Tribute to Harmon Clayton Killebrew
Monday, May 23, 2011
Harmon Clayton Killebrew, at the age of 74, passed away from his battle with cancer on Tuesday, May 17, 2011. To his wife Nita and entire Killebrew family our hearts and prayers go out to you.
I had the honor of speaking at his funeral while the Twins were in Phoenix for a 3-game series. It will be one of the most memorable moments I will ever experience in my lifetime.
I took this opportunity to speak about what Harmon meant to me but also what he meant to every single person that ever came into contact with this great man. He always treated people the same, no matter who you were or what you did for a living.
When I think of Harmon, I think of my former teammate that people called “Killer.” He may have crushed baseballs over the fences on all the baseball fields he ever played but he was far from “Killer” to all his teammates and me. Harmon was one of the kindest people to ever walk on this earth.
He was a Hall of Fame baseball player but he was so much more then that. Harmon was a Hall of Famer, in life, long before the writers put him into Cooperstown. The charity work he did for so many organizations are well documented. He raised funds for the Leukemia Society, The Miracle Fields, the Hospice Organization in Phoenix, where he made home, and so many other organizations. He took advantage of his Hall of Fame statue to help so many in need.
What will I remember the most about Harmon and what will I always cherish the most? Getting the opportunity to play on the same field with him and calling him my teammate and friend.
I first met Harmon in 1970 when I was invited to the Twins Spring Training. He came to my locker when I was unpacking my baseball equipment bag and he introduced himself to me! I remember I responded by saying, “It was an honor to meet you, Mr. Killebrew.” He then responded by saying, “Bert, please call me Harmon.” Wow, the 1969 American League Most Valuable Player wanted me to call him Harmon!
Over the years I began to respect this man more and more. Not only was he a great teammate, he was our leader! Harmon was a father like figure to so many of us young players at the time. Young Twins players like Danny Thompson, Steve Brye, Ray Corbin, Eric Soderholm, Steve Braun, and others.
We will all miss you Harmon Killebrew! Your legacy will live on forever because of the way you treated others. We should all learn from what you did in your lifetime. Treat others like you want to be treated. Help others and don’t ever ask for anything in return.
On behalf of myself, my wife Gayle, and the Blyleven Family, we will miss you and you will be FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS!
Our Annual Walk for Parkinsons
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Since 2004, my wife Gayle and I have been involved with raising necessary research funds to help find a cure for Parkinson’s. This years' annual Parkinson’s Walk was held at Mt. Normandale Lake Bandshell in Bloomington, Minnesota.
The weather didn’t want to cooperate with our walk, but as I told the gathering crowd of approximately 900 walkers, "What’s a little rain when we are all here to support our loved ones who are battling Parkinson’s." Gayle and I had a great time meeting so many families and their friends that were there to support their loved ones affected by this deadly disease.
Gayle and I got involved with the Parkinson Association of Minnesota, now called National Parkinson Foundation Minnesota (NPFM) since January of this year, because this disease affected my dad for many years. We have had nothing but positive feelings since we first met Eileen Smith, a volunteer for Parkinson’s. Eileen has been so helpful in educating us and helping get us involved in the Annual Parkinson Walk.
The Annual Parkinson Walk is not about us, but it’s about raising funds and making people aware of how Parkinson’s affects so many families. We are proud to be Honorary Co-Chairs for this annual walk.
We are also proud to say that this year’s walk raised more than $100,000. We thank everyone who donated toward this great event. Also, thank you to all the volunteers who made this walk a success. We are sure that Paul Blom, President of NPFM, is very proud of all of you too. I know Gayle and I are!
This is not the only event that NPFM has throughout the year. There is the Parkinson’s Day at the Ballpark, at Target Field, on Saturday, July 16. The same day the Twins are retiring my number 28. How about that!
Then, there is the 9th Annual Golf Tournament, on Monday, July 25, at Minnesota Valley Country Club in Bloomington, Minnesota. There are also other events that are being held and if you want more information please go to www.parkinsonmn.org.
You can also go to my new website at www.circlemebert.com where Gayle and I are selling some Circle Me Bert apparel for adults and children, where part of the proceeds of these sales will go to Parkinson’s. Also go buy your "Bert Burger" at Wendy’s where 10 cents of every burger sold will go to Parkinson’s.
Gayle and I thank you for reading this article because we want everyone to get involved with a fund raiser, whether it’s Parkinson or not.
