Saturday, February 14, 2009

Heroes...And I'm Not Talking About Sandwiches

My last post got me thinking about real heroes...my heroes.  Do I have any?  Have I had any?  Who are they?  I don't have an immediate answer for any of these questions.  

It seems like common heroes are a parent, teacher, sports start, or famous person.  

I'm not sure I ever really had a hero, but a person I can remember admiring is Hank Aaron.  I used to love baseball as a kid (By the way, I'm a Cincinnati Reds fan through and through).  I had all the baseball cards ( I was a Topps guy then I switched to Upper Deck) a kid could want...supposedly they were going to pay for my college education someday.  HA!   

During my fanaticism with baseball, I read Hank Aaron's autobiography, I Had A Hammer.  What a story!  


Recommended Read...Hank Aaron Is Incredible

I'm not going to try to give a synopsis of the story because I read the book so long ago.  A quick perspective is that Hank Aaron was a superbly talented African-American baseball player who played in the major leagues shortly after they were integrated.  Toward the end of his career, he challenged, then broke, the most hallowed sports record of all time (Babe Ruth's home run record), which many baseball fans did not like too much.  

I don't admire Hank Aaron because he held the all-time home run record...or the all-time total bases record...or the all-time RBI record...or...  

I admire him because of his courage and grace in the face of adversity.  All he wanted to do was play baseball, but he carried the weight of so much more.  Still today, I admire the way he carries himself regarding his one time hallowed record.  He knows there are a lot better things to worry about.  

An interesting question I sometimes hear or read goes something like this:  If you could have dinner with three people (or one person depending on the questioner), dead or alive, who would they (it) be?  I know one of mine would definitely be Hank Aaron. 

Who's your hero?  

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