By Richard K. Munro

When I was a kid (about 12) I wrote a short essay: “THE GREATEST DAY IN MY LIFE” It was about my friendship with Hank Aaron from afar. He knew me, in a way, I always had the same banner out there “NAIL ‘EM DOWN Hammerin’ Hank.” He always waved at us when he went out to right field.

And when the cop said, “This kid has your book on its first day out! What do you think? Could you sign it for the kid? ” Hank said, “What’s the kid’s name?”Rickey” , said the big good natured cop. The game was about to begin. He signed it and they passed to book down the dugout from player to player and back to the cop and then to my dad and me. He signed it with my Dad’s scorecard pencil.

My dad actually apologized he didn’t have a pen and I said, “Dad, nothing could be better than Hank Aaron to sign his book with my Dad’s scorecard pencil.” To top it all off the game was just about to begin.

The first man walked and the second man struck out. Then the announced him: “NOW BATTING, number 44 Hank Aaron”: Hank was all business at bat. No distractions.

The first pitch was a ringing double down the left field line for an RBI. I couldn’t have been more thrilled. Here was my baseball hero and here he came through right then and there when he knew I was watching!

At 2nd base, Hank doffed his hat. I knew he doffed it for me.

So I wrote about it for school and said, THIS WAS THE GREATEST DAY IN MY LIFE

. As a young boy I loved baseball and my favorite baseball player of all time was Hank Aaron of the Milwaukee Braves and later Atlanta. We were Dodger fans, of course, but the Dodgers moved away and I sought authentic Yankee Killers and my father entranced me with stories of the 1957 World Series. If you watch the 1957 official films you can see my father and some Dodger fans rooting for the Braves. Always was an NL fan primarily. My father loved Duke Snider and my grandfather loved Zac Wheat! But they saw all the great players of the 1920’s 30’s 40’s 50’s and early 60’s and told me all about them. The greatest part of baseball was sharing those days and nights with Auld Pop, my grandfather, my mother, my sisters, boyhood friends too but especially my father. We spent a lot of time together and I went to more baseball games with him than anyone else. Looking back I realize he really went out of his way on work nights and when he was on business trips in Philadelphia, Baltimore and Atlanta to get me in on some baseball games.

Once he and his business associate set me up with a beautiful southern girl. I was very polite to her. After the game, he asked her, “How did the evening go?” She sighed. “He’s already deep in love!” The man said, “Yeah? With who?’ “With Hank Aaron and baseball!” And though she was a very pleasant young woman I didn’t ask for her autograph or her address. After all, she had never heard of Babe Ruth or seen the Braves play. I was young enough (12) not to be distracted by feminine charms. What was a girl compared to BASEBALL? Of course, a few years later I skipped a few ballgames. After all, a woman is a woman.

And Hank Aaron had retired.

My mother said, “You aren’t going to miss the big game?”

I told her, “I have a rendevouz with a beautiful dame.”

“Does she like baseball?”

“Frankly, mom, I haven’t got around to that. All I know is have a date with a beautiful, dusky, dark-haired girl with a fetching smile who speaks English reasonably well with a slight Spanish accent.”

“So for a Latin lover you will miss the big game!”

“Mom, I will read the box score in the morning! You can tell me about any big plays.”

And I added, ” I will let you how my game will go. I expect to get , at the very least to second base. After all she is eager and twenty.”

At twenty I would not have written the same story as the GREATEST AND MOST MEMORABLE NIGHT of my life. She liked me so much we went to a Bosox Yankee Double Header at the old Yankee Stadium. We had a brief romance in our innocent way.

Perhaps the night or the game was memorable to her but I have forgotten her name. But I remember this.

She held my hand and kissed me goodnight.

And I never lied to her or caused her to cry. And there is no doubt, I remember the box scores and ball players more than the women of those years. But it was the time I suppose. Few of the women I met liked baseball or really wanted a serious relationship. And those were two things I knew would be part of my life: baseball and one girl to be my lifetime companion. God shone on me of course.