I never got to meet Hank Aaron, nor did I ever get to see him play in person, but from the time I began watching baseball, he was one of my favorite players.

Henry Louis Aaron, better known as “Hammerin’ Hank,” died on Jan. 22, at the age of 86.

Aaron’s career began in the Negro American League, and he went on to play 23 seasons in MLB (1954-1976). He spent most of his career with the Braves in Milwaukee and Atlanta, and then finished his career after two seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers.

I remember well, Aaron’s quest to become home run king, which meant surpassing the 714 homers that Babe Ruth hit in his career. Although I was excited to see this unfold and Ruth’s record surpassed in my lifetime, not everyone felt that way.

Aaron received hundreds of letters as he was approaching the magic number, and many of those letters included death threats, because baseball purists, and frankly racists – didn’t want to see Aaron surpass Ruth.

He finished the 1973 season with 713 homers, one shy of tying the record. We would all have to wait until next season to watch Aaron break the record.

The Braves opened the 1974 season in Cincinnati with a three-game series against the Reds, but they wanted Aaron to break the record at home, and were going to have him sit out the first three games. However, MLB Commissioner Bowie Kuhn ruled he had to play at least two of the games in that series, so he did. Aaron tied Ruth’s record, April 4, 1974, in his very first at bat, on his first swing of the season, off Reds pitcher Jack Billingham, but did not hit another home run in the series.

That set the stage for his return to Atlanta; April 8, 1974, and I remember where I was that evening when the record was broken.

I was nine years old, and my father wanted me to tag along with him to his friend Dave Burgeson’s house, where they were going to do some work on our car. I suppose he thought it would be good for me to learn something about auto repair at that age, but I was not happy. The game was going to be broadcast nationally on NBC’s Monday Night Baseball, and I wanted to stay home to watch it.

When we got to Dave’s house, I was moping around and he could tell I was not in a good mood. He asked my dad, “What’s wrong with Jeff?”

My dad said, “Oh, he wanted to stay home and watch the baseball game.”

Dave responded, “Well the kids are inside watching the game right now, let him go in and see Hank Aaron break the record.”

Thank you, Dave!

I begged my father to agree with Dave, and he said, “Okay, go watch the game.”

The Burgeson kids and I were all excited to see history made right before our eyes, and we were all cheering for Aaron to do it that night, while we were able to sit there and watch the game.

In the fourth inning, it happened, Aaron hit home run number 715 off Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Al Downing, and we all started shouting and jumping up and down. I ran to the garage and told my dad and Dave, “He did it. He hit number 715!”

For Spring Break 1985, I went home with a friend from ORU to Palm Beach, Florida, knowing the Montreal Expos were holding Spring Training in West Palm Beach. At the time, I was working for the Expos in Jamestown, NY, in the summers. I called the Expos Spring Training office and let them know I was in town and would like to come to camp a couple days. It was arranged that I would have a credential waiting for me at the gate to attend two days at the facility the Expos shared with the Atlanta Braves.

As a 20-year-old baseball fan, I was in my glory, having the freedom to go anywhere in the complex I wanted, including the clubhouse. So, one day, I went walking around to the Braves side of the baseball complex. There I saw Hank Aaron, leaning up against a backstop, watching players take batting practice. I thought to myself, “now’s your chance to meet Hank Aaron.”

Unfortunately, I talked myself out of it. I was too chicken to want to bother him, and I was afraid I would get so nervous meeting my childhood hero, that I would end up making a fool of myself. Besides, I reasoned, I was there as a guest of the Expos and didn’t want to get in trouble. Ever since, I’ve regretted not being bold enough to just go and talk to Aaron, as I learned he was a very nice guy and approachable, and probably would have enjoyed hearing my story of where I was when he broke Babe Ruth’s record.

A few years later, I wrote to Aaron, in care of the Braves front office, and sent him his Hall of Fame plaque postcard and a baseball card to autograph. He graciously autographed and returned both items, and they are prized treasures in my collection.