Harmon Killebrew--Down Goes a Giant

Harmon Killebrew - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Killebrew's strength was demonstrated by several "tape measure" home runs that he hit in the prime of his career.

On August 3, 1962, he was the first batter ever to hit a baseball over the left field roof at Tiger Stadium, a seldom-reached target as contrasted with the old ballpark's cozy right field area. Only three others would accomplish this feat during the next 37 seasons before the stadium was closed.

On May 24, 1964, Harmon hit the longest measured homer at Baltimore Memorial Stadium, 471 feet (144 m) to deep left center. The ball landed in the far reaches of the bleachers. The only player to hit one completely out of the Orioles' stadium was Frank Robinson in 1966; his blast was reported as about 451 feet (137 m), or about 20 feet (6.1 m) less than Killebrew's hit.

On June 3, 1967, Killebrew hit a 520-foot (160 m) home run, the longest measured home run ever hit at the Twins' Metropolitan Stadium and the longest in Twins history. That event is commemorated at the Mall of America, which includes a plaque marking home plate, and one red-painted seat from the Met which was placed at the location and elevation of the landing spot of the home run. The new Target Field has a statue of a Gold Glove outside of Gate 34 and it is exactly 520 feet from Target Field's home plate.

Rick Telander
Sun Times May 15, 2011
Harmon Killebrew offers touching lesson on dying with grace.

I always have wondered about the metaphors we use when confronting death. We ‘‘fight,’’ disease, ‘‘battle’’ injuries and go to ‘‘war’’ against impending demise.

The foe wants us, and even if he’s wearing a black hood and carrying a scythe, we’re throwing punches and firing every shot.

But when does the battle become nonsensical, even demeaning?

After all, death’s record, according to the Population Reference Bureau, is approximately 110 trillion-and-0, with 6.9 billion matches ongoing. The Washington Generals have a better chance against the Harlem Globetrotters than we do against the Grim Reaper.

So I read with interest 74-year-old Hall of Fame slugger Harmon Killebrew’s recent statement that his ‘‘continued battle with esophageal cancer is coming to an end.’’

By that, he meant he no longer was going to undergo treatment for the disease, which was diagnosed in December and soon will kill him. Killebrew, who ranks 11th on the all-time home-run list with 573, will enter hospice care, take medication for pain and let the cancer that his doctors have called incurable run its course.

‘‘I am very comfortable taking this next step and experiencing the compassionate care that hospice provides,’’ he said in his statement. ‘‘I look forward to spending my final days in comfort and peace with [wife] Nita by my side.’’

I look forward to .  .  .

So different. So wise.

This is a man who always gave his best, who hit 40 homers or more in eight seasons and once had a 520-foot blast. If he has met his match, so be it.

Maybe we all could learn from Killebrew’s exit. Maybe it’s not raising the white flag but lowering the party banner.

727 related articles

The Harmon Killebrew Foundation

Double click for screen enlargement.

From JockPost:
July 13, 2010
Home Run Derby Starting to Resemble a Slam Dunk Contest

So…did anyone actually sit through all three hours of the Home Run Derby last night? I know I didn’t.

I was able to make it through the first couple rounds, but with the finals coming down to Big Papi and Hanley Ramirez, there was just something missing from me being able to force myself to watch the final round where Papi would go on to win.

Much like the Slam Dunk Contest in the NBA, the Home Run Derby is starting to become less and less star-studded. Sure, there are still players like Miguel Cabrera and Big Papi, but the guys that everyone would really want to watch are no longer participating. Sound familiar?

Where was Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard, or Josh Hamilton? Even an over the hill Vlad Guerrero would have sufficed. But to have guys like Chris Young, Vernon Wells, and Nick Swisher being in the Derby, it just makes it seem much more of a watered down event. Much like the Slam Dunk Contest without Kobe and LeBron.

And assuming this trend keeps up of players not wanting to participate in the Derby, like the NBA, is MLB going to start having to invite players who aren’t even All Star participants? I hate Adam Dunn, but watching him tee off on some 60 mph change-ups would probably be more exciting than watching what I saw last night.

