#RolandMartinUnfiltered - #RolandMartinUnfiltered celebrates the life and legacy of baseball legend Hank Aaron

Episode Date: January 23, 2021

#RolandMartinUnfiltered celebrates the life and legacy of baseball legend Hank AaronSupport #RolandMartinUnfiltered via the Cash App ☛ https://cash.app/$rmunfiltered or via PayPal ☛https://www.paypal.me/rmartinunfiltered#RolandMartinUnfiltered is a news reporting platform covered under Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. Listen to Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports. This kind of starts that a little bit, man.

We met them at their homes. We met them at the recording studios. Stories matter and it brings a face to it. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

I always had to be so good, no one could ignore me. Carve my path with data and drive. But some people only see who I am on paper. The paper ceiling. The limitations from degree screens to stereotypes that are holding back over 70 million stars. Workers skilled through alternative routes, rather than a bachelor's degree. It's time for skills to speak for themselves. Find resources for breaking through barriers

at taylorpapersceiling.org. Brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council. ¶¶ Folks, today we lost the great legend Hank Aaron. He, of course, when he set the Major League Baseball record, 715 home runs, held that record for 33 years. Many say he is still the record keeper of that. In addition, when he retired, he had 23 Major League records. He passed away this morning in Atlanta, his longtime home at the age of 86. His nickname was Hammering Hank and is one of the greatest baseball players of all time.

In 1973, he endured racist death threats while breaking Babe Ruth's all-time home run record. During his career, he made 25 All-Star teams and won the National League MVP in 1957. Hank retired from playing baseball in 1976, and in 1982 was inducted to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. He's also in the Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame. The Braves retired as number 44.

Many folks took to social media today to pay their respects to Hank Aaron. President Bill Clinton released this statement saying, With the passing of Hank Aaron, baseball has lost one of its greatest heroes. America has lost an aspiring role model and philanthropist, and I have lost a wonderful friend. My life was blessed by his friendship, kindness, and generosity. I first met him during my 1992 campaign when on the weekend before election day, he appeared with me at an event in Atlanta. President Barack Obama tweeted, Hank Aaron was one of the best baseball players we've ever seen and one of the strongest people I've ever met. Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to the Aaron family and everyone who was inspired by this unassuming man and his

towering example. Former baseball player Barry Bonds, who broke Hank Aaron's home run record, tweeted, rest in peace, Hank Aaron, a true baseball legend. He added, thank you for everything you ever taught us, for being a trailblazer through adversity and setting an example for all of us African-American ballplayers who came after you. Folks, I'm going to read some more of these here in a moment. Right now, we're going to play for you the speech of Hank Aaron when he was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 1982. Thank you very much Commissioner Kuhn, lead presidents, other distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. I feel a great sense of humility, gratitude, and appreciation for this day and for what it means to me and my family. I'm extremely proud to be joining a group of men who performed on the baseball field, epitomize the highest and the best in professional athletics.

I'm pleased to be joining them in the company of Travis Jackson, Happy Chandler, and Frank Robertson, some of baseball's greats. I also feel especially proud to be standing here where some years ago Jackie Robertson and Roy Campanella proved the way and made it possible for Frank and me and for other blacks hopeful in baseball. They proved to the world that a man's ability is limited only by his lack of opportunity.

The sheer majesty of this occasion and its significance overwhelms me, for truly I reflect on my life and particularly my 23 years in baseball. I am reminded of a statement I once read and I quote, the way to fame is like the way to heaven through much tribulations. It had been for me to quote a very popular song, A Long and Winding Road. Nevertheless, I have been extremely blessed in my lifetime. I stand here today because God gave me a healthy body, a sound mind and talent. For 23 years I took the talent that God gave me and developed it to the best of my ability. 23 years ago, I never dreamed that this high honor would come to me.

For it was not fame I sought, but rather to be the best baseball player that I could possibly be. I grew up in a home where there was little in the way of material goods, but there was an abundance of love and discipline. We, therefore, had much to share. And so, too, is this occasion for sharing, an occasion for thanksgiving. For I did not make this journey alone.

A lot of people contributed a lot of different ways to my success as a professional baseball player. And to them, I owe a deep debt of gratitude the list is far too long for me to mention all of them however I must mention a few I would like to acknowledge the presence of my parents mr.. and Mrs. Herbert Aaron, without whose love and encouragement this day could not have been, my wife, Billie, who brought an awful lot of sunshine into my life. And I'd like to introduce my children, Gail, Hanky, my oldest son, Larry, Dorenda, and Cece, who have been supportive and understanding of my long absences away from home, my sisters and brothers who have always been some of my biggest fans,

my teammates of the Milwaukee Braves, the Atlanta Braves, and the Milwaukee Brewers. Thank you. I want to thank the wonderful people of Milwaukee and Atlanta where I spent my baseball career. I also would like to thank Mr. John Mullen, who was introduced earlier, Mr. Bill Bartholomew, and also my boss, Mr. Ted Turner from the Atlanta Braves. Thank you for coming. And we also have sitting on the front seat is Mr. Al Thornwell, Executive Vice President. Thank you very much for coming. Finally, I'd like to thank some special friends and family who traveled here to be with me

on this occasion. From Atlanta, Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, an ardent baseball fan, distinguished educator, and President Emeritus of Morehouse College, who today celebrates his 88th birthday. Thank you very much, Dr. Mays. I would like to thank the Locketts, Sam Frankel, my in-laws, the McDaniels, and the Swedes. Permit me also to express a special thanks to Mr. Walter Dunn and Mr. Carl Ware and other executives from the Coca-Cola Company for their presence and for providing transportation for my children and some of their friends from Atlanta,

including Marvin Arrington, former Mayor Maynard Jackson, and Congressman Weitz Fowler. And there are many other friends here. And there are many other friends here who I just cannot mention all of them. All of you have touched my life in a very positive way. I am so very grateful to you and so pleased that you could share this evening with me. Thank you very much. Thank you. Joining us right now, folks, is a number of luminaries, including Dr. Greg Carr.

