If I was going with an LA player, there could be no doubt who #3 would be: “Three Dog” Willie Davis. But now that I have lived in Idaho longer than I did California, I must go with at least one Idaho athlete on my countdown.
To pay homage to the great state I live in now, I must honor the greatest athlete that was born and raised in the land of famous potatoes. Yes, I am talking about Harmon Killebrew. During his 22 year career, he played for the Washington Senators who later became the Minnesota Twins in 1961. He finished his career with the Royals. He was an all-star 13 times, won the AL MVP in 1969, led the league in HR’s 6 times, and led the league in RBI 3 times. He finished with 573 HR’s (11th all time) and 1584 RBI. He is said to have hit the longest home runs in the Metrodome and at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium. He was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1981.
He grew up in Payette, the town I now live in, lifting 95 lb milk cans. According to family legend, Killebrew's grandfather was the strongest man in the Union Army, winning every available heavyweight wrestling championship. Killebrew earned 12 letters at Payette High and after graduating, he turned down a scholarship from the University of Oregon. When the Senators signed him, he was batting .847 for a semi-pro team. During the final year of his career, he played for the Royals. When he returned to Minnesota that year, he hit a home run and the Twins’ fans gave him a standing ovation.
As great of a player that he was, he was considered by all of his friends to be an even greater man. Despite his nicknames, Killer and Hamerin’ Harmon, he was known to be quiet and kind, and he never smoked or drank in his life. Killebrew was known as an all-around gentleman during his playing career. Reggie Jackson once said, "If Harmon Killebrew isn't the league's best player, I've never seen one. He's one of the greatest of all time.” Here’s another quote from a major league umpire, Ron Luciano: “The Killer was one of the most feared sluggers in baseball history, but he was also one of the nicest people ever to play the game. He was one of the few players who would go out of his way to compliment umpires on a good job, even if their calls went against him. I'd call a tough strike on him and he would turn around and say approvingly, "Good call." And he was the same way in the field. And he never did this to get help on close plays, as some players do. The man hit 573 major league home runs and no umpire ever swung a bat for him.”
One day at Scotch Pines Golf Course, I was getting my butt kicked by Scott Masingill (what else is new), and as we made the turn, we ran into Killebrew. Scott introduced me and told him that I was a teacher at a nearby high school, and that I had coached my baseball team to a state title. Killebrew then took the time to ask me, not just one or two questions, but many. He seemed genuinely interested in my little bit of history and he talked to me quite a bit about it. I went on to tell him the story of when I was sitting in my 8th grade math class listening to the 7th game of the 1965 World Series between his Twins and my LA Dodgers on a radio the teacher had turned on. I told him I remember fearing him each time he stepped to the plate. I also recall telling him that “Sweet” Lou Johnson hit a 2 run HR to win the game 2-0. Killebrew then told me what a gentleman Johnson was and how much he admired him. I left that conversation with a deep appreciation of what a fine human being this man really was. It’s amazing how much character we can perceive in people during our first meeting. Like they say, you never get a second chance to make a first impression.
Sadly, we all lost Killebrew on May 17, 2011 at the age of 74. However, his legacy is intact: a great player and, more importantly, a greater man. Rest in Peace #3.
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