Path to Hall of Fame wasn't smooth for Killebrew

Harmon Killebrew in retrospect seemed destined for Cooperstown.

But it's easy for us to forget -- or not know it in the first place, given that most of the struggles occurred before Killebrew came to Minnesota with the Twins in 1961 -- that the genial slugger's early career was not an uninterrupted path to superstardom. In fact, it was controversial at times, given the "outrageous" bonus ($12,000 plus three seasons of guaranteed major-league minimum $6,000 salary) Killebrew received in 1954.

Former Post-Bulletin sports reporter Jim Thielman, also the author of the book "Cool of the Evening: The 1965 Minnesota Twins," tells this part of the Killebrew saga well in a post he wrote for the Society for American Baseball Research's website.

-- Craig Swalboski