WHY I'LL NEVER FORGET HARMON

I’m a baseball fan first and a Yankee fanatic, a very close second. When the Yankees aren’t on, I watch other teams play and when the pros aren’t on, I watch something from Mexico or college ball. When college isn’t on, I watch my sons play. I actually watch it all the time. It’s pathetic, but it’s the greatest sport ever. I tell you this because I read something that’s been eating at me all day. More on that in a moment.

Back in 1998, I was walking in New York City and an old man got out of a car, he shut car door and started walking my way. We caught eyes. I recognized him right away because I as a card collector, I’ve seen these guys faces through the years and could tell you what Frank Tanana’s 1978 Topps card looked like as well as picking out Fritz Peterson in a lineup. My point is, I remember faces, and I remembered this one…It was Harmon Killebrew. I approached him and he must have thought I was crazy because in the city, there are tons of people all over the place, but for some reason, I only remember seeing him. I introduced myself quietly and told him that I was always fascinated by his great power and love of the game. I know he said thank you but I don't remember much more. I do however remember shaking his hand. It was a tight shake, he was still pretty strong, you could feel it...crushing grip. I remember looking into his eyes and I remember they told me a lot about the man. He was grateful, maybe even thankful that someone noticed him because he smiled at me. Moments later he and I parted company and I turned and looked at this man walking down the street. I swear to God, he didn’t look old to me anymore and I stood there looking at him in my “Holy crap” moment and I realized that I met one of the greatest ballplayers that ever played the game. I still get chills talking about it because it was just a moment, but it was so damn cool.

Harmon Killebrew has been fighting cancer for over a year now and had decided to spend his finaal days in a hospice facility. In a statement, he said how he exhausted all options for cancer treatment and the cancer has progressed.

I took a moment today and thought about this. Mr. Killebrew hit 573 home runs in his career, he was more than tough, he was larger than life to so many. For this man, who fought cancer for so long and to make a public statement to basically say that he is dying is downright heroic in my mind. Usually a spokesperson would send out a press release and we will never hear about that person again. Not Harmon, no way. He’s using all his strength to tell the people that love him most that he’s doing his best, but hospice is where he needs to be, until he can't fight any longer.

People need to take a moment and read about Harmon Killebrew HERE. He’s a baseball hero, icon and to me, a fond memory.

Harmon Killebrew died today at the age of 74. While he wasn’t a New York Yankee, he is a major part of baseball history and will never be forgotten. If you have a memory of Mr. Killebrew, post it in the comments section. Rest in Peace Mr. Killebrew, Thank you for our moment.

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