Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Ed. Note: This morning the immortal Henry “Hammerin’ Hank” Aaron passed away at the age of 86. Great player, trailblazer, great person, and one of the ambassadors for baseball and humanity. He’ll be missed. RIP, Hank.
Born to a modest family in Mobile in 1934, Aaron had a lifelong love of baseball, growing up idolizing the immortal Jackie Robinson. But, poverty didn’t stop Aaron from playing. Too poor to afford equipment, he fashioned his own bats and balls out of materials at hand, whacking bottlecaps with sticks as he strolled down the street.