The Raleigh Register from Beckley, West Virginia • Page 14

10-Raleigh Register, Bcckley, W. Tuesday Afternoon, April 9, 1974 Aaron Hits 715th By DAVID MOHKIT ATLANTA (UPI) The Great Chase is over for Hank Aaron. Aaron's pursuit of Babe Ruth's once seemingly unbeata ble career home run record, a pursuit that took 20 years and nearly 3,000 major league baseball games, ended Monday night when "The Hammer" hit his 71Sth. It happened at 9:07 p.m., in the fourth inning of the Atlanta Braves' 74 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Teammate Darrell Evans was on first and Dodger pitcher At Downing, a cunning left- hander who had walked the 40- year-old Braves outfielder in the second inning, tried to sneak a fast ball past Aaron on a 1-0 pitch.

"It was right down the middle," moaned Downing. "I was trying to get it down to him --but I didn't." Knew it was Gone "Yeah," grinned Aaron. "He iust hung it a little too much. I didn't think I hit it all that especially into that wind. Jut I knew it was going out." "That took a tremendous weight off my back, I'm glad it's over," said Aaron who has been subjected to a tremendous barrage of publicity, some of it critical, since it became apparent a year ago that he was making a run at a record Ruth set without much fanfare 39 years ago.

But Hank Aaron doesn't plan to rest on his laurels. The Braves' aging outfielder immediately set a new goal for himself --getting the 120 more base hits he needs to eclipse Stan Musial's National League record of 3,630. Aaron, who already held 19 league records going into his 21st season in the majors, set yet another in the second inning Monday night when he scored from first base on Dusty Baker's double and a Bill Buckner error. That was his run, breaking a tie with now-retired Willie Mays for the National League record. One Behind Hank Aaron hit 40 home runs last season, most ever by a 39- year-old player, and was only one behind Babe Ruth when this season began.

It was obvious that it wouldn't take him very long to top Ruth and the Braves, anxious to have him hit 714 and 175 in Atlanta, tried to hold him out of this past weekend's three-game series in Cincinnati. But baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn intervened. He forced the Braves to play Aaron in last Thursday's season-opener and Aaron hit No. 714 in his very first at bat. Again the Braves tried to bench Aaron to save 71S for Atlanta and again Kuhn intervened.

Aaron sat out the second game of the series but played on Sunday and when he went hitless there were charges from some quarters that he didn't really try. me just say this," Aaron said grimly at the start of a news conference after Monday's historic occasion. "I have never given less than my best. (Clay) Kirby made some good pitches on me and that's all there was to it." Glad it was Atlanta As for Kuhn forcing the Braves to play him, Aaron said, "I'm glad it (715) came in Atlanta. I felt after I hit No, 714 in Cincinnati that it would have been the courteous thing to do to let me wait to try to hit 715 in Atlanta." Aaron's Monday night home run touched off a raucous celebration in Atlanta Stadium.

As Hank circled the bases, the overflow crowd of 53,775 began a lengthy standing ovation, backgrounded by a gaudy fireworks display. Hank Aaron Became Baseball's Greatest Home Ron Hitter With His 7I5th Aaron Never Knew Ruth "The only thought that went through my mind at the moment was to be sure to touch all the bases," said Aaron. "I don't think it's really sunk in yet. Maybe, after I've gotten a night's sleep, it will dawn on me what I have done." Aaron, who is expected to Two Standing Ovations Given Aaron 'Thank God It's By DAVID MOFFIT ATLANTA (UPI) I agree Willie Mays might make a run With Hank Aaron. Thank God Aaron's widely publicized pursuit of Babe Ruth's career home run record is over.

One couldn't help be caught up in the excitement moment. With 54,000 people going crazy and a gaudy display of fireworks lighting the heavily clouded sky over Atlanta Stadium, it was an answers were known before emotional moment. And the realization that one was witnessing an event thai probably will not be re-enacted during his lifetime, creates a feeling of awe. The people who were in old at one point, it appeared that The Atlanta Braves think at Ruth. But Aaron, three year younger than Mays, surpassei the then fading Mays midwa; through the 1972 season am ever since, the Atlanta Brave of the outfielder has been squarely in the spotlight.

The questions have been repeated at innumerable new: conferences, repeated until thi Forbes Field in Pittsburgh 39 Braves were forced to-shield years ago when Babe Ruth hit Aaron except at specifically his 7Mth and final home run had to believe that they had witnessed a record that would stand for as long as baseball was played. After all, no other player of Ruth's era hit even half as many homers as the Babe. Until the last few years, there was never a serious challenger to the Babe's 714 total although Aaron could put them into words. Wherever Aaron appeared, he was news. i grabbed at every scrap of Aaron information.