He is the chair of the Department of Afro-American Studies at Howard University. ESPN sports journalist Howard Bryan, who also authored the definitive book on Hank Aaron, well, other than the one that Hank Aaron actually wrote. Nope, that's not Howard right there, y'all. That right there is Bob Kendrick, of course, who leads the Negro Leagues Museum. That is Howard Bryant. And we also are joined by Hall of Fame sports writer Claire Smith as well. Glad to have all of you here.

I have an embarrassment of riches, so I've got to figure out where I'm going to start first. And so what we'll do is we'll start first with the Negro Leagues. And so, Bob, we'll start with you. Of course, folks talk about Hank Aaron being Hall of Famer, breaking the record of Babe Ruth with the Atlanta Braves, previously playing in Milwaukee. But his start came in the Negro Leagues. Yeah, no, it did. And it's one of those awakenings, Roland, for so many visitors who come here. You know, many of us

who are baseball fans really did not know of the fact that Henry Aaron's illustrious professional baseball career began in 1952 with the Indianapolis Clowns. Came to the Clowns 18 years old, skinny, cross-handed, hitting infield, a shortstop. And I'll never forget my dear friend Buck O'Neill, who says they're playing the clowns in spring training in Mobile. And so he goes out to exchange the lineup card with Buster Hayward, who was the clowns manager. And he looks at the lineup card and he sees that there's his name Aaron batting in the third spot. And he says, Buster, who is this kid Aaron? And Buster Hayward says, oh, Buck, you got to see him. And Buck says, okay, well, we'll see what he got.

Well, rolling by the end of the day, young Henry Aaron had gone four for four with two home runs. And so Buck and Buster are out for dinner that night. And Buck says, well, Buster, I ain't going to have to worry about that kid Aaron by the time you get to Kansas City. What you talking about? Oh, man, somebody going to sign him. And true enough, the Boston Braves would eventually sign him away from the Indianapolis Clowns and set sail on what becomes one of the greatest baseball careers ever. But in many ways, he validates the talent that was there in the Negro Leagues. Claire Smith, you are a Hall of Famer, so I will go to you next.

Your reflections on the amazing life and legacy of Hank Aaron. Well, I'd like to speak to his timelessness. Only yesterday, I had the pleasure of speaking with Dusty Baker, and we were reflecting back on that date in 74 when Dusty was a youngster in the on-deck circle watching Henry Aaron hit the home run that took him past Babe Ruth and onto the Mount Olympus of home run hitters. He stood there for over a quarter of a century alone and undaunted. But Dusty was talking about the importance of family, baseball family. In that family, Dusty pointed to Satchel Paige as a teammate with the Braves, to Henry Aaron. We reminisce about Don Sutton and Phil Necro. And Dusty said something very profound just yesterday. He said, if you love someone in your family, if you love someone in baseball, talk to them today because tomorrow is never promised."

And sure enough, um... that proved so true today. And Dusty loved being that bridge between his generation and the youngsters coming up, like Mookie Betts, but he knows where he learned mentorship. He learned it from Henry Aaron. He learned it from the man who taught him how to be a major leaguer, how to be a man, no matter how hard the times pushed you. If you couldn't learn from Henry Aaron, if you couldn't garner something good from all the bad that this world tried to throw at him, then you weren't paying attention.

Howard Bryant, 3,000 pieces of hate mail a day that Hank Aaron received as he was going towards breaking Babe Ruth's record. The tremendous amount of pressure and pain that he had to deal with was, look, a lot of folks couldn't handle that kind of pressure. You spent time with him authoring this book. Just share your thoughts. Well, it's just an incredibly heavy day, and I can appreciate absolutely Bob and Claire as well. Claire, I just got a text from Dusty who said, there's a sickness in my heart right now. And we think we're all feeling that. And you're right, Roland, when you go back to 1974, I just think of Henry Aaron as the, he is the story of America in so many ways. When you think about what this country has asked of everybody, especially of African Americans, Henry Aaron did everything right. You're supposed to pull yourself up by your bootstraps. So they say, and Henry Aaron's father built his house by hand with random planks of wood and nails that he got from vacant lots. You're supposed to maximize your ability and do your best and try your hardest.

And Henry paid, played 23 seasons and was never on the disabled list, not once. And that doesn't mean he wasn't hurt. He just played. He just gave everything. And he, at the end of the day, when you were supposed to do everything that this country asked you to do, what was waiting for him but death threats, that people wanted to kill him. And that is the thing that I always take to him and not the other way around. Not the great car.

Mobile, Alabama. Goes to the top of the sports world., hated by many, adored by many, but he does it all with tremendous grace and steel resolve. Roland, first of all, thank you for doing this. Thank you for inviting me into the conversation with these heavyweights, with these people who everyone, if you don't know the names of these three people right here, you need to know them. Brother Bob, when I go to the shrine at 18th and Vine, I always linger around the fact that this brother came out of the Indianapolis Clowns. And if they included those statistics, which, of course, Harold, I mean, what am I saying?

I'm torn up, brother, which is why Howard, the title of his book, The Last Hero, that's what we're talking about with Henry Aaron. Like Howard said, if they're not counting, y'all can't count them Negro League statistics. They're not going to count Henry Aaron's 1952 when he batted 467. If they did, he'd be even over the top. I mean, you take his 755 home runs out of his record, He's still got 3,000 hits. This man, you know, I guess I'm sitting here and I'm thinking about the fact that as a kid growing up in Nashville, Tennessee, there were two

teams we kind of cheered for. One, the Cincinnati Reds, because we could hear them on the radio. They had a clear channel AM station and Joe Morgan and all the black payers, Ken Griffey's daddy, all of them. And then the one to the south, the Atlanta Braves, Ralph Garr, Dusty Baker, who, according to Howard, is one of the only people who could call him Hank

because I'm just reflecting on the fact that his name is Henry. All these white sports writers, the same way Roberto Clemente said, no, you're not going to call me Bobby. They said they'd try to put Jackie on Jack. Henry Aaron, finally, and Willie Mays, brother. I tell my students this all the time. And I show them the picture of him hitting that 715th home run and his mama

hugging him. And I repeat the story that is told, because I'm from Nashville. I was about eight, nine years old when they said Gale was going to be kidnapped from Fisk. He's getting part of that damn near million pieces of mail he got that he kept a lot of it. And his mother, according to the Lord, says,

