Tag Archives: Hank Aaron

This Week in History – July 1969

Right before we hit the Seventies, with its Watergate, disco, and leisure suits, there was 1969. Let’s see what was happening in the world this week in July: Senator Ted Kennedy pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of a fatal auto accident in what now has become known as the Chappaquiddick incident. His Secretary Mary Jo Kopechne was killed when the car Senator Kennedy was driving left the road and plunged into the channel between Chappaquiddick Island and Martha’s Vineyard. While Senator Kennedy made it out alive, Mary Jo did not. As for the war in Vietnam, 53% of the … Continue reading →

Bond’s Record Breaking Baseball Sold at Auction

What a difference a ball makes! If you had been lucky enough to catch Barry Bond’s record breaking #756 ball – the one that broke Hank Aaron’s old all time home run record – it would have been like catching a quarter of a million dollars. Yes, it is true. The owner of the ball, lucky New York tourist Matt Murphy, caught the ball last month. The 22-year-old was then escorted away from the crowd by police for security purposes. I find it a bit fitting that, due to all the controversy over Bonds and the record being broken, Murphy … Continue reading →

Sports This Week: Two Baseball Deaths, Bonds Closes in on a Record

Two Baseball Deaths I found it somewhat odd today that I read about two very different baseball deaths that occurred Sunday. One was that of minor league coach Mike Coolbaugh. Mike was hit in the head by a line drive during a game between the Double-A Tulsa Drillers, for whom Mike was a first base coach, and the Arkansas Travelers. After he was hit, CPR was administered and he was taken to Baptist Medical Center in North Little Rock, but pronounced dead at 9:47 pm. Mike had two small boys and another baby on the way. What struck me as … Continue reading →

Creeping up on a Legend

Barry Bonds just broke Hank Aaron’s National League record of home runs. He hit home run number 734 Saturday night against the Milwaukee Brewers, but even that was not enough to win. The San Francisco Giants still lost by a score of 10-8. Bonds needs only 21 more home runs to reach Hank Aaron’s career total of 755 home runs. Breaking that record will surely come, but then Bonds comes from good baseball genes. His father, Bobby Bonds, played 13 years in the major leagues. He was known for his amazing ability to combine speed and hitting. For five seasons, … Continue reading →