Harmon Killebrew has passed away

Minneapolis Star Tribune ^ | May 17, 2011 | La Velle E. Neal III

[ConservativeStatement]

With his family by his side, Twins great Harmon Killebrew, one of the all-time great sluggers and one of the all-time great gentlemen, passed away Tuesday morning.

[rlmorel]

When I was a kid, his name was one on the tip of my tongue...a real, honest to goodness slugger...;

RIP GOOD MAN, YOUR TRIALS ARE OVER!

[handmade]

So you have your opinion and I have mine. When I worked as a Hospice nurse the whole idea was to allow the person to be comfortable, have dignity, and help the family involved have the best of the remaining time that was possible.

What did you do when you worked with Hospice? You have worked with Hospice patients I assume.

[EyeGuy]

“Growing up in Minneapolis, my brothers and I would get in fist fights over who got to “be” Killebrew when we played baseball.”

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Well at least the loser could be Tony Oliva!

[DJ Frisat]

Thanks. I have several of these on tape, but they look great on Hulu! Also watched the one with Killebrew & Rocky Colavito, as he was with the Tigers for awhile...

[Keith in Iowa]

>>>I feel bad that he passed away, but let’s be honest about his baseball legacy.

The only one not doing that seems to be you. By the way, he played first base, not third... you could even get that right in trying to diminish the man’s impact on the game. Schmuck.

[Spruce]

Heh, interesting enough — There were 4 boys in my family, the “runner-up” in the melee got to be Oliva!

The losers could be anyone else, except Babe Ruth. No one was allowed to be Babe Ruth.

Great memories.

[dfwgator]

It was always great to watch those old Home Run Derbys, because back then you could see the modesty of the ballplayers back them compared to the prima donnas of today.

[DJ Frisat]

My favorite example of that was Al Kaline’s refusal of a $100k contract offer — not because it wasn’t enough, but because he felt that he wasn’t worth it.

[gwjack]

Over the years, I have been blessed to meet and talk with several childhood “heroes.” Murcer, Ripken, Jr., Puckett,Brock, Gibson, Colavito, Yasztremski, Throneberry,Spahn, and Killebrew.

All had that special intangible quality of being comfortable in their own skin. They are/were humble. They are/were always putting the spotlight on others.

I met Killer when on a business trip when my shuttle driver (who shared the same last name) was surprised when I asked if he was related. He insisted that instead of the hotel, he take me to meet his Uncle Harm. I hated to leave that meeting. Special memories.

We are all fortunate to have such role models as he was. No complaining, just dealing with what he was dealt.

Gwjack

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

I had an aunt that was in and out of hospice prolly 4 times over a ~~2 year period.

At the risk of sounding “Ezekiel” on you, people in that condition are IMO not really lucky they are living that long in those various physical states.

But I should clarify, hospice is IMO a blessing and the people who work in it do great work. Each and every one of them I’ve met so far is unquestionably a diligent, competent, and caring caregiver.

[Emperor Palpatine]

We're gonna miss that great swing.....

[EyeGuy]

Yeah I’m a lifelong St. Louis Cardinal (and thus National League) fan, but when I thought about the Minnesota Twins it was always Harmon Killebrew and Tony Oliva, and maybe future Cardinal Jim Kaat.

[FreedomGuru]

RIP slugger, thanks for the childhood memories.

[justiceseeker93]

Actually, he played a lot of third base too. At any rate, he was never considered more than an average fielder anywhere he played, including the outfield. No, I’m not trying to diminish his impact, I’m calling it objectively.

[karnage]

As a White Sox fan, I used to watch with a combination of fear and awe as Killebrew strode to the plate. One of my favorite players - even if he was a Twin!

[Digger]

Sandy Kofax and Yogi Berra are still alive. They are probably the last of my childhood sports heroes.

May I add another - Stan Musial.

[conservaterian]

Hospice is essentially assisted suicide. When you’ve decided your time is up, these angels of mercy will give you the hot shot. Bless ‘em.

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NO, we do NOT bless anyone participating in assisted suicide (otherwise known as MURDER). This is supposed to be a pro-life website.

[Hegewisch Dupa]

If baseball offense was all about batting average, you'd be almost right. The reality of the situation is that by any even vaguely sophisticated method of analyzing a player's worth, Killebrew was one of the top 5 players in his league while he played, and probably one of the 50 best bats ever, certainly 100.

[PilotDave]

First big league game I ever attended I got to see HK hit a solo shot at the old met stadium. I don’t remember another single second of that game, but I can still see the baseball rattling around some empty outfield seats..

[Belteshazzar]

I grew up in south suburban Minneapolis in the sixties. On calm summer nights we could clearly hear the organ at the old Met as it played the seventh inning stretch from our backyard and sometimes even the announcers. And when there was a Twins home run, you could really hear the crowd cheer. So, like many of my friends, I got a job at the stadium when I was 14, and worked at virtually all the home games for four years. Killebrew was the fan favorite. Besides being a great player, he personified “Minnesota nice,” and everyone knew it. RIP Harmon.