Less than a week from being sworn into office the Biden administration has made history and a lot more events are planned as they move forward in trying to rehabilitate the country from the Trump’s administration’s recalcitrant behavior.
General Lloyd Austin received a congressional waiver having terminated active military service less than seven years. Recently he received Senate confirmation as Secretary of Defense and the first African-American to lead the agency.
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 25: Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (2nd L) participates in a ceremonial swearing-in with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris (R) in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on January 25, 2021 in Washington, DC. On Monday, President Biden signed an executive order repealing the ban on transgender people serving openly in the military. Austin was previously commander of the U.S. Central Command in the Obama administration. (Photo by Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images)
Yanet Yellen is known from her role on the Federal Reserve Board. She received Senate confirmation as Secretary of Treasury and becomes the first female to lead the agency.
WILMINGTON, DELAWARE – DECEMBER 01: U.S. Secretary of the Treasury nominee Janet Yellen speaks during an event to name President-elect Joe Biden’s economic team at the Queen Theater on December 1, 2020 in Wilmington, Delaware. Biden is nominating and appointing key positions to the Treasury Department, Office of Management and Budget, and the Council of Economic Advisers. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Henry Aaron passed away yesterday. For baseball nerds like myself I was sad to hear the announcement. It came on the heels of what has been quite a week. First, we saw the news that Trump “was gone.” After four years of tremendous turbulence which saw him contribute to the Republican party losing the House of Representatives, then the Senate and finally the presidency his antics, criminal behavior and abusive personality will undoubtedly make him one of the most memorable boneheads in history. That same day civility returned as Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States.
Larry King RIP
Then this morning we awakened to the news that legendary broadcaster Larry King passed away at 87. But this post is about Henry Aaron.
The legend of The Hammer
Sports is part of our culture and oftentimes history is made right before our eyes. Henry Aaron was an unassuming professional athlete. He was known as “Hank” and later as “The Hammer.” During his era many great African-American players blossomed and their slugging prowess might have been taken for granted.
Through his career he was not known as a high-profile player. His first major league team was with the Milwaukee Braves which was considered a small-market franchise. This more than anything allowed him to fly under the radar as it was not until you analyzed his stats that you realized his greatness. He played twenty-three years and not once did he go on the DL (disabled list). There were no pads to protect his body from blazing fast-balls, no batting gloves to protect his hands from being jarred by a batted ball which didn’t connect with the sweet spot of the bat. He just went and did his job, day in, day out and through it all earned the distinction as the home run king.
The historic 4th Inning
On that Monday night in 1974, I was at the apartment of my buddy Ed Davis. The Braves were playing our beloved Dodgers and we knew it was a matter of time but we sat in anticipation drinking Schlitz beer. Just like that, after Al Downing (known as Gentleman Al) let go of the pitch we heard Vin Scully describe the historic moment of 715.
Aaron wound up with a whopping 755 home runs. He became a great ambassador of the game and for his activism in civil rights. As Atlanta was preparing for the 1996 Olympics, Aaron’s home field, Fulton County stadium was about to be transformed into the main Olympic venue. We heard that once the games were complete the stadium would be named in honor of him. Unfortunately, that did not happen. In 2000 I finally got a chance to visit “Turner Field” and while I came for the game as the Braves were hosting the Pirates, I wanted to see the field replication that was embedded into the parking lot. It featured an accurate layout of the field and had a marker where Aaron’s 755th blast landed. What a site! As I went to see the game, I was lucky to catch a home run ball off the bat of a Pirates player.
Turner Field with diamond layout of Fulton County stadium and site where Aaron’s blast landed.
In 2017, Trust Park (Suntrust) became the new home of the Braves. I was still miffed they moved from “the hood” but I had a trip to Atlanta which coincided with the baseball season and luckily it was a home game. I organized the trip because I wanted to see long-time Dodger Matt Kemp who had been recently traded to the Braves. In addition, I wanted to see the much-heralded Hank Aaron statue and other tributes the new stadium featured. It was quite a site.
Fred at “The Hammer” statue – Trust Park 2017
Aaron’s legacy will be remembered by fans around the globe and known for his humanity and goodwill.
The cover picture is from the first "Freshman" college in 2006 as students took their place in front of the iconic Dr. Bethune statue at the campus
Dr. Mary McLeod-Bethune’s legacy is historic. The school she founded in Daytona Beach, FL is a proud HBCU (Historically Black College and University) campus.
Dr. Bethune will be the first African-American to have her statue in Statuary Hall which is located in the United States Capitol in Washington, DC. Perhaps aided by the BLM (Black Lives Matter) movement during last year’s worldwide reaction, Dr. Bethune’s statue will replace Confederate General Kirby Smith.
Interestingly the statue will be sculpted by Italian Master sculptor Nilda Comas. While her selection was already sealed, it brings some consternation among African-American sculptors who for years have developed an impressive tradition in preparing works of art. Similar to the Dr. Martin Luther King memorial which was produced by a Chinese sculptor, once again they may feel shut out of lending their talents to such revered figures.
Nevertheless, this represents a great testament to the respect Dr. McLeod-Bethune garnered during her life’s work.
editorial note: Bethune-Cookman University (BCU) has a great history particularly in Daytona Beach. The campus is two miles from the Atlantic seashore. More importantly it is located approximately one mile from Jackie Robinson stadium, which is where Robinson played as part of his brief minor league stint with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The venue is now part of the Chicago Cubs organization. For those who watched 42 featuring Chadwick Bosman, many scenes from Robinson’s time in Daytona Beach were near the campus. Our youngest son, Fred IV was a graduate of BCU.
Thomas Reports 