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Harmon Killebrew announced Friday that he no
longer plans to fight his esophageal cancer and has settled in for
the final days of his life, saddening friends and fans of the
74-year-old Hall of Fame slugger.


      In a statement released jointly by the Minnesota Twins and the
National Baseball Hall of Fame, Killebrew said "it is with
profound sadness" that he will no longer receive treatment for the
"awful disease."


      He said the cancer has been deemed incurable by his doctors and
he will enter hospice care.


      "With the continued love and support of my wife, Nita, I have
exhausted all options," Killebrew said. He added: "I have spent
the past decade of my life promoting hospice care and educating
people on its benefits. I am very comfortable taking this next step
and experiencing the compassionate care that hospice provides."


      Killebrew, who's 11th on baseball's all-time home run list with
573, thanked his well-wishers for their support.


      "I look forward to spending my final days in comfort and peace
with Nita by my side," he said.


      Killebrew lives in the Phoenix area and was receiving treatment
at a branch of the Mayo Clinic nearby after his diagnosis in
December. He expressed optimism at the time, saying he expected to
make a full recovery while acknowledging he was in "perhaps the
most difficult battle" of his life.


      Killebrew was able to travel to Fort Myers, Fla., in March for
his annual stint as a guest instructor at spring training with the
Twins. He was in good spirits and appeared healthy, only thinner,
quipping that manager Ron Gardenhire gave him the OK to show up a
little late. He said he relished the opportunity to immerse himself
in baseball and divert his focus from the treatment and the
disease.


      But his plan to throw out the first pitch at the team's home
opener in April was scrapped. He said then in a statement that such
a trip would disrupt his treatment schedule, though he remained
hopeful for a recovery.


      Twins spokesman Kevin Smith said there was no prognosis given by
Killebrew's doctors for how much longer he might live. Instead of
enduring chemotherapy, he'll now be kept as comfortable as possible
to deal with pain. Smith is one of a handful of Twins officials who
have been in contact with the Killebrew and his family over the
last few months.


      Killebrew made 11 All-Star appearances during a 22-year career
spent mostly with the Washington Senators and the Twins when they
moved to Minnesota in 1961. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame
in 1984 and was fifth on the career home run list when he retired
in 1975 after one season with the Kansas City Royals.


      Killebrew's eight seasons with 40 or more homers is tied for
second in league history to Babe Ruth. He won the American League
MVP award in 1969, when the Twins won their division and lost to
the Baltimore Orioles in the AL championship series.


      The 49 homers, 140 RBIs and 145 walks he compiled that season
remain Twins records.


      In the plaza outside Target Field, there is a giant bronze glove
where fans pose for pictures. It is the same distance from home
plate, 520 feet, as that longest home run Killebrew ever hit. His
No. 3 jersey is retired, and there's a statue in his likeness
outside the ballpark.


      Killebrew has maintained a regular presence around the Twins
over the years He made an effort to get to know almost all the
current players, striking particularly close friendships with
Michael Cuddyer and Jim Thome among others.


      When Thome passed Killebrew on the career home run list last
season, Killebrew issued a gracious congratulatory message. His
nickname, "The Killer," defied his humble, gentle demeanor, but
he sure could crush a baseball with that big bat of his.


      "I didn't have evil intentions," Killebrew once said, "but I
guess I did have power."


      His home run totals turned out to be that much more impressive,
given the smaller parks, watered-down pitching staffs and juiced
balls and players that came in the decades after he retired.


      Though Killebrew has been passed in recent years by Alex
Rodriguez and Thome on the homer list to fall out of the top 10, he
ought to be in 11th place for some time, particularly as dominant
young pitchers have taken control of this post-steroid era in
baseball. With Manny Ramirez's sudden retirement last month, the
next closest active players are Vladimir Guerrero and Chipper Jones
with 440.


      Albert Pujols, with 415 homers at age 31, might be the next
threat to reach Killebrew's mark.
      

Gallery

Twins great Killebrew diagnosed with esophageal cancer

Sports

Dave Campbell, Associated Press

Author

The ex-Twins slugger has been battling cancer since last year and said he has "exhausted all options with respect to controlling this awful disease."

Killebrew enters hospice care, says cancer battle nearing end

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