I'm going to jump up around your neck and hug you because damn it. If these snipers are going to shoot you right now, they're going to have to. They're going to kill me, too, because it'll kill me to see you be killed. And brother, two brothers, I guess Billy Williams is still alive. I don't know what it is about Alabama producing them Negroes, but I tell you what, what I tell my students all the time in April when I show them that tape, I say, this is white Major League Baseball we're talking about. Because there was black Major League Baseball. And in their dying gasp, the Negro League sent out a Mobile and Birmingham, two Negroes that rewrote your entire record book. That is the gift of black folk to baseball.

The hammer, the last one. I'm taking this hard, brother. So I'm just glad to be here with y'all. The point that Greg just made is something that I often say. That

the major league talent was in the Negro leagues. It was only called the major leagues because the white folks had money and they had better stadiums, better uniforms, better travel, better food. But Dizzy Dean knew where the best talent was and the best talent was in the Negro leagues. And I say that all the time on the show because I purposely do that because I need black people to stop allowing white supremacy to see what was black as less than when the talent,

because after Jackie Robinson comes in, who was the rookie of the year every single year after that? And so that's what the talent was. And so Aaron is born out of that tradition where if you couldn't play ball, you don't make a Negro League team. There were no scrubs on Negro League teams. And I think, Roland, that's what we try to impress upon people. And so, and I know Howard is, and you guys are familiar with that picture.

And it's my favorite picture in the entire museum. And that is a picture of a young Henry Aaron, 18 years old, standing at the train station in Mobile, Alabama, about to go leave home, likely for the first time, to go chase that dream. And Howard, he told me, he said, man, I didn't know if I was leaving home to go play with kids my own age or grown men. And as you all know, he was going to play with grown men. But those grown men with the Indianapolis clowns embraced young Henry Aaron. Because when Henry Aaron made it, Henry Aaron took a part of them with him. And for us at the Negro Leagues Museum, that single nondescript photograph is a validating point. Yeah, all of a sudden,

now Henry Aaron validates all these other people that I've been talking about. You know, Claire's been here on the tour, and we talk about Josh Gibson and Cool Papa Bell and Boo June Wilson, Hilton Smith, Ray Dandridge, all these legendary stars, and people are very respectful.

You know, but I know that they're looking at me saying, okay, Bob, they were probably good, but I don't know if they're as good as you say they were. And then you see a young Henry Aaron, or you see a young Willie Mays, who had, before Mr. Aaron passed away, the two greatest living major leaguers both come out of the Negro Leagues.

And all of a sudden, maybe you gain a better appreciation the way the two greatest living major leaguers both come out of the Negro Leagues. And all of a sudden, maybe you gain a better appreciation for just how much talent was there in the Negro League. And so he leaves a tremendous void. Just like all the panelists, my heart is heavy. He was my all-time favorite baseball player. He was my childhood idol. He is the favorite person that I've ever toured. And I had a chance to take Howard, had a chance to take Claire, and I love touring them.

But Henry Aaron is the all-time favorite person I've ever toured through this museum. And it was by far the greatest day in baseball. So this is not only professional, it is personal. And his passing leaves a tremendous void here at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and with the Negro Leagues family by and large. And so I hope people do gleam a better understanding and appreciation for just how much talent there was in the Negro Leagues. You know what, Roland? One quick thing, and Claire knows this too. You know what Henry was doing when he died?

I talked to Henry to wish him a Happy New Year a couple weeks ago, and we were talking about things, and he had a project going. There are seven schools, seven high schools in Jackson, Mississippi, that don't have fields. black high schools that don't have fields.

He was in the process of building baseball fields for them to have a place to play their home games. At 86 years old, he was still in the fight, still in the fight for access, still in the fight to make sure that people had access to the game the way he had access to the game and i think the thing that i just find so amazing about him one of the things that always drives me crazy about pro athletes is that when you're around them they always make you feel like you're part of their entourage like you work for them that you're following them when you're actually a journalist but henry never did that henry asked more questions than he answered he was more interested in you and more interested in what was happening and staying involved. And I think that he used to say to me all the time, how come you don't call me more often? Why don't you call me? And it was because you always wanted to be so respectful of the great Henry Aaron. And now you feel bad that you didn't take more advantage of it. But it's just an example of somebody who stayed in it every single day he was present. And I just have so much respect for that and a lot of emptiness right now.

Claire, go ahead. The one thing I wanted to tack on to that was it wasn't sports. It wasn't statistics and home run numbers. I mean, those are the asterisks to a great career. showing our people the importance of vaccinations by showing us not to be afraid. Don't change the shiny objects where people are going to try to convince you that taking care of your health is somehow less important for you than it is for the rest of America. And he had his vaccination shot and he put the public service announcement out there with Dr. Andrew Young. He was always looking out for people on so many levels. You cannot underestimate the importance of an 86-year-old man thinking about our 86-month-old children and their big brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers.

It's interesting, Howard, when you're talking about wanting to call him and wanting to talk to him more. First of all, the reason I am wearing this Atlanta Braves jersey, everybody knows I'm from Houston. I only rock hometown teams. I only wear Houston stuff. I don't wear anybody else's stuff. You will only see me wear the Jackie Robinson 42 jersey on April 15th. You will only see me wear the Jackie Robinson 42 jersey on April 15th.

