“First off, call me Hank.”

Just like that, I was on a first-name basis with baseball legend Henry Aaron, one of my favorite baseball players when I was a kid.

A poster of Aaron was on the wall of my bedroom — right next to my Roberto Clemente poster — which showed the reverence I had for the man.

When the news of Aaron’s death broke Friday, my mind immediately raced back to more than 30 years ago — when I was sports editor of the Herald-Star in Steubenville, Ohio — and was able to get an interview with baseball’s home run king.

West Liberty State College (W.Va.), a Div. II school just outside of Wheeling, had Aaron booked as part of its guest lecture series. This would have been nearly 15 years after he broke Babe Ruth’s all-time home run record.

West Liberty invited news media in the area to attend a press conference, which was scheduled an hour before Aaron’s scheduled lecture.

Channel 7 in Wheeling and Channel 9 in Steubenville showed up, as did I. They got their TV spots — taking 10 minutes or so — and left, leaving me as the lone media member in the room.

Mr. Aaron and myself.

I arrived that day hoping to get a few minutes with the man. When I asked him that very thing —“Mr. Aaron, can you spare me a few minutes for a quick interview? — he responded with: “First off, call me Hank.”

Aaron then turned to the man in charge of the lecture program and asked how much time until his scheduled lecture. He was told about an hour.

Aaron turned to me, smiled, and said: “Looks like we have an hour. Let’s talk.”

We sat down at a table, sitting across from each other.

Hank Aaron and me. For an hour.

I was prepared for eight minutes.

And I doubt I’ve ever had a better interview.

My prepared questions ran out quickly. The interview turned into a conversation.

We talked about the Negro League. He was sorry to see it dissolve because of its history and the fact he could feel relaxed on a baseball diamond.

He was happy for a chance to play in the major leagues, but admitted to losing that comfort zone. He said he was unprepared to deal with the hatred that came with racism he found himself dealing with on a regular basis as he traveled the country.

As for Negro Leagues vs. Major Leagues?

“It was all professional baseball,” he said.

I’m sure no one was prouder than he was when the recent announcement came that Negro League records would now be recognized as all-time records.

Aaron never sought Ruth’s record. He never even hit 50 home runs in a season.

He described his home run total as a longevity thing. He said Ruth’s was a legend thing.

Aaron saved all of the hate mail he received for breaking that record. He received death threats.

But he played on.

“I was a ballplayer. It’s what I did,” he said. “God only gives you what you can handle.”

God handed Major League Baseball one of the most consistent and classy players the game has ever seen.

Goodbye, Hank. I know you forgot about me the moment you hit the stage to deliver that lecture.

I’ll never forget that hour.

Rest in peace.

John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle