Tom Boswell, DC's dean of sportswriters, wrote a great column re Killebrew (in relation to Bryce Harper) in today's Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports...T6G_story.html
I was a Little Leaguer in the DC suburb of Alexandria, VA, when Killebrew was signed to such a large bonus that the Senators were required to keep him on their major league roster for 2 years. I thought he was a huge waste of money because he didn't play much, and when he did, he frequently struck out. This probably was because my Dad preached contact hitting, and he acted like I had committed a Cardinal sin whenever I struck out! (Actually, I was a skinny kid with no power - my only LL homer was a pulled shot down the left field line that barely cleared the fence!). Of course, by the time the Senators left us for Minnesota, "Killer" was one my favorites!
I got to meet Killebrew at a local card show circa 1990. In mid-afternoon, after he had finished signing autographs, Killebrew slowly walked the aisles of the show, shaking hands and chatting with collectors and dealers. After our chat, my thought was "Wow, what a super nice guy - a rare sports hero who doesn't have an ego!"
Val