Baseball ain?t what it was in ?74. As for boxing?Rocky Marciano retired undefeated almost 60 years ago?
?You can only milk a cow so long, then you?re left holding the pail.??Hank Aaron
Floyd Mayweather Jr. will be very careful in choosing his 2015 opponents (though cherry-picking might get him the raspberry). Trying for his 50th win will take him into 2016, when selectivity may not be enough to trump age. Even if he wins, it may mean less than he thinks. Comparing a welterweight and heavyweight?s records is apples and oranges, especially when you take into account that the heavyweight division is the only one that many recognize; the only one of the 17 that they?ve vaguely heard of. ?What?s a bantamweight?? ?About two pounds. Schulz?s Butcher Shop down on Avenue C carries them sometimes.? Last but not least, Rocky Marciano is a hero of the sport. You don?t have that anymore, not in a world where sports fans (never mind the general public) devote a mere one percent of their time to the Sweet Science, and where the concept of heroism has been diluted to such an extent that it?s now well-nigh meaningless. Who?s boxing?s hero today? Mayweather? Gennady Golovkin? Sergey Kovalev? Try first openly gay boxer Orlando Cruz. Thank God the Sweet Science has an answer to first openly gay diver Greg Louganis.
Does anyone really think that a 50th win for Mayweather, the surpassing of ?The Brockton Blockbuster,? will generate anywhere near the excitement of Hank Aaron hot on the heels of Babe Ruth?
I?m not a baseball fan, but I well recall the passion, the excitement?the vitriol. Aaron received well over 900,000 letters as he edged ever closer to dethroning King Babe. Many expressed their love for Ruth, which was fine, but many more were darkly racist and threatened death, which was anything but. One ?gentleman? wrote, addressing Aaron as ?Dear Mr. Nigger,? ?I hope you don?t break the Babe?s record. How do I tell my kids that a nigger did it.? That last sentence really does require a question mark, sir. Just saying.
The Braves took on the Los Angeles Dodgers in their hometown of Atlanta on April 8, 1974. It was in the fourth inning that Aaron hit home run number 715 off Dodgers pitcher Al Downing, and?well, let?s tune in to WSB, and Braves announcer Milo Hamilton: ?Henry Aaron in the second inning walked and scored. He?s sitting on 714. Here?s the pitch by Downing. Swinging. There?s a drive into left-center field. That ball is gonna be?outta here! It?s gone! It?s 715! There?s a new home run champion of all time, and it?s Henry Aaron? And listen to this crowd!?
Dodgers announcer Vin Scully called it a ?marvelous moment.?
Baseball ain?t what it was in ?74. As for boxing?Marciano retired undefeated with his 49 almost 60 years ago. Boxing don?t have those kinds of crowds no more?never mind marvelous moments.
