Jeff Pearlman closes the door on John Rocker, and his guilt

Who's saying he didn't have a point? Any problems had more to do with his timing .. and the mere invoking of the KKK.

 

A precursor to the more mature McLain who would later rob pension funds.

 

Somebody who responds to the invocation by writing "the only good nigger is a dead nigger" means Aaron hit the nail on the fucking head.

As for Aaron's timing, it was perfect. He didn't have a particularly jolly time breaking the record, simply because of all the hatred it engendered. The two cannot be separated as far as he's concerned, so why would he not talk about all of it?

 

We did an event with David Cone, and he couldn't have been nicer to our customers.

He brought along pictures of his perfect game, and signed one for every guest. People were asking him to sign additional items, so I stepped in and let people know he could only sign one item per person, but insisted that he didn't mind, and signed everything, and took pictures, the whole deal.

He really could not have been nicer.

 

I didn't get in on that thread before it got torpedoed, but I'm a little uncomfortable criticizing his "timing." Not that this is anywhere close to your intention, because I don't think you're that way, but criticizing Aaron's "timing" is kind of like saying, "Shush up, boy, and enjoy this moment the way we want you to like a good little n#*#*#."

 

Bang on.

 

I see how it could be taken that way, and certainly not my intention. I just think it was sort of like coming to your birthday party and pissing on the cake.

 

I was a little uncomfortable with the timing, but this is spot-on. I don't think he separates the record from the hatred, nor should he. And I agree with Dick regarding those who really have a problem with the timing.

 

If we can't discuss politics on SJ , why should Hank Aaron get a
pass on bringing up politics.

Bob Nightengale in a column today seems to try and run a bit of
cover for Aaron by saying that he never meant to connect the KKK
and The Republican party.

While he's at it Nightengale also brings up the lack of blacks in MLB. Only
thing missing is a quote from the Lapchick Institute .

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2014/04/14/jackie-robinson-day-mlb-hank-aaron-racism-still-exists/7723045/

At this point Aaron is an old man and probably not as sharp as he
once was. I liken his comments to that of Al Campanis. Not intended
as they came across.

 

I was actually going to make this observation in the early going of this thread, but it didn't seem worth defending. I took it as Aaron saying the racists these days wear suits and ties instead of hoods, not that he was calling Republican critics of the president the racists. But it was certainly easy to tie the two together if you chose to.

 

More people need to realize this is Hank Aaron's narrative, not theirs. He feels how he has always felt, with good reason, and he doesn't have to commemorate anything the way somebody else wants him to do it.

Anybody who begrudges him speaking his mind whenever the hell he wants to didn't walk in his shoes in 1973-74, or at any other time during his life, so they really should just shut the fuck up.

 

Hank Aaron's earned the right to say whatever the fuck he wants, whenever he wants to.

But, folks have been criticized for going off message at Academy Awards, the Grammys, the RRHoF inductions, the Baseball Hall of Fame inductions, and a million other events.

Michael Jordon was bashed for his Hall of Fame induction speech.

Aaron is a big boy he can handle the criticism. To act like any criticism of him is unjust is patronizing. Did some racists crawl out of the woodwork as a result? Of course. That doesn't mean every critic is racially inspired, or insensitive.