You will see me. I have not gotten it yet, but I will be getting a Roberto Clemente jersey because I greatly respect Roberto Clemente. But I'm wearing this jersey here because in 2017, 2017, I was one of the honorees that Hank Aaron personally chose as a champion of justice. My grandmother, Betty Logan, my paternal grandmother, gave me and my brother a Hank Aaron signed baseball. And the autograph long faded. And so when we were so the group, the group in the class of 2017 was Cito Gaston, civil rights leader Hank Thomas, one of the Freedom Riders, and former Labor Secretary Alexis Herman, and this little boy from Texas, me. And so Hank actually, so he signed this jersey here, signed this jersey here, and this is only the second time I've actually worn it. So I said I was going to wear it today. So he signed this one here. And what was amazing was, and I showed the

photo, I put the photo on my Instagram page earlier. I'm going to pull up in a second. Was this here. The first time I met Hank Aaron was in 2013 at the White House. So there's, there was a reception at the White House in 2013. It was Black History Month reception. And I see Hank Aaron sitting next to another one of our legends, Harry Belafonte. So I walk over and I'm like, I already knew Harry. I interviewed Harry and I was like, cool, I get to meet Hank Aaron. So I walk over, Claire, and I walk up, and I said, Mr. Aaron, I have been waiting to meet you. So he turns around, and he goes, so he starts getting up.

Now, mind you, him and Harry are sitting there with their canes, okay, both with their canes. And I said, no, no, stay seated. He said, no, no, no, no. He said, I got to stand up for this I'm like, okay. All right, and he says I need you to understand dr. Carr. He said I've been waiting to meet you I've been watching you and begins to talk about how much he's a fan of my work. And I'm sitting there like, oh, hold up. How is it supposed to be reversed?

He said, no, no, no, no, no. I need to stand up for this. And began to sit here and talk. And we began just to talk. And after that, I would run to him at the airport when he was flying to D.C., would see him and his white belly. And that's when we went to Atlanta.

He spoke at the Global Hope Forum for John Bryant in 2017, 2018. We're going to be streaming that panel conversation that he did with Ambassador Andrew Young after this show. And was just always a gracious man and had the most unbelievable smile. That was Hank Aaron. Yeah. Yeah. 100%.

Yeah, no doubt. No doubt. You know, my fondest memory... Bob, go ahead, then Greg. My fondest memory, guys, is we had him here in 1999 for his first visit to the museum celebrating the 25th anniversary

of him breaking Ruth's record. We have an event across the street from the museum rolling at the Gem Theater, and an amazing conversation. But after the conversation, this kid from Crawfordville, Georgia, gets to sit down with Mr. Aaron and his wife, Billy, and Howard, a platter of Gates barbecue ribs.

And I'm sitting there eating ribs with my childhood idol. It doesn't get any better than that. And every time he and his wife saw me, or they came here to Kansas City, they were like, don't you have some ribs with you? Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. No, it's just tremendous. And I tell you, there's so many different stories and things

that you talk about with Henry, but I think the thing, what I really, really enjoyed most about dealing with him and talking with him was the number of times he would go out of his way to talk about things that interested him. And I just love that, that we weren't, he wasn't the type of person where you would always just sit there and talk about him and his records. I remember, because he was a huge tennis fan, we used to sit there and talk about him and his records. I remember because he was a huge tennis fan. We used to sit there and talk about Venus and Serena. He had a tennis court in his backyard in Atlanta. And so it was just fascinating. I just love the range. And Claire, you know this too, the fact that he and Dusty and these guys, there is a black

baseball family that the other sports just don't have because of baseball history. And one of the things that Henry was always concerned about, one of the things that Dusty is very concerned about now, is whether or not today's African-American players and today's biracial players, if they understand how important those links are. The only reason that I know these guys is because Dusty and Henry and them, they made sure you knew the history of black baseball. And Bob, Claire, Greg, this is us. This is a part of who we are as the culture. And Dusty, when Dusty was managing the Nationals, he was like, I don't think these brothers even talk to each other that much anymore.

This is the real thing. And he was very concerned about that link to history disappearing. Greg? No, I'll just say one other thing. Howard, that's so important, brother. When Dusty Baker was managing the Nats, I would go all the time because of Dusty Baker. I haven't been back since they let him go. My commitment wasn't to the Washington Nationals.

My commitment was to Dusty Baker. And Claire, when you talk about talking to him and with him, I think about the fact that it is that bloodline link, that link of memory that has kept our people going. Looking at that clip at the Hall of Fame, and I think about this now because I'm going to go back in the classroom next week and we're going to talk about this. I'm going to show that clip. Why? Benjamin Mays?

Right. Benjamin Mays. Wait, wait. Marvin Arrington. Maynard Jackson. When and where Henry Arrington entered the room, Henry and Billy Aaron, they were institutional memory keepers. It wasn't even about sports.

And so, you know, it strikes me that Mobile, Alabama is the place where the last documented ship of enslaved Africans came in in 1860. One of the people on that ship was a brother named Kasula Lewis. He passed away 1935. That's the year after Henry One of the people on that ship was a brother named Kasula Lewis.

He passed away 1935. That's the year after Henry Aaron was born. So understand that when Henry Aaron went about his business in philanthropy, Henry and Billy Aaron, when they went about their business in institution building, when they went about their business in education, forget the craft of Aaron, which is what we're going to hear all these other places talking about. All these other places are going to call. When you hear a Claire Smith, when you hear a Howard Bryant, when you hear a Bob Kendrick, you are looking at memory keepers. And the young people especially have to understand that's the

only way we're going to make it. And Henry Aaron is definitely a symbol of that. So love to his wife, to his children, to the family. We surround you in love because you showed us with your work how much you loved us. Claire, Howard talked about, Greg talked about the connection with the issues, the social justice issues. Well, that night when we were honored at the Atlanta Braves Stadium, we were in the suite. We were there with Hank Aaron. And I got a chance to chat with him about Colin Kaepernick. And we then, we talked about it. And while we were talking, I asked him, I said, had he ever met Colin Kaepernick, ever talked to Colin Kaepernick?

