I am deeply saddened by the news this morning that the face of the Twins franchise and Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew passed away this morning at the age of 74. Killebrew had been battling esophageal cancer for the past 6 months.
Unfortunately, I never got to see #3 play in person, as he retired before I was even born. But I would have loved to have had an opportunity to watch him mash mammoth home runs into the bleachers at old Met Stadium.
I may not have had to chance to watch him play, but I did get the privilege to meet him a couple of times briefly. By my accounts, everything that I had heard about him seemed to be true. He was kind, modest, gentle... and he never turned down an autograph or photo request.
Someone might ask me, since I didn't know him, why am I so sad about his passing? Well the answer to that is because to me, Killer represents an entire generation of baseball. He represents what true sportsmanship is about. He represents what it means to be a family man, a business man, and just overall a great human being. This world could use a lot more people like him, and not just baseball players or professional athletes.
He will be missed by many, including me. Perhaps I can learn a thing or two from him. I may never be able to swing a baseball bat like he could, but maybe I can try to be half the caring, humble human being he was.
Thanks you, Killer, for everything you gave us. May you finally rest in peace.
Yes, I'm talking about the Twin Cities metro area, home to the Minnesota Vikings, Twins, Timberwolves and Wild. Between these four professional sports teams, there have a combined two World Championships (both by the Minnesota Twins in 1987 and 1991). The Vikings have made four Super Bowl appearances, but came out on the losing end each time (most recently in 1977).
The two newest teams to the Twin Cities, the Timberwolves (founded 1989) and Wild (founded in 2000), have each made it to their respective conference finals once, each losing their series (Wolves in 2004 and the Wild in 2003).
So as you can see, Minnesota has been in a Championship drought for some time now. That doesn't mean we haven't experienced or witnessed great seasons or playoff appearances. The Twins have won the AL Central division 6 of the past 10 years, but have only advanced out of the first round only once back in 2002.
The Vikings have made the playoffs four times in the past decade... most recently in 2009, where they were literally one Brett Favre interception away from reaching the Super Bowl with a match up with Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts.
The Wolves haven't even sniffed the postseason since 2004, the year before they dealt Kevin Garnett to the Boston Celtics, and the Wild have only made the postseason just 3 times in their short existence, most recently in 2008.
But since the fall of 2010, all four of these teams have struggled mightily. After coming up short in the NFC Championship game in 2009, the 2010 Vikings had high expectations with most of their team intact from the previous year. However, with nagging injuries and the calling for Brad Childress' head, the Vikings finished last in the NFC North division with a 6-10 record.
The Timberwolves and Wild didn't have as high of expectations on them as the Vikings and Twins did, but they both struggled over the winter. The Wolves ended up with the worst record in the NBA, and have the best odds of winning the #1 overall pick in tonight's NBA draft lottery. However, history would tell you not to get your hopes up, as the Wolves have never won the lottery.
The Wild ended up finishing 3rd in the Northwest Division, with a record of 39-35, missing the playoffs for the 3rd consecutive year. Not something we have come to expect here in the State of Hockey.
As for the Twins, the 2011 season could not have gotten off to a worse start. There's rock bottom, and then there's this. The Twins currently own the worst record in all of baseball, sitting at 12-27, and there's more than one reason for that. First, injuries. Lots of them. To key players. Joe Mauer has been out since mid-April with a phantom injury/illness. New Japanese import Tsuyoshi Nishioka learned the hard way that MLB players slide more aggresively than pro ball players in Japan, and ended up breaking his leg on a clean slide from Yankees slugger Nick Swisher. Justin Morneau hasn't looked the same since returning from a concussion he suffered last July in Toronto, and also missed 5 days with a bad flu bug.
Also, the Twins starting pitchers haven't lived up to their expectations, and their depleted bullpen has struggled as well. I think the Twins early struggles this year has been the toughest to swallow for Minnesota sports fans, since the Twins are the model of consistency, and the fact that they returned majority of their team from last season's 94 win team, and the fact that they play in a very win-able division.
But with Mauer and Nishioka both still several weeks away from returning to the lineup, and Twins GM Bill Smith unwilling to make any drastic moves to improve the rotation and/or bullpen, it might already be too little, too late for this 2011 Twins team. Which just adds to this Minnesota sports fan's continued frustration.
I live in Loserville, USA. But I won't be going anywhere anytime soon. There has to be a light at the end of this long tunnel, right? Will our fortunes change tonight at the NBA Draft Lottery? Chances are... no, probably not.
There's always next year...
