Artificial Rhubarb

Early this spring Henry Aaron will probably break Babe Ruth's career home-run record. By that time, Aaron may be sorry he ever picked up a bat.

As he slugged his way toward the 714 home-run mark last season, Aaron was annoyed by occasional hate letters and relentless coverage by reporters. Now Aaron has become the focus of an overblown rhubarb about where he should take his final swings at the record.

Atlanta Braves Chairman William Bartholomay announced last month that Aaron would be benched during the team's opening series in Cincinnati so that Atlanta fans could have a chance to see the historic blows--Nos. 714 and 715--hit at home. Bartholomay conveniently did not mention that those de serving rooters had numbered barely 16,000 at the 53,000-seat Atlanta Stadium when Aaron hit his 700th home run last summer and that only 2,800 had shown up the night Aaron hit No. 710.

Aaron himself applauded the decision, noting that he would reap a better promotional payoff if he surpassed Ruth at home. But he offered a more persuasive and personal reason as well. "In ten years," said Aaron, "I'd like to be able to walk out of my home in Atlanta some afternoon and say, 'That's where I broke Babe Ruth's record.' I don't want to have to take a plane to Cincinnati."

Bartholomay's plan quickly provoked charges that keeping Aaron on the bench was tantamount to "throwing" the games against the Reds. This time it was the critics who failed to note a telling point: last year the Braves won as frequently without Aaron as they did with him. Last week the moralists prevailed as Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn ordered the Braves to play Aaron in at least two of the Cincinnati games "for the good" of the sport.

Aaron, who is more concerned about getting his 40-year-old muscles in shape than tangling with Kuhn, replied: "If the commissioner orders me to play, I guess I'll have to play." As for all the fuss about two home runs, Aaron admitted that "breaking the record is going to be an anticlimax. People have made too much of this. If I stay healthy this year, I hope I can hit 40 more."

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