Henry Aaron

     Henry Louis Aaron, nicknamed "Hammer" or "Hammerin' Hank", was an American professional baseball right fielder who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball, from 1954 through 1976. He spent 21 seasons with the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves in the National League and two seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers in the American League.

     I watched the game on TV when Hank Aaron hit the home run to surpass the record of Babe Ruth. What wasn't emphasized was the hostility he faced from fans who didn't want to see the record broken and sent him all sorts of hate mail and shouted unspeakable epithets at him during the games.

 

     

     The record breaking had had to wait all winter as Aaron hadn't hit enough homers during the previous year in 1973. He spent the off-season thinking about it and hearing about it from everyone and their brother. It must of come as a relief when the season finally started. 

     When the season did finally begin, Aaron played three games in Cincinnati and didn't hit any homers. He returned back to Atlanta where a nation wide TV audience was watching.

     It was rumored that the pitcher on that historic day, Al Downing, a former 20 game winner and World Series star for the Yankees in the previous decade, was going to "groove one" to Aaron in his first plate appearance.

    Now I mentioned that I was watching the game on TV. I had no doubts that Al Downing had seen better days, but there he was starting for the Dodgers in this all important 4th game of the 1974 season. He walked him the first time he batted. The second time up Downing threw a fastball on Aaron's fists which would have broken the bat of a less accomplished hitter. The pitch was not "grooved" so that Aaron could hit the homer to break the record. I have watched the replay to many times to think otherwise.

    When it was all said and done Aaron had just the right words for fans and foes a like:

     He said. ‘I don’t want you to forget Babe Ruth. I just want you to remember Hank Aaron."

President Biden

      There is a palpable feeling of lightness in the air. It feels for the first time in a long time that there is a quiet in the public realm. No reporting of what the president said today on Twitter makes for a much needed calm. Perhaps journalism will return to its roots and simply describe what is going on, instead of taking sides and reporting the outlandish statements coming out of our federal government.

     We have a chance for a new beginning. Our 46th President was sworn in without a hitch, as was our first female Vice-President. This is a time for looking forward with hope and not backward with a longing for a past that wasn't so great as it might have seemed.

    

 

     Let's give the new administration the benefit of the doubt at first. Our problems are greater than they can solve on their own. We must all do our part to contain the virus, get the vaccination when it becomes available, and, above all, remain hopeful. Believe in the truth that "the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."

 

Democracy In Action

      We always had elections in for Student Council in Junior High School and High School. There was never a moment when the students were not represented by students. The elections for the following year’s officers were held in June and they officially assumed command the following September. It’s quite a stark contrast to the way we do things in our presidential elections.

      We can easily understand the history behind the date for an orderly succession because of constraints on travel and communications in the early days of our country. We probably all see why the need for speed and action was so pressing that the 20th Amendment to the constitution moved the inauguration by 43 days from March to January. Though what about our next election in 2024?

      The speed of the Internet would enable us to shave a couple of months off the time of presidential succession. Maybe November 20th. It would really give people something to talk about at Thanksgiving and would still allow time for recounts and challenges.

 

Elks Club

      The Elks Club is gone from the Village of Ridgewood. Though I learned today we have them to thank for the Ridgewood Borough Hall. I was doing a search through the Ridgewood Library https://www.ridgewoodlibrary.org/localhistory   and found this priceless picture:

 

      Notice the Elk in the foreground. Makes sense after all these years. They sold their building to the town and moved into a much smaller place next store. They were able to keep an eye on their old haunt while hoisting a cold one at their much less expensive new digs.

     I'm not quite sure when the move occurred. The following picture is from the 1933 Chamber of Commerce Dinner. November 20th 1933

 

Maroons Online

      Yes, the new year brought new insights. Today I launched an Ezine dedicated to RHS Alumni and a web site to support it. 

https://paul44b.substack.com/p/coming-soon?r=exxr&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&utm_source=copy

     The web site is https://maroonsonline.com

A Brand New Year

      Can't imagine a soul who can come up with something good to say about 2020. I'll try.

     Lot's of good TV.

     No end to the amount of music one can stream.

     No office Christmas parties.

     More software and tech gadgets than we have uses for.

     Well, my list is decidedly shabby and short. I admit defeat. I really can't think of anything about the year I will recall fondly. Let's look ahead to the New Year. Let's share what we know. Above all, let's build back better. By this I mean, let's use this opportunity, this reset, to try and get things right in terms of the environment, income equality, and racial/gender/age injustices. This is quite a bit to ponder, but since our quarantine will be in place much longer than anyone anticipated we do have the time to think of some new ways of living, working, and getting along with each other. Have at it. Happy New Year!