What You Always Wanted to Know about Hank...  

• Aaron didn't make the cover of Sports Illustrated for the first 15 years of his career.

• He averaged just 60 strikeouts a season.

• Hank Aaron hawked Gillette Super Speed razors in an early '60s television commercial.

• Aaron also appeared an early '70s Wheaties commercial in which he has trouble fielding balls and batting because he didn't eat the cereal.

• In 1972, Aaron's salary increased from $125,000 per season to a hefty $200,000, at the time making him the highest paid baseball player in baseball history.

• By the end of 1973, Aaron had received over 930,000 pieces of mail, second only to the President.

• Before the start of the 1974 season, Aaron appeared on The Flip Wilson Show in a parody sketch about only having 713 home runs. Wilson also introduced Aaron's future wife, Billye.

• Aaron and wife Billye appeared on Dinah! and sang a trio with Dinah Shore.

• Most of the hate mail Aaron received actually came from Northern states, especially New York, where Babe Ruth fans were especially upset about having his record threatened.

• Sammy Davis Jr. offered up to $30,000 for the record-breaking home run ball.

• The record-breaking home run ball was caught behind the fence by Atlanta pitcher Tom House, who promptly ran to give it to Aaron. Aaron now keeps the ball in a safety-deposit box

• Atlanta never embraced Aaron as Milwaukee had. After announcing he would not be returning to the Braves, he was traded to the Brewers after the 1974 season.

• Home-run ball No. 755 apparently remains in the possession of the Brewers' ground-crew member who first got to it. His refusal to give Aaron the ball cost him his job, and he still declines Aaron's offers of up to $10,000

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