Bob Behler-Host of the Bob and Chris show

On Friday night, I will be speaking at the Harmon Killebrew dinner in Payette.  It is a weekend full of activities, where Payette honors its favorite son, baseball Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew.

For people who have listened to me on the air here at KTIK, you know my love for baseball and I am honored to have been asked to speak about the sport.  Harmon and I have one big thing in common.  Both of us spent two seasons in Chattanooga with the Lookouts.  Harmon as a player hitting 46 home runs in the late 50’s and me as an announcer in the mid 80’s.

Killebrew was the American League MVP in 1969, when he led the league with 49 home runs. I remember that season, as it was the first one I got in to as a little kid.  Killebrew with the Twins, Frank Howard with the Senators, and Reggie Jackson with the A’s had their own McGwire/Sosa battle that season.  Howard ended with 48 and Jackson with 47. The 1969 season  was one of six times that Killebrew led the American League.  He finished his career with 573 home runs and 1584 runs batted in and was voted in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984.

In speaking with Harmon’s widow, Anita, she told me that former football players Jerry Kramer and Wayne Walker were all high school seniors in 1954.  Wow what a year for the state of Idaho.