Aaron Has a Real Attitude Toward Game

Hank Aaron [Sept. 9] is certainly no Jackie Robinson. He isn’t worthy to be mentioned in the same article with Jackie Robinson. Hank should go up to his attic and burn the hate mail he has been saving. Perhaps that would help him purge his soul of the bitterness and resentment he obviously harbors.

I wonder if Jackie Robinson saved his hate mail. I doubt it. He was too busy living with, enduring, and rising above the hatred he experienced every day he took the field in order to carve a path for the Hank Aarons to follow. I’d like to remind Hank that Cal Ripken received hate mail and threats from New Yorkers who didn’t want Lou Gehrig’s record broken, and the last time I looked, Cal’s skin wasn’t black.

Hank needs to grow up, stop acting like a petulant child and get over the fact that even though his numbers are superior, he has to live in the shadow of the legend of the Babe. If he could accomplish this, perhaps he could contribute more to the game than numbers of home runs and RBIs.

JANELLE EVANS, Woodland Hills

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Bill Plaschke mentioned in his fine story on Hank Aaron that sportswriters recently voted Babe Ruth the all-time right fielder, with Aaron coming in second. I believe Aaron should receive the nod because his superior accomplishments were earned facing all the best players of his day, including players of all races. Ruth, however, faced only the best white players of his day.

Moreover, on this basis, I believe official recognition should not be given to any major league records that were set before Jackie Robinson’s arrival. I’m not holding my breath on this one, though.

MICHAEL A. ESTES, National City

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Henry Aaron once said that he didn’t want people to forget Babe Ruth, but to remember Henry Aaron. He now must decide whether he wants to be remembered as a bitter man with a chip on his shoulder, or for the spectacular consistency he displayed on the ball field.

His greatness as a player is unquestionable. To have broken Babe Ruth’s lifetime home run record is arguably the greatest achievement by an athlete in the history of all sport. But he wasn’t the revolutionary force that ushered in a whole new approach to the game that made his own achievements possible. He also had 4,000 more at-bats than Ruth, won eight fewer home run crowns, and never hit 50 in a season, something the Babe did four times. This isn’t about race, it’s about numbers.

Fighting the ghost of Babe Ruth is a dubious undertaking at best, as the late Roger Maris found out. So give it up, Hank. You are a titan. I’ll never forget you. Seeing you hit your 715th home run was probably the greatest moment in my life as a baseball fan. That Babe Ruth is still considered the greatest power hitter is justified and meant as no disrespect to you. It only enhances your place in history. You beat the best. Don’t tarnish the awe we true fans have for you by making it into a racial issue.

TOM RUSH, Orange

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Aaron was less a victim of color than of colorlessness. He lacked Mays’ magnetism, Clemente’s mystique, Mantle’s big-game power and even Ernie Banks’ popularity. He toiled quietly and tirelessly for years, far from the media centers of America. Even though he broke Ruth’s record, casting him as heir apparent was no easy task. Stats may define the player, but they alone do not create the legend. Ruth had it, as well as Aaron’s four above contemporaries. And, yes, three of them were black.

RON OVADIA, Newport Beach