Have a great day and you are all "Hereby Circled," Bert Blyleven
Our Trip to Cooperstown for my Orientation
Monday, May 2, 2011
Good morning as I sit at the Kansas City airport waiting for my 6:30 a.m. flight to leave for Detroit and then catch a flight to Albany, New York. Cooperstown is about an hours drive from Albany and someone is supposed to be there from the Hall of Fame to pick me up at about 2:00 p.m.
This is not the way that my wife Gayle and I planned our trip about three months ago!
Gayle and I were planning on meeting in Atlanta and fly together to Albany. But, we were informed by Delta, at 12:04 a.m. this morning that our flight from Atlanta was cancelled to Albany. They booked me on the flight above and they booked Gayle on a flight leaving Fort Myers at 1:25 p.m. through Minneapolis and then to Albany. She will be arriving about 10:30 p.m.
Guess things don't always work out the way you plan. The Twins didn't expect to have a 9-18 record to start off their season but it happens. Positive attitude, continued hard work, and hopefully their season will get brighter and more successful.
Anyway, we are really looking forward to visiting Cooperstown and finding out all the details of what induction weekend will be all about in late July.
Since I was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in January it's been a great ride. I waited 14 years to get that phone call the morning of January 5th. The first thing I did was hug and kiss Gayle and then I got on the phone to call my mother and our children. My mother was so happy and she told me maybe this is why they left Holland back in 1953, with 3 children, wanting to go to the United States. My mother saying that made me feel very proud!
Rob, a security guard for the Hall of Fame Museum, was waiting for me and he drove me to the Otesaga Hotel here in Cooperstown. The Otesaga Hotel first opened its doors in 1909. What a beautiful place overlooking the Otsego Lake! Breathtaking!
After checking in, I began my tour of Cooperstown and the Baseball Hall of Fame Museum with Jeff Idelson, President of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and his staff. I was actually very nervous walking around the Hall of Fame Museum. This is the beginning of a new life: A Hall of Farmer! Jeff showed me around and introduced me to so many nice people.
I had dinner tonight with Jane Forbes Clark, Chairman for the Baseball Hall of Fame Museum, Jeff Idelson, and some of their staff at the hotel. Great meal, and I recommend the blackened prime rib.
About 9:00 p.m. I rode with Roger, another security guard for the Hall of Fame, to Albany, which is about an hour drive, to pick Gayle up at the airport and then we headed back to Cooperstown. What a long day of flying for Gayle.
Tuesday, May 3
About 9:30 a.m. Gayle and I went to the Hall of Fame Museum and met with Brad Horn, Head of Communications and Education, and Whitney Selover, Director of Special Events and Travel. We went over the itinerary for the induction weekend in July. We also had a chance to walk through the museum and see all the history of the game of baseball.
I was particularly interested in the way the baseball had changed over the years. When the game was first played more than 200 years ago, there were town teams that maybe had only one or two baseballs for a game. Also, each town team had their own rules, and before another team came to play them the other team would have to play by their rules. Each home team was responsible for supplying a baseball and some teams may have had only two or three baseballs. These baseballs were hand-made by some of the players on the team and they came in all different sizes. They were all round, but a lot softer than the baseballs used today. Some didn't even have seams and others had four seams that were formed like a bulb. Baseballs were very hard to make because of the time and yarn that it took to make one. A foul ball was always returned to the playing field. When you visit Cooperstown you have to see it for yourself.
We were invited to have lunch at a great restaurant called Alex & Ika's, right next to the museum. Many of the staff joined us, along with MLB.com writer Barry Bloom. We had a great lunch.
After walking through the museum, Gayle and I got an opportunity to go downstairs to see the museum artifacts with Erik Strohl, Senior Director of Exhibitions and Collections. There, we put on white gloves and were shown things that weren't displayed at the time in the museum. We got to hold a Babe Ruth bat, and gloves that Christy Mathewson, Walter Johnson, and Bob Feller used. We also got to hold up a jersey that Cy Young wore and the sweater that Walter Johnson wore with the Washington Senators. What an honor it was to see and actually hold these historical items.
We then went back to the first floor and went into the "Wall of Plaques" room. Here is where my Hall of Fame plaque will be hanging with all the other men in the Hall of Fame after my induction on July 24. I am very proud to be in the same Hall as other Twins Hall of Fame players: Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew, and Kirby Puckett. I went to all their plaques and gave them a high five.
