3's a Charm.

It seems that 3 is a lucky number for some. There is the all too often used phrase that "third time's a charm". If you were a fan of 70s/80s reruns as a kid, like I was, then you probably thought Three's Company was one of the best shows on TV. I mean who couldn't resist laughing at Norman Fell's face when he did his smirky Mr. Roper glances at the camera? Then there are some who embody the very number. Babe Ruth was the first man to make fans associate a player's number with the player himself. But there is another number "3" who just passed away the other day, who was just as endearing to his fanbase as any guy in NY.

I'm speaking of the late Harmon Killebrew, who passed away on May 17th at his home in Scottsdale, AZ. "Killer" as his teammates called him, was anything but the maniacal personality that his nickname perceived him to be. According to every quote I've read from people who knew the man personally, he was about the most humble and nicest individual the game has ever known. It was his time at the plate that earned him the fear and awe of his compatriots, for during the 1960s there was no greater power hitter in the game of baseball.

In that decade, he hit a stunning 393 homeruns, which is more than Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Frank Robinson, Ernie Banks, or Willie McCovey. He is also tied with Ruth for the most 40+ homerun seasons with 8. He was so revered for his talents by the game of baseball, that it was his silhouette that inspired the official MLB logo. While he was not a particularly adept fielder at any of the positions he played (1B, 3B or OF), he was not in the lineup to win Gold Gloves. He was there for one purpose, and that was to hit the ball as far as he could. From his rookie campaign in 1959 with the Washington Senators, when he hit 42 bombs, to when the team moved to Minnesota and became the Twins, Killebrew was known for his tape measure shots.

His homeruns were so legendary, that one of his blasts is still commemorated today at the Mall of American in Minneapolis. The mall is built on the site of the old Metropolitan Stadium that stood from 1956 until 1981. There is a plague on the floor of the now amusement park section of the mall, that stands exactly where home plate was. However, there is also a red chair that is hung high up on the wall about 522 foot away, which celebrates the monstrous blast Killebrew hit on June 3, 1967. That homerun was so originally miscalculated that according to a Yahoo.com article, "the Twins were compelled to contact a physics professor to calculate the true distance. An interesting Pioneer Press story from 2006 notes that the distance chart created by that professor is still used by the Twins to estimate the length of today's home runs."

Killebrew spent all but one season of his 22-year long career with the Senators/Twins franchise, retiring after one final year with the Kansas City Royals. He was never a great average hitter, but as the man himself said, "I found out early in life that I could hit a baseball farther than most players, and that's what I tried to do." His prowess with the stick will be long remembered, even though the mortal flesh is gone. Harmon Killebrew was the kind of man that you found in old movies, the stand-up, modest, hard worker who got the job done, even if it wasn't the prettiest way sometimes. He will be sorely missed.

What a better way to celebrate the man, though, then with the current offensive outputs that suddenly has enveloped the baseball world. For a month and a half, no player had hit three homeruns in a game. Then, Carlos Beltran smacks three on May 12th while visiting the Rockies. Blam!, Jose Bautista hits three of his own, three days later. Then on May 19th, Jason Giambi hits three against the Phillies. Not only have individual players been tearing the leather off the ball, but check out some of these blowout scores.

On May 16th, the Cleveland Indians beat up on the Royals 19-1, and hit only one homer in the process. Poor Vin Mazzaro had to come in for 2.1 innings of relief in the third, and gave up 14 runs. He took one for the team, and then was sent down the next day for his troubles. The very next day, the Oakland Athletics shutdown the Los Angeles Angels in a 14-0 blow out. And speaking of blow outs, have you seen A's outfielder Coco Crisp's afro lately? It's wonderful, and can barely be contained under his hat. It goes perfectly with the updated/retro yellow jerseys the Athletics are sporting this year. It's nice to see some style come back into the league. Now if we could just get half of the National League teams to get rid of all the red in their colors...., but I digress.

Anyway, it seems a fitting tribute to the man who was known for his hitting power, that the league was going through an offensive resurgence during his last few days. I hope that he got a chance to watch a little and smile before going off to the great unknown. I'm sure wherever he is, he's still signing autographs.