The "Hank Aaron Award"

[nightal]

This may sound stupid to many of you, but why is the award for outstanding hitter in each league called the Hank Aaron award instead of the Babe Ruth award?
Aaron-great hitter
Ruth-greatest hitter, with Williams second.

[NetShrine]

Politics - - it's a make good towards Hank who never really got his due from MLB. Plus, he is the lifetime HR and RBI King.

[nightal]

Yeah, I know, but come on now this is getting ridiculous. If someone played years ago or is dead, they seem to get passed over (if politics are not involved), and forgotten. Bill James has commented several times on the Joe Gordon's and Vern Stephens' of the world. Lee Sinins naming his top pitcher "The Lefty Grove Award", shows how much he does know about baseball. I keep waiting for the current powers that be to rename "The Cy Young Award" to "The Nolan Ryan Award". And the top player, hitter etc. should be "The Babe Ruth Award", he was the best there has been, many(all) sources agree. Aaron has a lot of those records because he was remarkably healthy for all his career and he batted more than anyone else.

[Duque]

Originally posted by nightal
I keep waiting for the current powers that be to rename "The Cy Young Award" to "The Nolan Ryan Award".

Honestly - I think it should be the Walter Johnson award. But it doesn't quite have the same ring to it as Cy Young does. Greg Maddux having 4 Walters doesn't sound nearly as cool as Greg Maddux having 4 Cys.

Maybe, 20 or 30 years from now, they'll call it the Roger Clemens award.

[NetShrine]

I think Cy "got it" becuase his 511 were SO FAR ahead of anyone else when he retired - - and, back then, the only stat people cared about for pitchers was wins.

[Max Power]

So, the award still does exist.............

http://espn.go.com/mlb/news/2002/1024/1450699.html

SAN FRANCISCO -- Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez won the Hank Aaron award for the second straight year Thursday, with broadcasters voting them the best hitters in their leagues this season.

Bonds hit a major league-best .370 with 46 homers and 110 RBI for the San Francisco Giants. He also set records with 198 walks and 68 intentional passes.

Rodriguez, the Texas Rangers shortstop, led the majors with 57 homers and 142 RBI and batted .300.

The Hank Aaron award was introduced by the commissioner's office in 1999.

[JamesI]

Wow, I thought the award had been dropped due to lack of interest.

[gyb13]

75 words in an espn article is lack of interest

[KCBOOMER]

I don't care what they call it. It only creates confusion when the MVP award is the standard benchmarks.

[boot2112]

I think they came up with this award simply to honor Aaron. He really does get amazingly little respect considering all of the records he holds. I contrast to Boomer I like the fact that the vote is simply for the best hitter. I am so sick of the debates of what MVP means. There is no question that the best hitter in the league can be on a last place team. The MVP will always be the standard but maybe when I am long gone people will think the names of these awards are as cool as I think the names for hockey awards are.

[pathogan]

...and this award does little to help with that perception

[pwdennis]

Originally posted by pathogan
...and this award does little to help with that perception

Yet.

With a little bit more publicity behind it, it could (and should) become a worthy tribute to the home run king.

Babe Ruth died in 1948 - to remember him at all one would be a minimum of 60 years old. To remember him as a player one would be in the mid-70s. Better to have the award named for someone in the public conscious.

I would also advocate re-naming the Cy Young award the "Tom Seaver Award" . Ain't no one left who remembers seeing Cy Young pitch.

[pathogan]

Originally posted by pwdennis
Yet.

With a little bit more publicity behind it, it could (and should) become a worthy tribute to the home run king.

Babe Ruth died in 1948 - to remember him at all one would be a minimum of 60 years old. To remember him as a player one would be in the mid-70s. Better to have the award named for someone in the public conscious.

I would also advocate re-naming the Cy Young award the "Tom Seaver Award" . Ain't no one left who remembers seeing Cy Young pitch.

My God, PW I agree with you...

[Jim Rice]

Originally posted by nightal
This may sound stupid to many of you, but why is the award for outstanding hitter in each league called the Hank Aaron award instead of the Babe Ruth award?
Aaron-great hitter
Ruth-greatest hitter, with Williams second.

Because Bud Selig is from Milwaukee, not New York or Boston.