Ball: The Saturday Evening Post, August 25, 1956.
113 Braves’ Blazing Aaron Bids For Batting Title: The Sporting News, August 8, 1956.
114 I don’t know if there was a way to figure it: interview with Chuck Tanner.
115 For Aaron stretched out his hand: Time, October 7, 1957.
CHAPTER EIGHT: BUSHVILLE
116 Fred, do you think your team will choke up: Los Angeles Times, October 1, 1957.
117 Before the thing even began: interview with Johnny Logan.
118 They had to beat the White Sox: interview with Greg Spahn.
119 Before the start of the 1957 World Series: ibid.
120 We weren’t scared of the Yankees: interview with Gene Conley.
121 When we went in 1957: interview with Johnny Logan.
122 The Pennant Victory Ball: Milwaukee Journal, September 30, 1957.
123 You can’t help your club from the tub: interview with Ralph Garr.
124 Aaron’s Swap: Crown For Pennant: Milwaukee Journal, September 29, 19
57.
125 Henry didn’t volunteer what he thought about you: interview with Felix Mantilla.
126 Braves Welcomed At Airport: Milwaukee Journal, October 4, 1957.
127 “Well,” the Perfesser told his pitcher: Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream. Directed by Mike Tollin; produced by Mike Tollin and and Brian Robbins. Copyright 1995 TBS Productions, Inc.
128 Lary would spend three weeks: Los Angeles Times, December 16, 1957.
CHAPTER NINE: ALMOST
129 When you come close to winning: Eddie Mathews, Eddie Mathews and the National Pastime (Milwaukee: Douglas American Sports Publications, 1994), p. 150.
130 The other ballplayers were completely stunned: Mathews, Eddie Mathews and the National Pastime, p. 166.
131 Those guys, all they did was carry the balls to BP: interview with Gene Conley.
132 looked his friend in the eye: Henry Aaron, with Stan Baldwin and Jerry Jenkins, Bad Henry (Radnor, Pennsylvania: Chilton, 1974).
133 If he ever had one beer: interview with Gregory Spahn.
134 That position in center: New York Times, March 12, 1958.
135 Braves Frolic In Clubhouse: New York Times, October 7, 1958.
136 Going into the eighth: Washington Post, October 10, 1958.
137 You didn’t want to swing it last October: Washington Post, March 10, 1959.
138 Braves Shade Dodgers: Los Angeles Times, May 6, 1959.
139 Sam Jones Guns For Hank Aaron: Los Angeles Times, May 21, 1959.
140 A disgracefully small crowd: New York Times, September 29, 1959.
141 The Coliseum was a football field: interview with Frank Torre.
142 Every team has its “ifs” and “buts”: Hank Aaron, with Lonnie Wheeler, I Had a Hammer: The Hank Aaron Story (New York: HarperCollins, 1992), p. 143.
CHAPTER TEN: RESPECT
143 You ache with the need: Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man (New York: Random House, 1952), p. 4.
144 There was a reason: Frank A. Aukofer, City with a Chance: A Case History of Civil Rights Revolution (Milwaukee: Marquette University Press, 2007), p. 219.
145 It’s nice to get attention and favors: Roger Angell, Once More Around the Park: A Baseball Reader (New York: Ballantine Books, 1991), p. 150.
146 You always knew he was a serious man: interview with Joe Torre.
147 Soon, a routine formed: interview with Henry Aaron.
148 My mother was so mad: interview with Ted Williams.
149 I remember it well: interview with Henry Aaron.
150 a lone black fellow who played baseball: interview with Howard Chinn.
151 Stump came away with a story: Al Stump, “Hank Aaron: Public Image vs. Private Reality,” Sport, August 1964.
152 I know I did not make it easy: interview with Henry Aaron.
153 Things are as bad: James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time (New York: Dial, 1963), p. 59.
154 We’ve been waiting all this time: Jackie Robinson, Baseball Has Done It. (1964; reprint, Brooklyn, New York: IG Publishing, 2005), p. 139.
155 I was sensitive to what they would face: interview with Henry Aaron.
156 I’ve read some newspapermen saying: Robinson, Baseball Has Done It, p. 134.
I never knew Jackie said that: interview with Henry Aaron.
157 It never did any good: interview with Henry Aaron.
158 People have been treating this man: interview with Allan Tanenbaum.
159 It always bothered me: interview with Bill White.
160 Henry Aaron is a nice man: interview with Furman Bisher.
161 Pursuant to general agreement: Manuscript Division, Library of Congress.
162 Fred Lowey called: ibid.
163 I think Fred Lowey: ibid.
164 That was when the old man: Manuscript Division, Library of Congress.
165 My Dear Larry: ibid.
166 Dear Dick: ibid.
167 Dear Mr. O’Malley: ibid.
168 “Nobody,” Selig would say, hit more home runs: interview with Bud Selig.
