Hammerin’ Hank Aaron: The Bravest of the Braves. Cartoon for WoodyPaige.com, a leading platform for sports commentary in the United States and internationally.

Henry Louis Aaron passed away this past week, leaving behind a legacy as a giant on and off the baseball field.

The last of the big leaguers to join Major League Baseball from the Negro Leagues, Hammerin’ Hank was a paragon of class and dignity through out his Hall of Fame career.

When Aaron approached Babe Ruth’s record for career home runs in 1974, he bravely faced an onslaught of hate and death threats from racist “fans” of the game. During a season where bodyguards followed him everywhere he went, he bore down on the record with grace and focus. But Aaron never forgot what he had to so unfairly endure, famously saving every one of those hateful letters.

His retirement showed no departure from his prior approach to life and the game, cementing his place in baseball and sports lore as a legend and hero.

In a particularly tragic year for so many sports heroes, the light Hank Aaron left behind somehow seems to stand out just a bit more.

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