[Jericholic]

Unfortunately it appears the end is near for the former Twins legend. Very sad news.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew says he will no longer fight esophageal cancer and is settling in for the final days of his life.
The Minnesota Twins released a statement on Friday from Killebrew, who was diagnosed with the disease in December.


"It is with profound sadness that I share with you that my continued battle with esophageal cancer is coming to an end," the former Twins and Washington Senators star said. "With the continued love and support of my wife, Nita, I have exhausted all options with respect to controlling this awful disease. My illness has progressed beyond my doctors' expectation of cure.

Killebrew, 74, said he will enter hospice care, that he's comforted by the presence of family and friends and that he looks forward to spending his final days "in comfort and peace" with his wife.

"I thank you for the outpouring of concern, prayers and encouragement that you have shown me," Killebrew said in the statement.

Killebrew, a third baseman and left fielder, currently ranks 11th on the all-time major league home run list with 573. He spent 21 seasons with the Senators and Twins, in addition to one final season with the Kansas City Royals.

Killebrew's No. 3 jersey is retired, and he made several appearances at the Twins' new outdoor ballpark last season. He did not throw out the ceremonial first pitch before Minnesota's home opener in April because he did not want to disrupt his treatment schedule.

He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

[Doc JS]

Sad...

God Speed.

Doc

[pavyracer]

Let me guess. This guy was chewing while he was playing baseball.

[chunk]

This is sad news indeed. I was fortunate enough to meet him years ago. He is a humble and genuinely nice man.

[unluckysob]

Thought I remembered him playing 1st base.---I agree with pavy, probably chewing tobacco.

[Doc JS]

Chewing tobacco is usually more associated with oral cancer than esophageal. Now, tobacco is clearly a risk factor for many types of cancer.

Esophageal cancer is a painful, miserable, awful way to die regardless of whatever caused it.

Doc

[steve18]

I spoke with him years ago. He's a great guy.

http://www.cyinterview.com/2007/07/harmon-killebrew/

[blueghost]

remember him hitting one over the left roof at Tiger stadium one of the few to do so ..gods speed to you harmon

[nosniboR11]

Now this is Sad

[BrentCrude]

I had an uncle that was into all sorts of civic crap in Prior Lake,Minnesota where all the Twins used to live south of old Met Stadium when the team was in it's early years.My uncle had a Bavarian band,did the play by play for baseball on the am farm channels for highschool ball,was the commander of the VFW,was the grand puba of the Knights of Columbus.He owned a little old fashioned Goober's Mobil filling station and repair shop in Prior Lake.All the Twins would stop there and he could get autographs for us kids.Then Mobil was huge into Twins Promotions back then and he gave me lots of that stuff.Sadly I trashed the stuff putting cards in bike spokes and all that stuff.It would have been worth something on E-bay.Anyway,I got to meet Harmon there and then a year later he came to town for a little league fundraiser banquet and he remembered me.Always seemed like a nice guy

I remember my uncle really being pissed that some kids in Prior Lake ransacked Harmon's house and smeared copious amounts of sh&t all over everything.

I think Harmorn sort of fell on some not so nice financial times much like wrestling legend Verne Gagne did in that neck of the woods.There were so many legendary local sports icons int he twin cities at that time.Someone convinced Harmon to get in the beverage business making Kill a brew root beer and it flopped.I think he filed for bankruptcy.Gagne filed too and then went so senile he body slammed his roomate at a nursing home that was a 98 pound Jewish Holocaust survivor killing him.They said Verne had a flashback to his wrestling days.I picture the victim as being like Seinfeld's Uncle Leo where Verne just had enough of his whining and everyone being an anti semite.Verne could have just gave him his patented sleeper hold instead.hehe!

[Jericholic]

My Dad got met him once when he was young and said he was a great guy and very gracious. I don't know that I've ever heard a bad thing said about him.

[SASH]

I met Harmon at a baseball card show when I was 11, very nice man...very kind. Sad to here this. Get well soon!