July 20, 2010: The Last Hero: A Life of Henry Aaron

FOR 33 YEARS, HENRY AARON

OWNED BASEBALL'S MOST

STORIED RECORD.

BUT ALLEGATIONS THAT

BOND'S RUN WAS FUELED BY

STEROIDS ONLY ADDED TO

AARON'S ACHIEVEMENT AND

LEGEND.

NOW ESPN'S SENIOR RIDER

HOWARD BRYANT HAS WRITTEN

AN EXHAUSTIVE PORTRAIT AND

AARON.

THE BOOK IS CALLED "THE

LAST HERO, THE LIFE OF

HENRY AARON."

THIS IS EXHAUSTIVE.

IT TOOK FOUR YEARS?

>> IT TOOK FOUR YEARS.

WHEN I HANDED MY EDITOR

THE MANUSCRIPT, HE SAID

THIS BOOK NEEDS A DIET.

I THOUGHT ABOUT WORKING

WITH -- A SUBJECT LIKE

HENRY AARON, HOW DO YOU

SLIM HIM DOWN.

>> Rooney: IS HE STILL

ALIVE?

>> HE IS 76 YEARS OLD.

>> Rooney: DID HE

COOPERATE?

>> IT TOOK ME 18 MONTHS TO

GET HIM TO TALK TO ME.

AND FOR ONE REASON AND ONE

REASON ONLY, THE BARRY

BONDS' POSITION.

HE THOUGHT THE PUBLIC WAS

ONLY INTERESTED IN BARRY

BONDS.

>> Rooney: AND BONDS IS

IN A CHAPTER, BUT IT IS

CERTAINLY NOT THE ESSENCE

OF IT.

I WAS CURIOUS RIGHT OFF

THE BAT.

YOU SAY HENRY AARON AND

HANK AARON ARE TWO

DIFFERENT PEOPLE.

AND HANK WASN'T HIS NAME?

>> YES.

AND HENRY IS WHAT HIS

FRIENDS CALLED HIM.

AND HANK WAS A CREATION OF

HIS FAME.

ESPECIALLY IN A TOWN LIKE

BOSTON, WHERE YOU HAVE

THESE OUTSIDE SUPER STARS,

THE MANNY RAMIREZES, AND

WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU

GET.

HENRY AARON WAS NOT VERY

COMFORTABLE WITH HIS FAME.

A GUY LIKE REGGIE JACKSON,

PRETTY MUCH THE PUBLIC AND

PRIVATE ARE THE SAME

PERSON.

WITH HENRY AARON, HE IS

THAT INTROVERT WHO WAS

PLACED IN THE EXTROVERT'S

LAW.

>> Rooney: YOU TALK

ABOUT HOW HE WAS ONE OF

THE BLACK PLAYERS THAT

CAME UP.

>> DON NEWCOMBE, ROY

CAMPINELLA, AND THEN BY

1952, THE LEAGUES -- THE

TEAMS WENT DIRECTLY TO

SCOUT THE PLAYERS

THEMSELVES, AND THEY SENT

THEM TO THE MINOR LEAGUES.

>> Rooney: HE PLAYED ON

A TEAM CALLED THE CLOWNS.

>> THE CLOWNS THAT NEVER

PLAYED IN INDIANAPOLIS.

THEY WERE KIND OF A

TRAVELLING SHOW TEAM.

IT IS REALLY INTERESTING

BECAUSE ONE THING THAT

HENRY REALLY DID SIGNIFY,

NOT ONLY WITH THE

BEGINNING OF HIS CAREER,

BUT THE END OF THE NEGRO

LEAGUE BECAUSE THE NEGRO

LEAGUE WAS NEVER GOING TO

DEVELOP THAT MAJOR A

TALENT AGAIN E.

>> Rooney: YOU HAD THIS

POINT OF HOW PEOPLE KNEW

BY EITHER WITNESS OR

VIDEOTAPE, THAT LOUAL

SINDER COULD PLAY

BASKETBALL, BUT HENRY

AARON WAS ANOMALY BECAUSE

NO ONE WAS TAPING HIM.

IT WAS ALL BY WORD OF

MOUTH.

I NEVER THOUGHT OF IT THAT

WAY.

SO THERE WAS THIS HUGE

BUZZ WHEN HE WENT TO PLAY

FOR MILWAUKEE.

>> THAT'S WHAT MAKES

BASEBALL DIFFERENT.

EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU IS

WORD OF MOUTH.

EVEN WITH STEVEN STRAUSS

BURG, YOU WOULD NEVER KNOW

IF HE WAS GOING TO BE A

GREAT PLAYER.

