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Baseball: History, Players, & Coaching: 1960s

A research topic guide on the history and legendary players of baseball.

Sandy Koufax

Streaming Films

Hank Aaron

Streaming Films

Perspectives

The Last Hero: A Life of Henry Aaron

In the thirty-four years since his retirement, Henry Aaron's reputation has only grown in magnitude: he broke existing records (rbis, total bases, extra-base hits) and set new ones (hitting at least thirty home runs per season fifteen times, becoming the first player in history to hammer five hundred home runs and three thousand hits). But his influence extends beyond statistics, and at long last here is the first definitive biography of one of baseball's immortal figures.   Based on meticulous research and interviews with former teammates, family, two former presidents, and Aaron himself, The Last Hero chronicles Aaron's childhood in segregated Alabama, his brief stardom in the Negro Leagues, his complicated relationship with celebrity, and his historic rivalry with Willie Mays--all culminating in the defining event of his life: his shattering of Babe Ruth's all-time home-run record.   Bryant also examines Aaron's more complex second act: his quest to become an important voice beyond the ball field when his playing days had ended, his rediscovery by a public disillusioned with today's tainted heroes, and his disappointment that his career home-run record was finally broken by Barry Bonds during the steroid era, baseball's greatest scandal.   Bryant reveals how Aaron navigated the upheavals of his time--fighting against racism while at the same time benefiting from racial progress--and how he achieved his goal of continuing Jackie Robinson's mission to obtain full equality for African-Americans, both in baseball and society, while he lived uncomfortably in the public spotlight. Eloquently written, detailed and penetrating, this is a revelatory portrait of a complicated, private man who through sports became an enduring American icon.

Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend

Considered to be “as monumental—and enigmatic—a legend as American sport has ever seen” (Sports Illustrated), Willie Mays is arguably the greatest player in baseball history, still revered for the joy and passion he brought to the game. Mays began as a teenage phenom in the Negro Leagues, became a cult hero in New York, and was the headliner in Major League Baseball’s bold expansion to California. With 3,383 hits, 660 home runs, and 338 stolen bases, he was a blend of power, speed, and stylistic bravado that fans had never seen before. Now, in the first biography authorized by and written with the cooperation of Willie Mays, James Hirsch reveals the man behind the player.. Willie is perhaps best known for “The Catch”—his breathtaking over-the-shoulder grab in the 1954 World Series. It is a classic visual that represents a transcendent figure who ushered in a new era of baseball, received standing ovations around the globe, and—during the turbulent civil rights era—advocated understanding and reconciliation. However, the years of racial attacks, the stress of celebrity, and the mental and physical demands of the game also took a toll. Meticulously researched and drawing on lengthy interviews with Mays, as well as with close friends, family, and teammates, Hirsch presents a complex portrait of one of America’s most significant cultural icons..

Hammering Hank

On April 8, 1999, at Turner Field in Atlanta, Major League Baseball celebrated the 25th anniversary of Henry Aaron's 715th home run, which propelled him past Babe Ruth to the top of the game's all-time home run list. Those expecting to recapture the spark of that long-ago moment may have felt a letdown. The ceremony, while touching and heartfelt, was a made-for-television event that featured stock-footage clips of Aaron and a few neatly crafted tomes recited in Aaron's honor. In retrospect, there may have been no tribute more fitting, for the Aaron with whom we have become comfortable is, after all, a creation of the media. On that evening in 1999 baseball again got a fleeting look at the home run king, acknowledging the cheers, his eyes moist. Fans added this image to everything they know of him and what little they know of him. His is a portrait 50 years in the making which, in truth, is no more than a highly detailed caricature, exquisitely embellished yet somehow still lacking in substance. More than a "sports bio" of a baseball icon, Hammering Hank is a fascinating account of how the media shaped Henry Aaron, baseball's most prolific home-run hitter. It is, first and foremost, the story of a baseball life. But it also is a look at a life affected more than most by events outside of baseball. Long before Aaron became part of the national landscape, he was a reflection of it. And try as he might to shut out the world around him, the forces of that world--with all their complexities and indignities and randomness--were always very much a part of him.

Roberto Clemente

Streaming Films