Thome and Killebrew

One thing the Twins must have had in mind when they signed Jim Thome this off-season is the marketing opportunity when Thome almost certainly ties and then passes Harmon Killebrew on the all-time career homerun list.

The Killer finished his illustrious career with 573 big flies, and Thome is now at 568 and off to a terrific 2010 start.

There may be a few Twins fans out there who will feel disgruntled about Thome knocking Killebrew down another notch on the all-time list, since Thome hit most of his homeruns for the rival Indians and White Sox.  I don’t see it that way at all.

Part of the lure of baseball for me and a lot of other fans is the long history of the game.  Thome catching and passing Killebrew really doesn’t diminish at all what Killebrew accomplished in his day.  Instead, and particularly if Thome ties and/or or passes Killebrew at home at Target Field, it gives the Twins and their fans a chance to celebrate not only Thome’s accomplishment, but also Killebrew and his accomplishments one more time.  It’s simply too good an opportunity to pass up.

Some years ago now, when Barry Bonds was breaking all the HR records as a Giant, the Giants had a day celebrating both Bonds and his godfather Wilie Mays.  They did a video and lights presentation showing a terrific montage of Bonds and Mays, mostly Bonds slugging balls out of the park and Mays making unbelievable catches in center field.

I hope the Twins do something similar with Thome and Killebrew.  Killebrew was one of those classic power hitters who hit his longest homeruns more than 500 feet.  At least one or two of those blasts must have been captured on film.

I can’t imagine Twins fans not enjoying a ten or fifteen minute montage of some of Harmon’s greatest moments as a Twin.  For example, Harmon hit a homerun off Don Drysdale in Game 4 of the 1965 World Series.  That has to be on film, and I doubt that Twins fans would be tired of seeing that moment again.