He said no. So I then called Colin Kaepernick and put those two on the phone where they got a chance to talk, where Hank Aaron praised Colin Kaepernick directly and wanted him to know how proud he was of him and what he actually meant. This was the interview where Hank Aaron talked about Colin Kaepernick. So we sound fine? Feel good? Hank, you had some thoughts about Colin Kaepernick.

I do. No, it's not. Hold it again. Hank, you got some thoughts about Colin Kaepernick. Well, I think he's getting the wrong deal. I think that if I look at it, I've been watching pro ball for a long time. And I think that if you look at all of the quarterbacks in the league right now, I think you have to say he is one, two, three, four.

I don't think anybody can do the things that he do. So I just wish somebody would open up and give him a chance to do his thing and say, hey, he's entitled to whatever he did. And let's forget about it, let's go with it. And do you wanna see other players stand up and stand with him? I'd love to see some other players stand up. I would love that. I think it would give him some incentive.

I think it would help him. I think the thing that bothers me about this whole situation is the fact that he has gone to all these camps, I suppose, and really nobody seemed to think that he stands a chance of being number one. He is a man, a young player who almost carried a team to a championship, to a Super Bowl. I remember that because I was a Raven fan and he was playing against my team. But be that as it may, I think that somebody needs to give this young man a chance. Clearly, owners are making a decision that they do not want him signed. I think this decision is coming from them.

I don't think that it's coming from the general manager. I do know that Hobart and also other newsrooms, I'm not putting them in harm's way, but I say that if they look at it and say, hey, let's open the season up, we can't open the season up with Fl's a guy who's speaking about police brutality, what's happening to African Americans, and it is it. They're saying, we want you guys to just shut up, play ball. Yeah, you know, and to be honest with you, I can understand what you're saying. Those days are going by. You know, I talked to my grandson,

who's now going in college, and I try to tell him that, you know, when you stop by a police or something, unfortunately, you have your own right. You can tell people what to do. Now, when I was growing up, to be honest with you, many, many years ago, my mother always told me, say, if you got to stop by a cop, just throw your hands down and that's the end of it.

But today these kids are very smart. And they understand and they know exactly what's going on. Well, Collin was very appreciative of your words when you talked to him. Yes, yes. And I really enjoyed speaking with him. And I just hope that somebody, I really do, I just hope that somebody will find a way to give him a chance to play.

Got it. All right. Thank you. Appreciate it. Thanks for the honor. Thank you. Always good seeing you. Thank you.

All right. Claire Smith, when I released that at ESPN, Fox Sports, everybody named Mama called me all across the country reporting on what Hank Aaron said. And to Colin, that meant a whole lot to have a Hall of Famer legend like him tell him directly, you keep doing what you're doing. Well, Roland, I am just glad that Hank Aaron

got to live long enough to see the summer of 2020 because there was, we were in the desert for a long time when it seemed that the only color that black athletes cared about was green. And this past summer, thanks to the LeBron Jameses of the world and the Mookie Bettses, let's not... There might only be a handful,

but they stood up and they spoke and they said, we're not playing. And their white and Hispanic teammates said, we're not playing if Mookie doesn't play. And I hope, I hope that made Hank Aaron proud because I know Jim Brown had his back. I know Muhammad Ali had Bill Russell's back. I know Bill Russell had Willie Mays' back. And it was about time that our athletes stood up and had the backs of people who didn't have voices. And I hope that made Henry happy and proud. Howard Bryant, your thoughts again about what Hank Aaron said in that video and how he served and he understood the importance of affirming the next generation.

Well, there's no question whenever I mean, I felt like I took when I wrote Last Hero, I took one of the biggest risks that I think you could possibly take. And I'm not sure it's happened before in any other biography, which is there's a chapter in that book dedicated to somebody else who who gets a biography, who gets a chapter in somebody else's biography. But there's a chapter in there dedicated to Jackie Robinson. And when I talked to Henry about it, part of the reason was because it wasn't just the cliche of him saying we owe Jackie Robinson a debt of gratitude. He really believed he's like Jackie Robinson changed the entire trajectory of my life. Jackie Robinson made what was possible for me possible. He gave me a pathway. He said Jackie was a veteran. Jackie was college educated. He said, I had nothing. I had no plan B. Baseball had to work. Otherwise, I don't know what I was going to do. And so the reason why I bring that up is because he understood the importance of recognizing what it meant to have a previous generation to be influenced by somebody. And therefore it was important to him to influence the next generations. You listen to the way Ralph Gar and the way Dusty and the way Jimmy

Wynn and the way all those guys used to talk about Henry. It was that paying it forward. And then the way this new generation as well would talk about this reverence for him. It wasn't just because he was an amazing hitter who never struck out a hundred times in a season. It was because of who he was as a person in terms of actually walking the walk. It's very rare. Bill Russell, the great basketball player, tweeted this out today.

Heartbroken to see another true friend and pioneer has passed away. Henry Louis Aaron. Folks, if y'all got the photo, please show it. Henry Louis Aaron was so much better than his reputation. His contributions were much more than just baseball. Janine and I send our deepest condolences, love, to his wife and his kids. Again, Bill Russell, the great.

Those are the type of individuals, players, Greg, who come from another era. What happens today, I think, is people look at a Bill Russell, they look at a Hank Aaron, and they see them as these old, you know, gentle giants. But these were brothers who were on the front lines of history, who were going through what we're talking about, who were experiencing the sheer hatred of America and excelling at the highest level. What no white athlete had to deal with what they went through and still win and still be the best in their position. And in Aaron's case, unlike Maze who was in New York and San Francisco, unlike

a Mickey Mantle or whoever else is in these big, you know, this man is in Milwaukee and in Atlanta. And, you know, again, just sitting here listening to giants who have chronicled our story. And when I when I hear you, Claire, talk about being glad that he was able to another generation black women in the city where he lived stand up against their owner and say no more those WNBA sisters I'm sure that just made his heart sing and I think about

something I mean and over the arc of the last you know not even a year I mean Bob Gibson out of Omaha made transition. And thinking about Bob Gibson going to the White House, Jack Robinson there, Gibson saying this doesn't feel right, and going to stand on the corner and wait for the shuttle to take him back to the bus. And he looks over and he says, there's Jackie Robinson standing for the same shuttle.

He didn't feel right about Nixon either. And that's the first time they had a conversation thinking about Kurt Flood in St. Louis, talking about Bob Gibson took into a Nation of Islam meeting. It's not even the things that are public facing.

The things that people kind of know about, or if they dug a little, they might know about or a film comes out like One Night in Miami and people say oh Muhammad Ali and Sam Cooke it is those things that as you say Claire the things that you

all know about being in community with these folk who have what these young people now call platform who had it in the 50s, 60s and 70s who endured all the abuse but the things we don't see, the meals they shared together, the children who played together, the families who played together. And so that is the thing that we see in every generation. We see it with these young people.

And I hope finally we'll take a moment in a moment like this, which is again why I'm so grateful to even be able to sit here and listen to you all really talk, to introduce to another generation the people who are still on this side of the earth, who can help future generations understand the importance of what these women and men did so that they can make their contribution and add their energy to this unbroken chain. Claire, that was another career for Hank Aaron. Here he finishes baseball and becomes a highly successful businessman in Georgia. Absolutely.

And the fact that the Atlanta Braves were so proactive in making sure their front offices looked like their teams, that they were promoting and producing executives. First black general manager was down in Atlanta, way before we decided that the glass ceiling had to be broken way before Al Campanus. The Braves did what they needed to do. And Hank Aaron was a senior executive with that team for the duration of his life. They didn't just say, turn in your uniform. We're finished using you and we're finished riding you like a pack horse. You've done all you can do for us. And that was so self-affirming, I'm sure. Henry Aarons to stand up and say Colin Kaepernick belongs in football

and the racism that was represented by the owner in the WNBA does not have a place at our table no more. We're not putting up with that anymore. And I am just so glad that we as a group in the media got to report on athletes who found their voices I'm so glad that we as a group in the media got to report on athletes who found their voices and stood together and stood up for all those who couldn't be given the stage on their own.

We have to stand up for each other, just have to. Bob, your final word. Well, for me, I will forever cherish Mr. Aaron as a fan. As a fan of this game. As I mentioned, he was my all-time favorite baseball player, my childhood idol. And, Roland, as you know, in those rare

instances when you get to meet your idol, sometimes they don't meet what you believe, what you have always seen. But Henry Aaron superseded anything that I may have had in my mind about this man and the humility, the grace, the dignity in how he carried himself. It just struck me. And I'll hold on to those memories.

You know, we're hurting right now because that's what we as human beings do when we lose someone we love. Not necessarily mourning for Mr. Aaron. We're mourning for us because we lost someone that we love. But man, how fortunate are we to have had Henry Aaron and everything that he has left us. And Claire's right. I hope that we use Henry Aaron's life as a tool of inspiration, just as we try to do here at the Negro Leagues

Baseball Museum to use this powerful story as that tool of inspiration to empower people to continue to dream about possibilities. Henry Aaron did that for all of us. Bob Kendrick, Claire Smith, Dr. Greg Carr. We appreciate it. Thanks a lot. Thank you. Thank you, gentlemen. Thank you. Thank you. All right, folks. Joining us right now is Gary Howard, longtime journalist, who was the top editor for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Of course, Milwaukee was the place where Hank Aaron played. Gary, how are you doing? I'm doing quite well. How are you, Roland? Doing great. Share your thoughts about the loss of the legend Hank Aaron. Well, Hank Aaron, everyone has to believe this. He truly was a living icon.

For me, it was it was absolutely amazing for me in 1994 to be named sports editor of the Milwaukee Journal. When I went to Milwaukee, I was befriended by Joe Kennedy, who was an education extraordinaire. He built his own school in the city, but his best friend was Hank Aaron. So Joe was like, you know, Hank's my best friend. And I'm like, yeah, yeah, yeah. And of course, it turned out to be true. And I got a chance to meet Hank through Joe at first because at SportsCenter, obviously, we were going to have some interaction. But Joe introduced me to him and said that I was a sports editor at the Milwaukee Journal. And Hank looked at me and then looked back at Joe and then looked back at me and said,

you're the sports editor of the Journal? The paper here? And I said, yeah, Hank. He's like, you mean the paper here? You're the sports editor? And I'm like, yeah, I'm in charge. I'm running. And it was such a hell of a moment because Hank laughed.

He laughed like, you really are? For real? And I said, yeah. Times are changing. Because I think, you know, when he first came to Milwaukee, obviously there was nobody in black that was actually covering him. To actually see a living, breathing sports editor in the city where he had actually started before the franchise moved to Atlanta.

And what he meant to me personally, it wasn't just what Hank did on the field. First of all, he was the pillar of consistency. 24 all-star games, 755 home runs, just a pillar of consistency. But what he went through is what every one of our kids should understand, Roland, is that this man went through hell and still came out with a grace about him. I met pretty much every superstar from the 80s, 90s, but Hank Aaron had a humbleness about him

that I really want to share with all of your listeners, Roland. This was a humble man. You know, I said, Hank, like, you were smacking over the fence in a minute. He said, well, they couldn't throw the fastball about me. The best chance they had was a change-up, right? Because I'm smacking the fastball over it. He was confident

who he was, but to endure all the things that he went through to be successful as a baseball player, to break a color line, to be a living icon, and to actually try, you know, to change the front offices in baseball. He's just an amazing man. I just have so much respect for him.

