So what does the all-time home run king think about these home run derbies?. ..

He hates them. ..

''I've never liked them a bit,'' Hank Aaron told the Rocky Mountain News from his office in Atlanta. ''I never would participate in those things because I thought it messed up my swing. I still think there's too much emphasis these days on the home run. Baseball is about more than home runs.''

This from the man who hit more of them - 755 - than anyone else.

Several current players aren't enamored of the home run-hitting contests, either. Ken Griffey Jr. reiterated Tuesday he will not participate in Monday's home run derby at Denver's Coors Field, and Juan Gonzalez and Barry Bonds have declined invitations.

Aaron, at age 64 and one of baseball's most visible ambassadors, will be on hand for the All-Star Game festivities in Denver. But while fans are paying top dollar for Monday's home run derby at Coors Field shelling out nearly as much for the power exhibition as for the game itself excuse Aaron if he passes on the proceedings.

''I never thought home runs were all that exciting,'' said Aaron, now senior vice president of the Braves. ''I still think the triple is the most exciting thing in baseball. To me, a triple is like a guy taking the ball on his 1-yard line and running 99 yards for a touchdown.

''Don't get me wrong: Home runs are important. They win a lot of games. But I never understood and I still don't understand why fans are so obsessed with them. I think watching a guy hit a ball over the fence and trot around the bases is actually pretty boring.''

Though Aaron's chase of Babe Ruth's revered career record of 714 homers was one of the most chronicled and significant events in baseball history a chase that culminated in his breaking the record in April 1974 Aaron long has resented the conception he was merely a slugger.

And with good cause. He was one of the most complete baseball players the game has seen. During his 23 seasons with the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves and the Milwaukee Brewers, Aaron had 2,297 RBI, first on the all-time list. His career batting average was. 305. He also was a superb right fielder and baserunner. He stole 240 bases in his career.

With today's baseball-watching nation obsessed with the Mark McGwire-led charge to eclipse Roger Maris' record of 61 home runs in a season, there is irony in Aaron's long-ball accomplishments: Aaron never came close to Maris. Aaron's top homer season was 47 in 1971. But his consistency as a power hitter was stunning. He hit 40 or more eight times, 30 or more 15 times.

Aaron said he participated in only one home run contest during his career. It was in Los Angeles as part of a popular 1960s television show, "Home Run Derby."

''After that, I just wasn't interested,'' he said. ''I really think trying to hit home runs messes up your swing. I can honestly say I never went up to the plate thinking home run. I went up to the plate wanting to hit the ball hard somewhere, that's all. If it went out, fine.''

A lot of them did. But anyone who knows baseball knows Hank Aaron was far more than a bomber.