MOBILE, Ala. (Apr 18, 1997) -- Hank Aaron's name is on a lot of things -- streets, parks, busts, baseball cards. But the home-run king's family cherished a new place for his name: Hank Aaron Stadium.
"Honoring Hank right here in his hometown makes a difference," said Aaron's uncle, William Aaron of Detroit, Mich., among family members reveling in the Thursday night return of minor league baseball to Mobile.
Aaron threw out the ceremonial first pitch and had his No. 44 jersey retired during Mobile's Thursday night Southern League home opener. The BayBears beat the Birmingham Barons, 4-2.
Aaron, 63, told reporters before the game that having the stadium bear his name probably had more meaning for his elderly parents because before the end of segregation "this would not have happened."
"To have them come out and see your name up in lights every day means an awful lot to all of them," Aaron said.
He also talked about the racially segregated Mobile of his youth, when blacks had to sit in the end zone bleachers of the old Hartwell Field. Aaron was a skinny 90-pounder then, trying to get noticed.
"I do have a lot of friends still here. They are beaming themselves. We used to play in the pecan orchards. This is quite a tribute," he said.
He remarked on the racial progress. But 40 years ago it was a different story. He recalled after the '57 World Series, he took a job with a company to show the series film. He was told he couldn't take his father, because he was black.
"We still need to make progress. People are trying to do the right thing, no matter what color your skin is; people are beginning to accept you for what you are," he said.
Aaron noted the tribute comes during a month of honors for black athletes. He mentioned Tiger Woods winning the Masters golf tournament, and the 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson. Plus the renaming of a section of street in front of Turner Field in Atlanta for Aaron.
"Good things happen to people who keep their eyes on the prize. You can just keep on pushing and get most out of things you want," he said.
The Southern League game returned AA competition to Mobile after a 27-year absence. The opener sold out in January.
"If there's another major league strike, this league could grow," quipped 88-year-old Henry Aaron Sr., attending pregame festivities while recovering from coronary bypass surgery three months ago. "I always asked the Lord to help me and my children."
Another son, James Aaron, said the family is very proud the stadium was named for his famous brother, who began his baseball career with the Mobile Black Shippers, later moving to Milwaukee and eventually the record books with 755 career homers.
BayBears owner Eric Margenau said naming the $8 million stadium for Aaron, now an executive with the Atlanta Braves, was broached by former City Council member Vivian Davis Figures, now a state senator.
"Hank Aaron personifies baseball," Margenau said.
The stadium was built in seven months. It has a design that harkens to early baseball days with some power alley features that could tempt batters.
There are field-level luxury box seats, putting fans as close as 52 feet from home plate. The city will own the stadium and lease it to the BayBears for 20 years at nearly $300,000 annually.
BayBears director Matt Riley said the power alley in right field features a drop in the wall to eight feet high, back to 16 feet in center field, and down to eight feet again in left field. He said that's a tradition that goes back to Fenway Park and the Polo Grounds and Yankee Stadium.