Give me an old school re-run of “Home Run Derby” any day of the week over this boring garbage. At least this way I won’t have to listen to Chris Berman’s infamous, “back, back back” saying anymore.

From BP's Baseball Blog:

All Time Twins Team--Designated Hitter

Baseball purists will chafe at the presence of a DH on my All-Time Twins team. Some ardent Twins' supporters will blanch because I'm putting a guy on the all-time team who played a grand total of 158 games at DH over his career. However, I am forced to slot Harmon Killebrew, the greatest of Minnesota Twins, as a DH because I cannot put him anywhere else.

Harmon moved around the diamond throughout his 21 seasons with the Senators/Twins franchise. He played 969 games at first base, 791 at third base, and 471 in left field. However, the primary reason why Harmon is remembered so fondly by Twins' fans is because of his offensive exploits. Reason '1a' is because he was, and remains to this day, one of the nicest men to ever put on a uniform.

Killebrew was signed by the Washington Senators as an 18-year-old "Bonus Baby," and was forced to remain with the Major League club due to the rules of the day. As a result, Killebrew spent the 1954 and 1955 seasons in Washington and barely saw any action (93 at bats, 4 HR, 10 RBI in total). It wasn't until 1956 that he was able to gain some seasoning in the minor leagues and Killebrew spent the majority of the 1956, 1957, and 1958 seasons away from Washington. In the Major Leagues to stay in 1959, Killebrew showed his prodigious power as a 23-year-old, knocking out a league-best 42 homers and adding 105 RBI for an awful Washington club.

The Senators arrived in the Twin Cities in 1961 and were christened the Minnesota Twins. They had a legitimate star in Killebrew anchoring the lineup. In 1961, Killebrew hit .288/.405/.606 with 46 HR and 122 RBI. This season was incredible by any stretch of the imagination; however, the Yankees' M&M Boys of Maris and Mantle were putting up pretty solid offensive numbers of their own. Killebrew would go on to lead the American League in homers the next three seasons.

During the Twins' magical 1965 season, Killebrew was hurt in the second half of the season with a broken elbow, but returned in time for the World Series. He also was a major contributor to the Twins consecutive AL West Division titles in 1969 and 1970.

Killebrew was simply one of the most feared hitters in the American League. In addition to his power displays, Killebrew also managed to find ways to reach base via the walk. In the eleven seasons between 1961 and 1971, Killebrew walked at least 100 times in seven seasons, leading the AL four times. With the power came the strikeouts, and Harmon was punched-out 1,699 times in his Major League career.

His defense was average at best at first base and below-average at third base, which is also one reason why he is the DH on my team. Had the AL adopted the DH rule in the 1973 season, Killebrew would have likely served in this role far longer than he did.

In 21 seasons with the Senators/Twins, Killebrew's offensive numbers were outstanding:

• 277 doubles, 559 HR and 1,540 RBI in 2,329 games
• Six AL home run titles
• Three AL RBI titles
• Led AL in walks four times
• 11 All-Star Game appearances
• AL MVP in 1969

Harmon signed with the Kansas City Royals after the 1974 season and played one season with the Royals. He retired after the 1975 season with 573 career home runs, which ranked fifth all-time at the time of his retirement. He ranked behind only Babe Ruth in career AL homers and was the leading right-handed-hitting HR man. Why it took him five years to get into the Hall of Fame after his retirement is impossible to fathom, but he was finally inducted in 1984.

Of course, the steroids era has dropped Killebrew to tenth all-time in career HRs, but has also forced baseball historians to re-examine the accomplishments of the man from Idaho who electrified many an upper Midwest night.

"Remember when our hero's didn't have to be 'juiced' to achieve great things. Remember when they were too busy being remarkable to worry about which ear ring they were going to wear, or where they were going to put the next tattoo? The hardest part about remembering is have to look at today, and sadly admit what real accomplishments were"

Harmon Killebrew a song by singer/songwriter Jeff Arundel

http://circusnospin.blogspot.com/2008/07/for-joe-howell-because-mary-ann-and-i.html

http://circusnospin.blogspot.com/2008/07/for-joe-howell-harmon-killebrew.html.