And my frat brother, Joe Kennedy, who built his own school in Milwaukee, thanks to Hank, all right, they were best friends for over 70 years. And to have a friendship with Hank, where I actually got to interact with him over the 15 years I was sports editor in Milwaukee, was just one of the best things of my career, Roland. Gary Howard, we certainly appreciate it, man, for sharing your thoughts about the great Hank Aaron. Thank you so much. ¶¶ 2018, while attending the Global Hope Forum,

I had an opportunity to sit down and interview Hank Aaron. I want to talk a little business with you, but first, Saturday, 7th anniversary, Jackie Robinson, Major League Baseball, 20th anniversary of them retiring his number in Robinson, Major League Baseball, 20th anniversary of them retiring his number and all of Major League Baseball. Just finished reading his book, I never had it made. And I said to anybody, you have to read this book to understand that this was a different

kind of brother. Yes, he was. And now that we're talking about it, they're getting ready to erect a statue of him in Los Angeles Saturday. It just so happened that I've gotten three or four calls now just wishing, trying to figure out a way that I can be there. And Rachel, who doesn't travel that much, is going to be there with him. You know, see that statue be erected.

So I am very proud. And, you know, the thing I think about with Jackie Robinson and the thing that he went through, it wasn't just baseball, hitting the baseball, but he had to be such a gentleman off the field. I mean, they expected him, they expected him to walk on eggshells, He was good in the baseball. But he had to be such a gentleman off the field. I mean, they expected him. They expected him to walk on eggshells, you know, really. And his intercept was one always to fight back.

That's right. To temper that. Yes, yes. So, he just had it. And the last time I saw Jackie, the last time I saw Jackie, of course, was at, I believe it was in Cincinnati, when he said, he made a statement and said, I'll be more happier than anybody in the world if I can see a black man at least coaching third base. So those are the things, and those are the things that really made me feel like I was walking in the footstep of a giant.

I've said this repeatedly. Some people got mad at me. I didn't care if they did get mad at me. There was so much made out of the first African-American Major League Baseball. But I've reversed it. I've said, no, the best Major League talent was in the Negro Leagues. That was called Major Leagues because they had better stadiums, better uniforms, travel.

I said, but when it came to the talent, I said, the Major Leagues was the Negro Leagues. Oh, it's no question about it. You know, absolutely no question. In fact, when anybody talked to me about my upbringing and how I came about and started playing baseball so rapidly. I said I got my education through the minor leagues, playing in the Negro League,

with players that really helped me learn how to play the game the way it was supposed to be played. And the reason I think that's important is because if we keep perpetuating this notion that we are trying to be accepted into their arena, we are negating the excellence that was in our own place. It's sort of like, there's so much made about when an African-American kid gets accepted

into an Ivy League school, or they get accepted into an HBCU, people go, okay, whatever. When I go, wait a minute, why do you think that is better than this? Well, you know, actually, you know, baseball was just, was a dull game before we started playing. And when I say we, I'm talking about people like Jackie Robinson, Campanella, and Newcomb and all of them. And then along came, of course, our guys like Mario Wheels and et cetera, who really put some excitement back in the game.

Baseball was just a game like hit a baseball, Babe Ruth hit a baseball, stayed for his space, hit another baseball. It was like that. It was really, to be very honest with you, it was a very dull game compared to what it was later on when those players came along and really put some excitement back in the game. It's kind of like, I guess you would kind of say that it was kind of like boxing until Muhammad Ali came along and really started showing, putting a little pep into it. You know, it was... The substance and style. Yes.

That's what it was, you know. And that's the way baseball was, you know. Jackie Robinson retires, goes into business. You finish playing, go into business. Folks don't talk about the reality of how sports legends also begin to break barriers when it came to the business side. Because up until the early 1970s, African-Americans were not allowed into corporate America. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Well, you're absolutely right.

And I was, and I'll tell you how I got into it, really. I was traveling on a plane one day, and I happened to be on the same plane as Mr. Frank Bellotti, who owns record, I mean, owns Church's Chicken at the time, who was involved in Church's Chicken. And he asked me, did I want to go in business? And I said, yes, I'd love to. He said, well, do you want to open up a restaurant? I said, yes, just give me an opportunity. And it's like anything else. All we want to do is just give him a chance

and make the playing field a little level so we can have the same opportunity as you have. Just give us a shot. That's all. That's all we want. And I said, just give me an opportunity. He said, do you know anything? I said, I don't need to know anything. Just give me an opportunity to do some things that I wanted to

do. And he did. And I went from one to two. And what have we got now? I think we got something like 25 or 30 restaurants. And then you went to other areas. I went to automobile business. Yeah, I got that.

And so, it was.. All we wanted to do, as I said before, and I keep saying this, in everything, no matter what it is, we had the president of the United States did such a marvelous and a hell of a job. And there is absolutely no reason that we can't do anything that we want to do once the playing field gets leveled and we can have an opportunity to do those things. Obviously today is different when you see baseball players making $100, $200, $300 million. They don't have to create that second career.

But what do you say to them when it comes to making that amount of money the kind of impact they could have post baseball career and you know i you know i i think about that i think about when i first started playing baseball when i first started playing because i i started with five thousand dollars a year as a salary that was my salary and playing in the negro league, I made $200 a month. But you know, I didn't let that stop me from doing what I had to do. I realized that things were going to get better.

And I realized that if I keep my head above water and do what I was supposed to do, that I was going to do, I was going to make as much money as I wanted to make and share it with as many people as I wanted to share it with. And that was the most important thing. Well, I think that's a great point money as I wanted to make and share it with as many people as I wanted to share it with. And that was the most important thing.

We go through so much when you look at just the history of the black athlete. You look at it, whether it's basketball, whether it's baseball, whether it's football. And there's no doubt, I believe, that you can tie in the advancement of African Americans in civil rights in this country to the success of black athletes, making it clear, as you said, as James Brown said, just open the door and I get it myself. Right, right. Well, they forget about

Curt Flood. And if it don't be for Curt Flood, the millions of dollars who these athletes are making now would not have a chance. Basketball forgets about Spencer Haywood. Yes. And, you know,

I think about all of these things. And I had a chance to look at some of the athletes, especially some of the athletes that was played way back, Bill Russell and et cetera. You can go on and on and on, who paved the way for all of us to be where we are. I mean, I realized that just because I was making $200 a month

or making $5,000 a year, that I wasn't going to always stay there if given the opportunity, and I fought like hell to make doors open for me to show people that if given the opportunity, not only me, but every black can do the same thing. Is that why, for you, speaking at this conference is important because you're talking about creating opportunities, and this is about

connecting people. It's about relationships. It's about somebody who has an idea, who's looking for funding, who's looking for somebody who says, I believe in you. It is. It gives me a chance. Of course, I've been on Andy for a long time. But it's given me an opportunity to talk to so many young people and people who have been able to make some money, but also been able

to say, well, you know, just because I make money, it doesn't necessarily mean that it belongs to you. You have to learn what we have to do. And I say this, I think the most important thing is that we have to learn how to share. We have to learn how to share whatever our wealth is, you know. I mean, if we make $10, we ought to learn how to split that down and share it with others. And that's what I like to do. Do you miss the locker room?

