How many of you remember all of your favorite baseball players’ - preferably Phillies - number?
When we were growing up, it was customary for us to rattle off just about any player by their number. A.
Boxing legend Muhammad Ali once called baseball legend Henry âHammerinâ Hankâ Aaron âthe only man I idolize more than myself.â
Both were icons of their respective sports and both received the presidential Medal of Freedom from George W. Bush in recognition of their contributions to society, both inside and outside the sports arena.
Both emerged as civil rights icons â but in spectacularly different ways. Where the flashy Ali thundered against racial inequities, Aaron quietly gave what he sought â respect.
He mentored any young player who asked for his guidance and never had a bad thing to say about anyone â teammates or opponents, observed Gary Neibauer, a teammate of Aaronâs from 1969 to 1973 who now lives in Aurora.