February 12, 2021 | BY AAGD STAFF
As news of Hank Aaron’s death made its way around the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions during January 21-24, several baseball players competing in the celebrity division of the LPGA season opener took time to reflect on one of the great icons of American baseball.
Aaron, the humble superstar who rose above racial prejudices to break Babe Ruth’s home run record, died in his sleep on Friday, January 22, 2021 at age 86.
John Smoltz, one of several players in the TOC field connected to Aaron through the Atlanta Braves, said:
“There is not a superstar I’ve ever been around that, A, went through as much as he did, both in life and in the game. He just was a gentle guy.”
Aaron Hicks of the New York Yankees said while walking down the 17th hole with his caddie, girlfriend, LPGA Tour player Cheyenne Woods:
“I mean, he’s an icon in baseball. He’s a guy as a Black athlete, to be able to see somebody do that, you know, that looks just like me, is incredible.”
John Hart, president of baseball operations for the Atlanta Braves said:
“Hank came up in a very difficult era. He signed in the early 1950s, Jackie Robinson hadn’t really crossed the color barrier. It still was very tough. He had to play all through the Southern League and nobody knew who Hank Aaron was. He had to go in with a lot of other African American players and go through a very difficult time to get to the big leagues. It was a different era. Hank, he just had that, ‘Look, I’m going to let my talent speak. I’m going to go with it.’
Joe Carter, two-time World Series champion, five-time All Star said:
“You tip your cap to those guys, because they paved the way for guys like me. It’s something I’ll never take for granted. They were pioneers. Jackie Robinson. Hank Aaron. Satchel Paige. Those were guys you heard about, you knew about, and you followed them. That’s who the Black community followed.
“They are heroes and legends and they played the game the way that it was supposed to be played. … We all loved watching Hank. It’s a terrible day, Hank passing away. Unbelievable.”
The Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions is a women’s professional golf tournament on the LPGA Tour in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. It debuted in 2019 at the Four Season Golf & Sports Club Orlando. The tournament field is limited to winners on LPGA Tour events in the previous two years.
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