Since I have started this blog I haven't had an opportunity to really talk about Hank Aaron. I have been doing signings with Hank for almost four years and have gotten close with him over that time. I go down to Georgia a few times a year to do private signings. We usually sign a little each day for 2 days because Aaron is so busy. As well as Hank did in baseball he has accomplished even more outside of the game. He has several car dealerships in Atlanta as well as some resturants. When Hank comes to New York I always pick him up the airport versus getting a towncar to meet him. This time was no different.
I picked up Aaron at the aiport Saturday morning and was immediately bombarded with questions about the Mets. Hank and I have been going back and forth on Mets/Braves for a few years and , the way I see it, it is now my time. We talked business and National League East baseball for the entire ride to Last Licks in Huntington. We were greeted by over 300 fans when we arrived at the store. Hank signed for them all as well as some private items for us (including bats and batting helmets). About a half hour into the appearance Pete Rose arrived. Pete and Aaron talked for a while about the current state of the game. The highlight of the day was definitely Rose telling us that there were over 8000 hits at the table. I responded by saying that I get quite a few hits of my own on this blog. No one else thought it was funny. Pete was great, as usual. He takes photos with everyone and loves talking baseball with the fans. Hank and I left at about 1:30 so, unfortunately, I was unable to see Cal Ripken. I would like to thank Paul Gesualdi and Brendan Herlihy for helping out with Pete and Cal. I will be doing a private signing with Ripken later in the month so check back for the post on that one.
Hank and I got to talk a lot on the ride to the airport as we were trapped in the terrible storm that held up the Met game. I told him to expect a phone call in September when the Mets clinch the division and that I want his seats at Turner if we have a chance to win it there. Hank laughed and told me to be happy with the wild card. It was good to see my friend and am looking forward to my next trip to Georgia. Keep checking back for updates all week as well as photos from this weekend (we are experiencing technical difficulties with the image posting)