Andy Hartung
Blog Post 5
At this point in my journey through research and beginning my paper I feel that I am in a pretty good spot. However, much more research is going to be a must for me, the sources I have been finding give me very specific information that I am unable to write a significant amount about and there my project may require more sources than I had previously anticipated. The big research question that I had aimed to answer was how Hank Aaron’s time spent with the Eau Claire Bears had helped to develop him into the player he would eventually become. The best answer I can formulate as of now is a quote by Aaron in “A Summer up North.” Aaron states, “Eau Claire was a great stepping stone. If people had not accepted me in Eau Claire, my career would have stumbled a little bit. I don’t know what would have happened to me in baseball.” I may have to alter my research question, the one I currently have might be a bit too specific. There isn’t much documentation of Aaron’s time spent in Eau Claire because it was only a minor league team and nobody really knew he was going to become as good as he was. However I could also try and look at local newspaper articles of that time and see if they have any articles on Aaron and his Eau Claire experience.
If I were to alter my research question I would consider looking more at the history of Aaron’s life, when he started playing baseball and what it was like for him growing up. I could also look at events in his life that were significant to him and who was his baseball inspiration. I know his younger brother also played for the Eau Claire Bears so I could look at their childhood life together in terms of baseball.
I think that you have a good grasp on the research of Hank Aaron and his time in Eau Claire. I would like to applaud you on being able to realize that there are different ways to find information about his time in Eau Claire, such as the local newspaper, and also that you were able to change your research question to something that may be more informational and a question that pertains to Hank Aaron’s whole baseball career. This makes it a little easier to find information and was a very wise choice on your part. I am also interested in the face that his brother also played with him on the team. Sounds like you had a tough task at hand, but looked like you handled it very well. Great job!