Harmon Killebrew passed away. He was one of my favorite baseball players from the sixties. He was a guy you just respected. He used to come into the stadium with Tony Oliva and Jim Kitty Kaat and play the Yankees. You could never get too upset at the Twins. They weren't assholes like the Red Sox or their fans. Or self satisfied douchenozzles like the Orioles.
There were always certain guys you could respect on the other team back in the day. Al Kaline. Norm Cash. Frank Howard. Tony Oliva. Rod Carew. Harmon Killebrew.
I didn't get to see the great National Leaguers like Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargel. They were great in their own ways too but they played the dog ass Mets.
Harmon was the epitome of class. He was a slugger but he ran everything out. He wasn't the greatest fielder. In fact he was born to be a DH. But he always gave it his all and was a true Hall of Famer.
Condolences to his family and may he rest in peace.
6 comments:
In 1961 the Twins had just moved from DC, Maris was going to hit 61 homers, and Killebrew replaced Mantle as my hero. I think watched nearly every Twins game on TV that first summer they were in Bloomington. Growing up in N MN, when a trip to the Twin Cities took 2 days on Hwy 61 in our very old Plymouth, I35 not yet finished, we had little opportunity to get to see games live.
But late that summer my dad took me and my little brother (we were 8 and 9) to see the Twins play the Yankees, the first major league game any of us had ever seen. "Hammerin Harmon" hit one out that game, as did Moose Skowrun and Jim Lemon. Dad almost caught a fall ball. I remember those parts vividly today, although I don't remember who won. (Oh yea, I did.)
That day was the best.
For a short time after pinning both Pretty Boy Larry Floyd and Handsome Harley Race in one very memorable match, Verne Gagne replaced Killebrew as my sports hero. IMS, the rematch didn't go so well, and by the next spring Harmon was back on top.
One of the greatest Senators ever.
I have his autograph on a menu from one of his visits to Detroit..
I'd give it to you TY but then you'd think I am sucking up and like your writing and brains...which of course I might.
There were a lot of class acts back then. Killebrew wss one of them.
Frank Howard had one of the best nicknames... The Capital Punisher.
Norm Cash...had a few too many, slipped off the pier...and that's how he left us!
I got Al Kaline to sign my Al Kaline glove...and his real sig was eerily close to the mechanical one! As a broadcaster he could never say the name of Orioles outfielder Al Bumbry and always called him "Al Grumbly"
Post a Comment