>> Rooney: HOW ABOUT

WITH DAISUKE MATSUZAKA.

WHAT HAPPENED THERE?

>> OR NOMAR.

AND HENRY HAS ALWAYS BEEN

THIS UNDERSTATED PLAYER IN

THE SHADOWS OF WILLIE

MAYS.

BUT BY 1962 WHEN HE CAME

UP, EVERYBODY KNEW HE WAS

GOING TO BE A GREAT

PLAYER.

WHEN HE CAME INTO THE

SHADOW, WHEN HIS TEAM, THE

MILWAUKEE BRAVES, THEY

FELL IN THE STANDING, AND

WHEN HE WAS TRYING TO

ASSERT BABE RUTH'S RECORD.

>> Rooney: HE WAS THE

HIGHEST PAID BASEBALL

PLAYER AT $600,000.

>> $600,000 FOR THREE

YEARS.

THE MINIMUM TODAY IS

$350 MILLION.

THE STORY THE THING I LOVE

MOST ABOUT HENRY AARON IS

HE IS A PERSON WHO LIVES

IN THIS TIMETABLE.

HE PROVIDES THIS TIMETABLE

FOR US IN TERMS OF WHERE

THE GAME HAS GONE.

WHERE THE COUNTRY HAS

GONE, IF YOU LOOK AT THE

WAY THE NEWSPAPERS COVERED

HIM BACK IN THE PAST.

>> Rooney: I LOVED THAT,

THAT YOU HAD ALL THOSE

NEWSPAPERS CLIPS THAT

YOUFOLLOWED, AND THE THINGS

THAT THEY SAY.

NOT THAT YOU SPORTS GUYS

AREN'T PRETTY BOLD NOW AND

SAY AWFUL THINGS ABOUT THE

PLAYERS, BUT THE

CHARACTERIZATIONS WERE

DOWNRIGHT RACIST.

>> AND THEN WHEN YOU GET

INTO THE '70s, IT

CHANGED A LITTLE.

AND TODAY WHEN BARRY BONDS

IS ABOUT TO BREAK HIS

RECORD, AND THE COUNTRY IS

SO FED UP WITH THE

STEROIDS, AND THEY GO BACK

TO HENRY AARON, AND THEY

WANT HENRY AARON TO BE THE

CONSCIENCE FOR THE GAME.

HE WAS THE LAST HOMERUN

RECORD THAT WASN'T TAINTED

BY DRUGS.

>> Rooney: HE KEPT TO

HIMSELF, AND HE WAS SORT

OF AWKWARD WITH THE MAJOR

LEAGUE PLAYERS.

HE KEPT PROVING HIMSELF

THAT HE FELT APPROVED OF.

>> THAT HAPPENS WITH

ANYONE WITH IMMENSE

TALENT.

THAT MOMENT WHEN YOU

REALIZE YOUR IDOLS ARE NOW

PEERS, AND YOU'VE

SURPASSED THEM.

THERE WAS THIS CONSTANT

LEVEL OF RACIST COVERAGE.

IT CREATED A GREAT WALL.

AND THEN WHEN IT CAME TIME

FOR HIM TO BREAK BABE

RUTH'S RECORD, THAT IS WHY

HE IS SUCH A RETICENT

PERSON.

>> Rooney: BECAUSE

PEOPLE RESENTED HIM

BREAKING BABE RUTH'S

RECORD?

>> YES, FOR BREAKING BABE

RUTH'S RECORD.

AND HE ATTITUDE IS ALL I

WAS DOING WAS DOING MY

JOB.

>> Rooney: I WASN'T A

BASEBALL FAN BACK THEN.

I WASN'T A FOLLOWER.

I AM NOW.

EVERYBODY KNEW HENRY AARON

WAS.

MAYBE I WAS TOO YOUNG TO

REMEMBER, BUT I REMEMBER

THE ENTHUSIASM OF HIM

BREAKING THE RECORD.

I DON'T REMEMBER THE

FLIPSIDE.

>> THAT'S ONE OF THE

THINGS PEOPLE WONDER ABOUT

WITH HIM.

THEY LOOK AT HIM AND SAY

HE IS THIS BITTER OLD GUY

WHO ONLY HEARD THE BOOS.

WE ALWAYS HEAR WHAT

SOMEBODY SAYS ABOUT US

THAT IS BAD.

>> Rooney: SO THERE

COULD HAVE BEEN SOME TRUTH

TO IT?

>> THERE COULD HAVE BEEN

SOME TRUTH TO IT.

IT IS MORE A MEASURE OF

RESPECT.

I THINK TODAY HE IS MORE

COMFORTABLE THAN EVER.

