Hank Aaron played with Bobby Thomson but wants Astros cheaters banned for life.

Who doesn't like Hank Aaron? He was a great player for two decades starting in 1954, just three years after the previously biggest sign stealing incident in baseball history. Even if Aaron didn't know as a young man, Aaron must have realized by this millennium that one of his rookie season veteran teammates was possibly the biggest beneficiary of the 1951 New York Giants stealing signs in a way that was against the rules.

But that story has been known at least since 2001 and there's no excuse for either Aaron or his recent interviewer to ignore the irony and possible hypocrisy. Did Aaron ever take a position about the Giants, including Bobby Thomson who played on the Milwaukee Braves with Aaron during Aaron's first three years in MLB?

1951 New York Giants sign stealing: a peak at coach Herman Franks and more. Wednesday, January 22, 2020 12:12 AM

1951 sign stealing Giants shutout first 15 innings of final 2 home games against Brooklyn. Wednesday, January 22, 2020 8:34 AM

Why is Jose Altuve vilified but not Bobby Thomson? Wednesday, January 22, 2020 9:19 AM

Did Jackie Robinson forget to remind catcher to use complex signs in 1951? Friday, January 24, 2020

The exchange between Aaron and NBC Today Show interviewer Craig Melvin was brief and both men shared a light hearted smug laugh. But they were laughing about giving Houston Astros a professional death sentence. That's neither a laughing matter nor a punishment that fits the "crime". Frankly, they both displayed an appalling and irresponsible ignorance.

Melvin: "They didn't steal signs back in your day?"
Aaron: "They didn't steal them that way".
Smug laughter.
Melvin: "You think the punishment fit the crime?"
Aaron: "No I don't. I think, I think whoever did that should be out of baseball the rest of their life.”

They then went on to discuss Pete Rose.

No one expects the Today Show to do a good job on sports but this is so lame that both individuals are being called out.

Hank Aaron: 1954-1976
Born: February 5, 1934 (Age: 86, 4 days) in Mobile, AL

Bobby Thomson: 1946-1960
Born: October 25, 1923 in Glasgow, United Kingdom
Died: August 16, 2010 (Age: 86, 295 days) in Savannah, GA

Thomson was a little more than a decade older than Aaron and for the 1954 season their ages were 30 and 20. Thomson had played only for the New York Giants.

February 1, 1954: Traded by the New York Giants with Sam Calderone to the Milwaukee Braves for Johnny Antonelli, Billy Klaus, Don Liddle, Ebba St. Claire and $50,000.

June 15, 1957: Traded by the Milwaukee Braves with Ray Crone and Danny O'Connell to the New York Giants for Red Schoendienst.

Two trades that helped one team win the NL pennant and World Series:

Giants in 1954 with Johnny Antonelli leading their starting pitchers; 21-7, 258 innings, led NL in winning "percentage" .750, ERA 2.30, SHO 6, ERA+ 178.

Braves in 1957 with Red Schoendienst anchoring their infield at second base ... and injuring Mickey Mantle in the WS (0 PA in game 5, did not play game 6).

Aaron was an All Star every season 1955-1975.

Aaron won his only MVP award in 1957. In Thomson's final full season as Aaron's teammate, 1956, Aaron was third in MVP voting and led the NL in Hits, 2B, BA, TB.

SABR bio of Bobby Thomson by Jeff Findley

When New York Giants announcer Russ Hodges uttered the immortal words “The Giants win the pennant!” the legacy of Bobby Thomson was indelibly etched into baseball history. Despite modest career stats, Thomson’s October 3, 1951, home run off Ralph Branca was, in 1999, ranked number one on The Sporting News’ Greatest Baseball Moments.1 The “Shot Heard ’Round The World” would forever be the defining moment of his career...

... remains one of the greatest sporting moments of all time ...

the Wall Street Journal ran an article in January 2001 headlined “Giants’ 1951 Comeback, The Sport’s Greatest, Wasn’t All It Seemed,” that told of an elaborate scheme to steal the signs of the opposition and transmit them to the batter electrically. The article became a book, The Echoing Green, published in 2006. For his part, Thomson maintained throughout his life that he didn’t receive a stolen sign, telling author Joshua Prager “I was always proud of that swing.”18 ...

In their first season in Milwaukee, the 1953 Braves had won 28 more games than in their final season in Boston, and with the addition of Thomson they were considered an instant contender as the 1954 season approached. Optimism was abounding in Milwaukee, and Thomson was slotted to bat cleanup for the first time in his career, a move to protect Eddie Mathews (47 home runs in 1953) in the lineup... On March 13 he (Thomson) fractured his right ankle sliding into second base in a preseason game against the New York Yankees. The injury hampered Thomson the entire season, and he played in just 43 games, hitting .232 with two home runs.

The injury provided an opportunity for Henry Aaron to join the Braves’ starting lineup in his rookie campaign, the second time Thomson had been replaced by a future Hall of Famer (the first was (Willie) Mays).

__________________________

Both Hank Aaron and his sloppy interviewer Craig Melvin knew about the famous Bobby Thomson home run. Maybe Melvin didn't know that Thomson had been Aaron's teammate just three years later but Aaron certainly did. Maybe Aaron didn't link the two "scandals" but he should have. Had Bobby Thomson received the professional death sentence that Aaron recommends for the Houston Astros, then Thomson does not get traded to the Braves and maybe Aaron doesn't win the one and only championship of his long illustrious career in 1957. On the other hand, maybe the Braves win the NL pennant in 1954 with Johnny Antonelli breaking out in his second season in the Braves starting rotation.

If Hank Aaron had first been asked about the 1951 Bobby Thomson pennant winning home run and the revelation that Thomson's Giants had been cheating by stealing opposing catcher's signs, then Aaron might have had a different perspective when asked about the 2017-2019 Houston Astros doing the same. No 1951 players were punished. None. Aaron should have been made aware of that.

16. 1973 Home Run rates: Hank Aaron and two other Braves stand out. Monday, December 9, 2019

Showing posts with label Signs.