The Other 572 Weren’t as Easy to Come By

Harmon Killebrew, a recent guest in the Atlanta Braves’ TBS broadcast booth, said he’d never forget his first major league home run. He was 18 at the time.

“It was off a veteran left-hander from the Detroit Tigers named Billy Hoeft,� Killebrew said. “I walked to the plate and he said, ‘Kid, we’re going to throw you a fastball.’

“Sure enough, it was a fastball and I hit it 476 feet. As I came around the bases and stepped on home plate, he said, ‘Kid, that’s the last time we ever tell you what’s coming.’ �

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Trivia time: Killebrew hit 573 home runs in his 22 seasons in the majors. Where does that rank among American League sluggers?

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Not very personal: Braves’ announcer Don Sutton, asked by Killebrew if he ever had a personal trainer, said, “Yeah. I shared him with 24 other guys.�

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Timing is everything: It’s well known that Jerry West’s image is on the NBA logo. It’s not as well known that Killebrew was the model for the player on the MLB logo.

“I just happened to be in the commissioner’s office when they were doing the mock-up for the logo,� Killebrew said.

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Shea Hey Kid: The Braves’ Chipper Jones has named his third son Shea, after Shea Stadium, home of the New York Mets. Jones’ wife, Sharon, gave birth Monday morning, and Jones arrived at Turner Field in the fifth inning of the Braves’ 7-6 victory over San Francisco.

“I hit my first homer there,� Jones told reporters after the game. “I love that place.�

Over the last three seasons, Jones has hit more home runs, 11, against the Mets than any other team, and eight of those have come at Shea Stadium.

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Appropriate attire: With all five of California’s major league teams in contention for postseason play, Billy Beane, general manager of the Oakland Athletics, told the New York Times: “It could be the first World Series where the general managers show up in shorts and flip-flops.�

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Spoil sport: It had been announced that “nonessential� city employees in Salt Lake City could leave work at 3 p.m. Thursday to attend Utah’s season opener against Texas A&M.; But then Mayor Rocky Anderson backpedaled, deciding the plan wasn’t fair to city employees who couldn’t leave early. He said employees wanting to leave early would have to take personal time.

“Rocky had a chance to think about it,� a city spokeswoman said. “He’s not into free anything.�

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Looking back: On this day in 1950, Gil Hodges of the Brooklyn Dodgers hit four home runs in a 19-3 victory over the Boston Braves. Hodges also had a single for 17 total bases.

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Trivia answer: Second, behind Babe Ruth.

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And finally: Reader Jerry Clark of Glendale says, “The performance of the U.S. men’s basketball team in Athens reminds me of the old joke about the athlete who was so happy to win a gold medal he had it bronzed.�

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Larry Stewart can be reached at [email protected].