Harmon Killebrew

Harmon Killebrew, an iconic Minnesota Twin known for his prodigious home runs and humble demeanor, passed away last week at the age of 74. He was the face of the Minnesota Twins franchise for 14 seasons after they moved from Washington DC to Minnesota before the 1961 season. Of course, I never saw him play, never watched him muscle one of his mighty 573 home runs. But it was a great honor ten years ago when I met Harmon Killebrew on the field in Minnesota. He was nicest and humblest person that day at the Metrodome, something I have never forgotten. Did you know he was among the players who were contestants on the TV show, “Home Run Derby”. We have many episodes of the show on DVD and you see how he does against Willie Mays and others. When he played for the Twins they played outside in Bloomington at Met Stadium, which is now the site of the Mall of America. Harmon hit a 520 ft. home run there. A baseball seat is hanging inside the Mall marking the location. You can discover more about the stadium with the book “Twins at the Met” which is packed with recollections and candid comments from those who were there. We also have many other books with capture the rich and colorful history of the Minnesota Twins and their first legend Harmon Killebrew in our baseball selection.