By the end of last season, the arranged news conferences. They were forced to close their clubhouse before games to allow Aaron and his teammates a few moments of rest. The city of Atlanta has, and will continue in the immediate future, to consider Hank Aaron as a local landmark--to be put on display like one of its flashy new skyscrapers. NOW APPEARING AT THE RA-LEI CLUB WHEN JOHNNY SPENCE SHAKES, RATTLES AND ROLLS, IT'S THE NEXT BEST THING TO A FRONT ROW SEAT AT THE VEGAS HILTON WATCHING ELVIS PRESLEY Hank Aaron as their bigge drawing card--maybe the only real drawing card in vie of their continued lack success on the playing field. This is my ninth season covering Hank Aaron, datin back to the first spring trainin after the Braves officiall moved from Milwaukee Atlanta.

I find him today much as found him in 1966: a quiet, easy joing, good humored man wh never too busy to answe questions or just pass the tim of day. A lot of athletes are affectet ly fame and fortune. Hart Aaron doesn't appear to be om if them. But the pressures of the pas pressures which have milt up day by day as Aaron rew ever closer to Babe Ruth's -long-standing home run ecord, had to affect even as latient a man as Hank Aaron. Aaron has taken abuse from ome who challenge his right to hallenge Ruth's record.

He has ad to constantly battle to reserve a minimum of priva- y. These are some of the major league home run 715 in Monday night's game against reasons why, after hitting major league home run 715 in Monday night's game against the Dodgers, Aaron said: "That took a tremendous weight off my back I just thank God it's all over with. I agree with Hank Aaron. B1S1 LAST 1 DAY HERE COME THE FUNNIESTCROOKS SWCE CRIME BEGAN! retire at the end of this season, was asked if he would like to become a manager, a job Babe Ruth coveted, tained. but.

never ob- "If there hasn't been a black manager named at that time, I would take the job," said Aaron. "But, I really don't want to manage. I feel I could do more helping out in our farm system." But, for now, Aaron is more interested in having a good season for himself and helping the Braves finish as high as possible. "(Teammate) Ralph Garr met me at home plate and lelped me plant my foot," said Aaron. "Ralph told me before the game to get this thing (the lome run chase) over with so he team could concentrate on ilaying baseball.

"I just thank God it's all over with." ATLANTA (UPI) It is i broke the color line that I ironic that Henry Louis Aaron is the man who ended up breaking Babe Ruth's career home run record, for as a small boy growing up in Mobile, Ala, the magical name of Ruth held no special meaning for him. Aaron, of course, knew who Rut hwas and what he had achieved, but for a black youngster growing up in the South in the 1930s and J940s, the individual records of white professional baseball players were of little or no importance. "We all knew that Babe Ruth was a great home run hitter and a great player, but what he accomplished was virtually meaningless to black kids," says Aaron. "We paid little attention to the records of white professional players. It wasn't until 1947 when Jackie Robinson started thinking seriously major league base playing ball." When Robinson became the first black player to make the majors with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, Hank Aaron was 13 years old and been carrying on a wild love affair with baseball for two years.

The third of eight children born to Herbert and Estellar Aaron, baseball was the one thing during that the sustained Hank depression-ridden days of his childhood! His father was a rivet-bucker for the Alabama Shipyard ny in Mobile and also did some ball-playing on the side, but when Henry came along on Feb. 5, 1934, it was the height of the depression and there was not much time for baseball. When he was old enough Henry, helped out the family b) delivering ice around town, am when he wasn't delivering ice he was playing ball, or watching his elders play ball. "He was a quiet boy," his mother remembers. "He never made many friends and he just loved to play baseball.

Every- time there was a game anywhere and he could join in, he'd be there." By the time Aaron was 11 years old, his interest in baseball changed radically. Before that he played basketball and football with as much enthusiasm, but at 11 baseball became his game for life. "If he wasn't playing the he was reading about it. 'ie was reading every newspa- jer and magazine about baseball he could find. All the time he was around the house, he was reading," says Henry's mother.

At about the time Robinson joined the Dodgers, Aaron began to demonstrate a strong self-confidence in his own ability to make the majors. "Some day, I'll be out there. Some day I'll make the major leagues," Aaron would' say to his mother. "I'm a good player, know 1 am. I'll make it.

I'll make it all the way to the top." In his grammar school days Henry was a catcher for one of the teams Recreation of the Louisiana League, but at Central High School: he was 'orced to play Softball, since the school could not afford equipment for a baseball team. Aaron played shortstop, third (See Road Page 11) Babe Ruth: From Rags To Riches hear old-timers spin fabulous yarns of the man and his era. listened, they sensed that there are millions of older people in the United States who will continue to regard Ruth as home run whether Aaron's Milestones Aaron MUesIonei The list of milestone norm- runs In Aaron's climb to (he major lea- ue record; No. 1-April 23, 1954. at St.

