Hank Aaron

Henry Louis "Hank" Aaron (born February 5, 1934, in Mobile, Alabama) is a retired Major League Baseball player whose career lasted 23 seasons from 1954 to 1976 with the Atlanta Braves organization in the National League. At Atlanta's Fulton-County Stadium on Monday, April 8, 1974, Aaron hit his 715th career home run; this put him in first place on the all-time list ahead of Babe Ruth. He finished his career with 755 home runs, a record that that lasted 33 years until San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds broke it by hitting his 756th career home run on August 7, 2007.

Hank Aaron

Sourced quotes

• "I don't want them to forget Ruth; I just want them to remember me."    

Simple: I do not want people to forget about Babe Ruth, but I want them to remember me for the things I have done.

• "Didn't come up here to read. Came up here to hit."    

Simple: I did not come here to read. I came here to hit.

• "You can only milk a cow so long, then you're left holding the pail."   

Simple: You can only milk a cow so long, then you are left holding the bucket.

Unsourced quotes

• "Guessing what the pitcher is going to throw is eighty percent of being a successful hitter. The other twenty percent is just execution."

Simple: I am guessing what the pitcher is going to throw is 80 percent of being a good hitter. The other 20 percent is just hitting.

• "I don't feel right unless I have a sport to play or at least a way to work up a sweat."

Simple: I do not feel right unless I have a sport to play or at least a way to make a sweat.

• "I don't see pitches down the middle any more - not even in batting practice."

Simple: I do not see pitches in the middle any more - not even in batting practice.

• "I looked for the same pitch my whole career, a breaking ball. All of the time. I never worried about the fastball. They couldn't throw it past me, none of them."

Simple: I looked for the same pitch in my career. All of the time. I never worried about fastball. They could not throw it past me, none of them.

• "I never doubted my ability, but when you hear all your life you're inferior, it makes you wonder if the other guys have something you've never seen before. If they do, I'm still looking for it."

Simple: I never doubted my talent, but when you hear all your life that you are lower, it makes you wonder if other people have something you have never seen before. If they do, I am still looking for it.

• "I never smile when I have a bat in my hands. That's when you've got to be serious. When I get out on the field, nothing's a joke to me. I don't feel like I should walk around with a smile on my face."

Simple: I never smile when I have a hat in my hands. That is why you must be serious. When I am on the baseball field, nothing is a joke to me. I do not feel like I should walk around with a smile.

• "I'm hoping someday that some kid, black or white, will hit more home runs than myself. Whoever it is, I'd be pulling for him."

Simple: I am hoping that one day a child, black or white, will hit more home runs than me. Whoever it is, I would be supporting him.

• "It took me seventeen years to get 3,000 hits in baseball. I did it in one afternoon on the golf course."

Simple: It took me 17 years to get 3000 hits in baseball. I did that in one afternoon on the golf course.

• "My motto was always to keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging."

Simple: My motto was always to keep swinging. Whether I was upset or feeling bad or having problems off the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging.

• "On the field, blacks have been able to be super giants. But, once our playing days are over, this is the end of it and we go back to the back of the bus again."

Simple: On the field, black people have been able to be great sportsmen. But, once our days of playing are over, this is the end of it, and we go back to the back of the bus again.

About the quote: In America during this period, Black people were segregated from White people, and they had to sit at the back of buses.

• "The pitcher has got only a ball. I've got a bat. So the percentage in weapons is in my favor and I let the fellow with the ball do the fretting."

Simple: The pitcher has only got a ball. I have a bat. So the percentage of weapons is in my favor and I let the man with the ball worry.

• "The triple is the most exciting play in baseball. Home runs win a lot of games, but I never understood why fans are so obsessed with them."

Simple: The triple is the most exciting play in baseball. Home runs win a lot of games, but I never understood why fans like them so much.

Other websites

• Hank Aaron on Wikipedia
• Hank Aaron on Wikimedia Commons
• Brainy Quote