Do you miss mixing it up, the relationships? And have you ever been able to replicate that? No, I have not missed the locker room. And I say that not to be bragging or anything. I think that after 23 years of playing baseball, I tell this story often and I probably will share it with some people today, is that I remember in Baltimore, I had a friend of mine's, and he and I went out to dinner one night.

It was a sports writer, and I told him, I said, I can't, I can't. The balls that I hit now that I used to hit over the fence, they don't get no further than the warning tracks. I said, I slide to second base, and I get halfway, and that's it. I said, the good Lord has shown me that he's given me the opportunity to play this game for 23 years and do everything humanly possible that I could do, home runs, runs batted in, playing in the All-Star Game, World Series, and et cetera. And I said, now it's time for me to show my blessing and my appreciation and give it to other people and let them go with it.

You talked before you started rolling cameras, you talked about going on family graduations. Yes. Children. Yes. Do they really understand your greatness? You know, my daughter, my granddaughter does very much so. She's into sports. And she, every time I go up to visit her, she says,

Papa, please, I want you to be interviewed by a sports writer, a sports writer. She happens to be a young lady sports writer, a sports writer. She happened to be a young lady. But I think they do. I think at first they don't. When they're young, four, five, six years old, no. But I think that most of my kids, which I'm blessed to say that most of them are in their teens and understand, I

think they understand what I've been through. And speaking of being through, Jack Robinson went through a lot. You went through hell breaking that major league home run baseball record. Yes. And I don't think the average person understands what that level of pressure is like. And frankly, for a white baseball player, and I say it all the time, they can just play ball.

I say it all the time. We would love just to be able to go to the store and not worry about getting followed around. We would love just to be able to drive down the street and not worry about getting pulled over by the cops because of the kind of car that you drive. It is just a different kind of life. Well, it was different for me.

It was different for me chasing that record, you know, really. You know, you'd think that the only thing I was doing was bringing a little pleasure to people's mind, you know, enjoying a baseball game. And yet I had to have two or three, Maynard Jackson, who was a mayor at that time, fix me with two detectives that was with me all the time.

Half the time I couldn't stay at the ballpark. I had to stay in a hotel room all the time. I had to have Casanova, who was a friend of mine, to bring food to me in the hotel. So, yes, things were a lot different for me than they would be for, I say this, no pun intended, like Pete Rose was going after the record. He enjoyed it. I didn't have any enjoyment when I was going after Babe Ruth's

record. Because every letter I received, people were threatening me and doing all these things. So I had to worry about staying alive or doing some other things. I look at players today. They want to play football. They want to play basketball.

I look at players today. They want to play football. They want to play basketball. I grew up playing baseball, but then there was a point where I fell out of love. I just fell out of love with it. When you see the few number of black players today, what crosses your mind?

I'm worried about it, really. I am. I'm worried about it. And I have brought this to the commissioner, even Bud Selig, who was commissioner before. And I've brought it to Ron Manford. I've brought it to all of them. It's a problem.

It is a problem. And how do we solve it? It's a long issue. It's something that I think that if you think about the economic struggle that we, and I'm talking about we as black folks, have in this country, if it's a struggle, we're going to feel the pinch. Black folks gonna feel it more than anybody.

And when we talk about baseball, baseball is a very, very expensive sport because you have to have the right field to play on, you have to have the bat to play with, the glove to play with. And if your mother and father's not working to do these things, it can't do you any good. So I think that in all, I think that I just like to.. I don't know what I can say to say that I hope that in the next few years that we can see more blacks playing this game.

There's a kid out there right now. Cannot hit home run. that I hope that in the next few years that we can see more blacks playing this game. There's a kid out there right now, cannot hit home runs, can't steal bases, can't do any of those things, but they can be an entrepreneur. They can be a CEO. Your advice for them? I think that the thing that I tell most kids, most young people, that's in fact if they don't want to play baseball, there is things that they can do.

The most important thing I think I try to tell all kids that there is no shortcut in life. Make sure that, you know, if you want to play baseball, take it one step at a time. Some people can jump over a double A ball and get to the major league. Or you can do things the right way. Now, if you want to go into business, you've got to treat people right. The most important thing, you've got to treat people right and act like it is a business. The most important thing, when I was in the automobile business, whatever I did, I didn't care whether a customer came in my store and was gonna spend $1.50 on a flag

or anything, I treated that customer the same way that I would treat a customer that came in and had his motor overhaul. So I think that you got to learn how to do that. All right then. Hammering Hank Aaron. We appreciate it. Thank you.

Thanks a bunch. Thank you. Thanks a bunch. Thank you. Henry Hank Aaron, dead at the age of 86. We'll be back on Roland Martin Unfiltered. © BF-WATCH TV 2021 I know a lot of cops. They get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. I get right back there and it's bad. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glott. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast.

Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports. This kind of starts that a little bit, man. We met them at their homes. We met them at the recording studios. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Here's the deal. We got to set ourselves up. See, retirement is the long game. We got to make moves and make them early. Set up goals. Don't worry about a setback. Just save up and stack up to reach them. Let's put ourselves in the right position.

Pre-game to greater things. Start building your retirement plan at thisispretirement.org. Brought to you by AARP and the Ad Council. This is an iHeart Podcast.