One more event after that at the museum and that was getting the opportunity to meet the entire staff here in Cooperstown. The staff had a beautiful cake for us and they all welcomed us to their family. Gayle and I met some great people who are dedicated to continue making the Hall of Fame Museum the success it has been since 1939.
About 5:00 p.m. Gayle and I went back to the Otesaga Hotel to change so we could get ready to go and have a private dinner at Jane Forbes Clark's estate. We were joined again by the great people at the Hall of Fame: Jeff Idelson, his wife Erika, Bill Haase, Senior VP, Brad Horn, Erik Strohl, Whitney Selover and Evan Chase, Security Director. Another great meal with great people and Jane Clark was a excellent host. What a beautiful estate she has and her house was so open and cozy.
When Gayle and I got back to the hotel, I checked on the Twins score and noticed in the 6th inning that the Twins were winning 1-0 and that Francisco Liriano had not given up a hit yet! On goes the TV, as we watched Liriano no-hit the White Sox. We were very excited for him to accomplish this feat. His no-hitter is the 242nd Major League no-hitter in the history of baseball. Brad Horn called me and informed me that he had already asked the Twins if the museum could get a souvenir from his game to display here in Cooperstown. Good for Francisco and the Twins. They needed that win.
Congratulations Francisco!
Wednesday, May 4
I had a chance to play golf today but it has been raining for the last two days here and it's been very cold. I woke up at 7:00 a.m. to get ready just in case it stopped. I met Jeff Idelson and Bill Haase for breakfast downstairs and we all decided that it wasn’t a good day to play. But the breakfast and company was great!
Gayle and I decided to go back to the museum to do a little shopping and go over our guest list for our family and friends for the induction weekend in July. Gayle and I are very happy that we were able to get this into the hands of Whitney, who will now contact all our family and friends and make sure their visit here is successful. Thank you Whitney for all your help. You are the best.
Before shopping though, Whitney took Gayle and I to the 6-bedroom house that we are renting for four nights for our children, who are attending the induction weekend. The house is right next to Lake Otsego with a beautiful view. After they see this house they may not want to go to any of the events during the weekend. They might stay there and blow us off!
Now, it’s time to go shopping! Something that I love! Not! Anyway, we walked back to the museum and Gayle went crazy! It was a good crazy though because she got a lot of great things that have the Hall of Fame logo for some friends and us. Gayle is always so thoughtful and, believe me, when I say that she is always thinking of others first.
We walked back toward the hotel and stopped to have lunch. It seems like every store has a baseball theme for the name of their store. We ate at Double Day Café.
After lunch we walked back to the hotel and almost froze. Being from Florida, our blood is thin so the 3-block walk back seemed like five miles. But we made it back OK.
Got back to the room and caught the final tow innings of the Twins 3-2 win over the White Sox. The Twins won both games that I missed! Maybe I should stay here longer rather then meeting the team in Boston on Friday? Nice job Ron Coomer, helping announce a no-hitter and two straight Twins wins. Tough act to follow!
Our evening was free to just relax at the hotel and have time for us to catch up with our sleep. We had a great dinner at the hotel and some needed sleep.
Thursday, May 5
Today is our last day here in Cooperstown until July. Gayle and I went back to the museum and we met Brad Horn. He asked me yesterday if I would like to sit down and have a discussion with some of the baseball fans that were attending the museum and talk baseball. I said that I would love to.
I had a great time talking the game of baseball with so many nice people from all over the country who were visiting. They were like kids in a candy store. Just like Gayle and I.
We headed back to the Otesaga Hotel for the last time on this trip. We are all packed and ready for our long ride to Boston to get back to my job of announcing Twins games. A car service picked us up and we are off.
Gayle and I want to thank the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum for making us feel like family. We learned so much about what to expect for my induction into the Hall of Fame. So many wonderful people we met and we can't wait to see them all again in late July. They all made us feel so welcome beyond words.
We hope you enjoyed this article and will check out my website in more detail. I hope to write more columns for our sites in the near future and we are in the process of building our other site, www.circlemebert.com, to announce a new line of apparel that Gayle has come up with. Please check it out once it's ready to go up.
Also, please take a moment to check out my autographs page for your opportunity to get my autograph on different baseball items.
Have a great day and thank you for being baseball fans.
You are all "Hereby Circled", Bert Blyleven