HERE IS AN

AFRICAN-AMERICAN BORN IN

1934 IN MOBILE, BLAM BLAM.

WHENEVER HIS DAD WENT TO

THE GROCERY STORE, HE HAD

TO GIVE UP HIS PLACE TO A

WHITE MAN IN LINE.

AND NOW HE'S SLEPT IN THE

WHITE HOUSE.

AND HE IS MORE COMFORTABLE

AND ONE OF THE REASONS

PEOPLE HAVE REDISCOVERED

HIM IS THEIR

DISAPPOINTMENT WITH THE

STEROID ERA.

AND I THINK HIS LEGEND

GROWS EVERY DAY.

>> Rooney: JUST AT THAT

POINT ON THE WHITE

HOUSE -- I NEVER THOUGHT

OF THIS.

WHEN HE WAS IN SPRING

TRAINING, HE DIDN'T SLEEP

IN THE SAME AREAS AS THE

WHITE PLAYERS.

THEY WERE AT THESE POSH

HOTELS, AND HE WAS ABOVE A

FUNERAL HOME.

>> YES.

BUT THAT'S HOW THE BLACK

PLAYERS WERE.

EVEN BACK THEN, WE EXPECT

THESE ATHLETES TO HAVE

THIS POLISH.

HERE IS A 23-YEAR-OLD KID

WHO DOESN'T EVEN HAVE A

HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA.

AND WE'RE ASKING HIM TO

EXPLAIN WHAT IS HAPPENING

IN THIS LIFE, AND WHAT IS

HAPPENING IN THE LARGER

FORCES AROUND HIM.

AND THEN ALL OF THESE

DIFFERENT PLAYERS ARE

EXPECTED TO PERFORM AND BE

A TEAM WHEN THEY'RE NOT

EVEN ALLOWED TO SPEND TIME

AG OUTSIDE OF THE

BALLPARK.

>> Rooney: WHEN YOU

FINALLY GOT TO THE

QUESTION OF BARRY BONDS,

DID HE ANSWER YOU?

DID HE FEEL ROBBED BY THE

RECORD?

>> I THINK HE IS

COMFORTABLE WITH HIMSELF.

I THINK WHEN IT WAS TIME

FOR BONDS TO BREAK THE

RECORD, THERE WAS A GREAT

DEAL OF CONCERNATION,

WHETHER HE WOULD BE THERE

AND WHETHER HE WOULD

TRAVEL.

I THINK WHAT HE SAID WAS,

LISTEN, IT'S A NO-WIN

SITUATION FOR ME.

IF I COME OUT AND SAY I'M

ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT BARRY

BONDS BREAKING THE RECORD,

PEOPLE ARE GOING TO LOOK

AT ME AS IF I CONDONE

STEROIDS, WHICH I DON'T.

IF I TALK OUT AGAINST

THIS, PEOPLE ARE GOING TO

LOOK AT ME AS A BITTER OLD

MAN WHO DOESN'T WANT TO

SEE HIS RECORD BROKEN.

SO I'M GOING TO STEP ASIDE

AND LET HISTORY DETERMINE

IT.

>> Rooney: HE DID DO

SOMETHING ON THE JUMTRON.

JUMTRON -- JUMBO TRON.

>> AND VERY PEOPLE EVEN

KNOW WHAT THE ALL-TIME

RECORD NUMBER IS.

AND NUMBER REALLY CARES.

>> Rooney: WHY WAS HENRY

AARON SO GOOD?

>> WELL, HE HAD A LOT OF

TALENT.

HE HAD SO MUCH TALENT,

PEOPLE TOOK HIM FOR

GRANTED.

I CALL HIM ONE OF THE

MILLIONTH PERS TILES, WHEN

YOU'RE THAT -- PERCENT PERCENTILES

BECAUSE WHEN YOU'RE THAT

GOOD -- HE HAD

UNBELIEVABLE HAND/EYE

COORDINATION, UNBELIEVABLE

EYESIGHT, AND DEXTER

RESULT.

RESULT -- DEXTERITY.

AND I REMEMBER WATCHING

MANNY RAMIREZ WHEN HE WAS

WITH THE RED SOX TAKE

BATTING PRACTICE, AND HOW

GOOD YOU HAVE TO BE TO BE

AT THAT LEVEL WHEN YOU'RE

PEERS LOOK AT YOU AND SAY

HOW DO YOU DO THAT.

>> Rooney: HOWARD

BRYANT, ALWAYS A PLEASURE

TO HAVE YOU.

>> THANK YOU.

>> Rooney: WHEN WE

CONTINUE, IN THIS

SWELTERING OF THE SUMMER,

A NEW WAY TO GET A

FAVORITE TREAT.