Harmon Killebrew: the end is near

Met #3 a few times when I covered the Twins.

A true gentleman. May his pain be minimal.

It's funny, the Twins of the era I covered (ten years ago) were still kind of a "small organization". They had ushers, security people, meal room attendants who seemed like family within the club. I know that Carl Pohlad (rightfully) was seen as a Scrooge but I always had the sense that some of this older employees would go to the wall for him.

 

No fan of the franchise, but the Killer was the prototype of a type, he did his job well,
and HK has my admiration, respect, and any benefit he may derive from my prayers.

 

My favorite pro athlete.

I delivered the Winnipeg Free Press as a kid and became aware of Harmon when it was disclosed the Senators were moving to Minneapolis. I would occasionally buy SPORT magazine or 'Baseball Digest' and really got into baseball then. Once the Twins started playing in Minny, the Freep usually had some coverage and every year they played the Winnipeg Goldeyes in an exhibition game at Winnipeg Stadium.

I was fortunate to have chosen such a great baseball player and human being as a role model of sorts. I'm sad to be losing him but pleased he is comfortable.

 

I'm nowhere close to being old enough to have had the opportunity to watch him play, but he also intrigued me as a part of baseball history. I was little saddened this evening, when I was unable to find a biography on him at Amazon or Half.com. Has there not been one written? Shame if that's so.

 

Many years ago I read that he almost became a Red Sox. I believe he was being scouted by Boston but Washington scooped him up. Had his career progressed in a similar fashion, but with the Sox, he would have broken Ruth's records easily.

 

I'm devastated.

I've never hidden my Twins fandom, and as a kid growing up, Killebrew was my favorite player. We'd play stickball and I always pretended I was Killebrew when it was my turn to bat.

I was at Saturday's Twins game and we visited Harmon's statue outside Target Field (Mr. Rosie asked me if I wanted to as soon as we arrived.) There were flowers set by the nameplate and lots of fellow Twins fans doing the same as we did.

Before the start of the game, "T.C.," the Twins mascot, used a bat to draw a circle in front of the Twins dugout, then drew the number 3.

Between Killebrew and Boogaard, it's been a brutal weekend to be a sports fan in Minnesota.

 

This is a line I never thought I'd write, and one I will undoubtedly never write again:

That was a classy act by that mascot.

 

I am always amazed at the bravery of people who choose to make this decision. I recall sports writer Mike Celizic, "the hat guy," doing the same a few months ago. And we recently discussed a magazine piece about this topic on the National Magazine Awards thread on the Journalism Board.

I don't think I could do it. I'll be dragged kicking and screaming when my day comes. I'll be demanding whatever meds they have. I'll be suing for the meds that aren't approved yet. And I know it's irrational. Killebrew will finish out his life at peace, and in comfort. I couldn't do it. My admiration for him in this situation, therefore, is limitless.

 

I watched as my father made the decision. It still amazes me too, Dick.

Of course, my lingering hope has always been that my bone-chilling fear of death subsides as my time gets closer.

 

i greatly admire harmon as well, but i'm not 'amazed' he'd choose to go this route. many people do, to put themselves and their loved ones out of their misery asap. by the time someone has reached this point, trust me, they've tried EVERYTHING, and already endured unthinkable, probably unimagineable pain.

it's no different than checking the 'dnr' box when you've been admitted to a hospital. by the time you've reached this point, trust me, neither you nor your loved ones will argue.

 

I covered a couple of Twins games when I was up north working. Killebrew was in the press box (along with several other ex-Twins, it's like a constant reunion there) for a few of them, but I never had the opportunity to introduce myself.

Too bad for me and I hope Killebrew has peace in his final days.