The Atlanta Braves have resisted a name change, but honoring Aaron could change that
A number of people are calling for the Braves to change their nickname to the Hammers to honor the former home run king.
By Matt BonesteelThe Washington Post
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The Atlanta Braves nickname has been under scrutiny for years. With the passing of Hank Aaron on Friday, there have been calls for the team to change its name to honor the one-time home run king.
Associated Press file photo
In July, the Atlanta Braves announced they had no plans to follow the lead of the Washington NFL franchise, which had dropped a nickname many considered to be a racial slur.
Henry Aaron s ordeal ended at 9:07 p.m. Monday.
It ended in a carnival atmosphere that would have been more congenial to the man he surpassed as baseball s alltime home-run champion. But it ended. And for that, as Aaron advised the 53,775 Atlanta fans who came to enshrine him in the game s pantheon, Thank God.
Aaron s 715th home run came in the fourth inning of the Braves home opener with Los Angeles, off the Dodgers Al Downing, a lefthander who had insisted doggedly before the game that for him this night would be no different from any other. He was wrong, for now he joins a company of victims that includes Tom Zachary (Babe Ruth s 60th home run in 1927), Tracy Stallard (Roger Maris s 61st in 1961), and Guy Bush (Ruth s 714th in 1935). They are destined to ride in tandem through history with their assailants.