169 The Camel Mildness Test: Milwaukee Journal, April 16, 1951.
170 He was such a good, open man: interview with Joe Torre.
171 It was almost from the time we met: interview with Carolyn Aaron.
172 Dressen never blended with this club: interview with Joe Torre.
173 The two things I remember most: interview with Tim McCarver.
174 I don’t think I’ve earned my due: Robinson, Baseball Has Done It, p. 140.
CHAPTER ELEVEN: ATLANTA
175 This is a moral issue: The Sporting News, January 16, 1965.
176 I thought about history: interview with Bill Bartholomay.
177 Mr. Perini is planning to move the Braves: The Sporting News, November, 7, 1962.
178 Milwaukee Syndicate Offer: The Sporting News, December 1, 1962.
179 The cow had been milked: The Sporting News, November, 7, 1962.
180 Move To Georgia Peachy? Not To Aaron: Chicago Defender, April 17, 1965.
181 Aaron and Maye Disturbed: Associated Press, January 16, 1965.
182 I have lived in the South: Chicago Defender, April 17, 1965.
183 Not only were blacks forbidden to sit: Gary Pomerantz, Where Peachtree Meets Sweet Autumn: A Saga of Race and Family (New York: Penguin, 1996), p. 257.
184 When I was in high school: interview with Bob Hope.
185 There was a real hostile feel: interview with Bill Bartholomay.
186 The leaders of the city didn’t want: interview with Andrew Young.
187 Aaron Says He Could Have Won: Chicago Defender, March 2, 1964.
188 I had read so much about Musial: Associated Press, May 14, 1970.
189 Martin was a big baseball fan: interview with Andrew Young.
190 Eisenberg was a Braves batboy: interview with Buz Eisenberg.
191 What got you here is what’s going to keep you here: interview with Ralph Garr.
192 Francona had been a big leaguer: interview with Tito Francona.
193 When his son, Terry: interview with Terry Francona.
194 In New York, Tito and Henry: interview with Tito Francona.
195 Yet Ralph and Dusty saw Henry: interview with Dusty Baker.
196 There were times I got called in: ibid.
197 And then there was the infamous evening: New York Times, August 9, 1966.
198 You could never tell at the plate: interview with Ralph Garr.
199 I had the fortune to room with a guy: interview with Cito Gaston.
200 He used to tell me all the time: interview with Ralph Garr.
201 Already he ees showing me: Al Stump, “Hank Aaron: Public Image vs. Private Reality,” Sport, August 1964.
202 I don’t know if I’m talking out of school: interview with Tito Francona.
203 Somewhere during the exchange: interview with Joe Torre.
204 No way was Willie a better hitter than me: interview with Henry Aaron.
205 I consider us the best of friends: Wall Street Journal, April 17, 1970.
206 Hank Becomes A Hit: Sports Illustrated, August 18, 1969.
207 Move Over, Babe: Los Angeles Times, October 5, 1969.
208 We were off that night: interview with Ralph Garr.
209 Aaron—600G For 3 Years: Chicago Tribune, March 1, 1972.
210 It was Milo Hamilton, the broadcaster: interview with Wayne Minshew.
211 I’ll see how it goes: Washington Post, January 30, 1972.
212 It’s July 1957: interview with Reese Schonfeld.
213 I was just a kid, and it was exciting to me: ibid.
214 Wednesday Night: New York Times, June 1, 1972.
215 It’s kind of fun now and then: Charles Einstein, Willie’s Time: A Memoir (New York: Penguin, 1989), p. 34.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: RUTH
216 He had leukemia: interview with Bob Hope.
217 Just give us the chance: interview with Buck O’Neil.
218 Fo
r our community: Jimmy Carter, An Hour Before Daylight (New York: Simon and Schuster), 2001, p. 32.
219 Like Jimmy Carter, Bob Hope also felt a certain swell: interview with Jimmy Carter.
220 He refused to defile his body: The Long Winter of Henry Aaron, originally broadcast by NBC, 1973; rebroadcast by ESPN, 2006.
221 I would like to read to you: ibid.
222 It’s the only place: “Hank Aaron: Going for the Record,” Ebony, September 1973.
223 Henry would sit in the boat: “Chasing the Babe,” Newsweek, August 13, 1973.
224 Aaron Sued For Tenfold Alimony: Associated Press, June 3, 1974.
225 I’ve always read Mickey Mantle: “Henry Aaron’s Golden Autumn,” Time, September 24, 1973.
226 The game was being televised on Channel 17: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, April 5, 1974.
227 It should not even have been necessary: interview with Billye Aaron.
228 “Ralph,” Henry said at his locker: interview with Ralph Garr.
229 I just feel good and happy: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, April 9, 1974.
230 To Downing, the words were another: interview with Al Downing.
231 If there’s anything I can ever do for you: ibid.
232 One night, someone brought up the idea: Jim “Mudcat” Grant, Tom Sabellico, and Pat O’Brien, The Black Aces: Baseball’s Only African-American Twenty-Game Winners (Farmingdale, New York: Black Aces, 2006), p. 319.
233 Henry Aaron. What else did you need to say?: interview with Steve Yeager.
234 I had no idea who they were: interview with Mike Marshall.
235 Everybody expects him to do it every time now: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, April 8, 1984.
236 Henry begins to walk up to home plate: Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream. Directed by Mike Tollin; produced by Mike Tollin and Brian Robbins. Copyright 1955 TBS Productions, Inc.
237 No, you have your own footsteps: interview with Jimmy Wynn.
238 There’s Al Downing: interview with Al Downing.
239 And swinging two bats is Henry Aaron: Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream.
240 It was a long time ago: interview with Steve Yeager.
241 If you told someone you were Cape Verdean: interview with Davey Lopes.
242 Well, I wasn’t really sure what I was going to do: interview with Ron Cey.