Louis, off 'ic Raschi, No. 100-Auff. 15. 1957, at Cincinnati, on Cross. No.

200-July 3 I960, at St. Louis. Off ilon Kline. No. 300-ArrU 19, 1963, New York, ff Roger Craig.

No. 400-Aprll 20, 1966, at Philadelphia, ff Bo Belinsky, No. 500--July 14, 1966, at Atlanta, off like McCormidt, San Francisco. No. 600--April 27, 1971.

at Atlanta, off aylord Perry San Francisco. No. fi49-June 10, at Philadelphia, Wayne passing Willie Mays, adng Aaron secocd on the all-time list. No. 700-July 21, 1973', at Atlanta, off Brett, Philadelphia.

No. 709-Sept. 8, 1973, at Atlanta, off ck BilUniham, Cincinnati breaking abe Ruth's record for most home runi a league. No. 29, 1973 at Atlanta, off cry Reuss, Houston, moving to within home run of Ruth's career cord.

No. 714April 4, 1974, at Cincinnati, off ck BilUnfham, on the first swing of his rst at-bat In'tht 1974 Mason, equalling be Ruth's career record. No. 715--April 1974, at Atlanta, off AI wiring. Los Angelts.

on his firit swing ibe in borne Park, breaking th's career record. LAST 3 DAYS fHON(25MMI AMMMOUMTMIMM DMOOfUUMMTM ALHXCINO olorbyTECHNCOLOIV A Paramount Hchgst AT 8:00 that there was more to the ma: and the legend than th statistical trivia that he hit 71 home runs. The story of Ruth's life is the American dream: poor boy makes good. Born Feb. 7, 1894 in Baltimore, Ruth spent his youth in St.

Mary's-orphanagi and developed his athletic irowess under the direction Srother Gilbert. Ruth joined the Boston Rec Sox as a pitcher in 1914 during the game's dead ball era, was gradually converted to an outfielder because of his long- ball hitting and was sold to the New York Yankees following the 1919 season. The Babe became a Yankee at a time when both baseball and the nation were seeking new heroes. Baseball was under Babe Ruth, Great Bambino FOR YOUR Dining And Dancing Pleasure Tonight JOEY'S EL CID CLUB PRESENTS JIMMY JAYS CROSS ROADS FEATURING RECORDING ARTIST DONNY KEES THIII CIP CIM WHIM TH! ATMOVHIM II (All, Wl MAY TAHf MTTUNO It. RT.

MM1 SOUTH NIXT DOOR TO HONIT IN ItM HOCK MOTtl a cloud of suspicion caused by the 1919 Black Sox World Series scandal. The United States was entering an era of wonderful nonsense, following World War during which it became a nation at play. A 6 feet 3 inch, 215-pound slugger who swung a 52-ounce bat, Ruth created a new interest for disgruntled basebal fans when he began to hit home run: farther, higher and with immeasurably greater consist ency than anyone before him, His home runs made the fans forget the Black Sox scandal and restored their faith in the game. His batting power made the Yankees the strongest team in baseball and his drawing power enabled them to construct Yankee Stadium, highly-publicized escapades increase his inflate the only seemed to popularity and legend. In attempting to understand old-timers' feelings for that legend, young ones must realize that Ruth often hit mora homers in a season than any team in baseball, that he packed 637 home runs into a 14- a period from 1920 through 1933 and that he had a remarkable knack for deliver- ng when the spotlight was on iim.

He hit IS home runs in 41 Vorld Series games (in addi- ion to his 714 homers in regular season play), batted a record .625 in the 1928 Series with the St. Louis Cardinals, 'called his shot" in a 1932 cries game and won the first All-Star game for the American League with a home run. now undergoing a two-year facelift, as a for the sport. The era produced larger-than-life sports other heroes xaing, Bobby Jones in golf and Grange In football but there was always a special Imcricana about Babe Ruth, His appetites for wine, food and tong were enormous but his The legend continued to grow the once lean and hard youth allooned into a moon-faced 250 pounder with curiously pindly legs. It is the figure of lat jovial giant'which is part the Ruthian legend although was 'the lean and hard figure of earlier years that transformed the game of Ty Cobb into the game of Babe Ruth ended his Yankee career on a sour note when the club refused to make him- manager in 1934 and he played out the last 28 games of his career with the Boston Braves in 193S.

'He still had the old hitting the last three wme runs of his career. in a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, May 25, 1935. He had a brief fling as a coach with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1938 but then went out of baseball until 1947 when he was named American Legion Junior such as Jack Dcmpsey in Baseball Director for the Ford ilotor Company. Ruth died of cancer on Aug. 6, 1948, leaving behind him igend which unique forever ory.

may remain in ipoiu hii-.