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The Braves are moving into a new ballpark this season -- SunTrust Park in suburban Atlanta. As you would expect, the park will be heavy on modern amenities and the like. Also prominently featured is a new statue of franchise legend Hank Aaron, the inner-circle Hall of Famer, certifiable baseball legend, and one of the greatest hitters ever to crack a fastball over the fence. 

The unveiling took place on Thursday, and Mr. Aaron was on hand ... 

And here’s another look ... 

And another ... 

That’s outstanding. The usual sculptural fare is for a hitter to be in his stance, and sometimes that can be done to great effect -- the Stan Musial “Baseball’s Perfect Knight” statue outside Busch Stadium, for instance. This one, though, is a departure from that model, and it works. How should we remember Aaron’s on-field bestowals? With the image of his laying into one foremost in our minds, that’s how. Head down, ball on the sweet spot -- it’s something he achieved thousands of times, and now he’ll be doing it outside the Braves park until ... well, until they decide they need a new ballpark in 20 years or so. 

Anyhow, it’s a great statue of a great man. It’s demonstrably better than, say, Cristiano Ronaldo’s “lantern-jawed robot P.E. coach” statue ... 

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Much better, people. Much better. Viva la Hammer.