One Story about Killebrew from Cuddy

Killebrew and Cuddyer (Photo: Michael Cuddyer)

With all of the sad news being released about Harmon Killebrew and hit fight with cancer, I asked Twins' veteran Michael Cuddyer to share a story about his relationship with the greatest slugger in Twins history.

The first things that came to Cuddyer's mind was how Killebrew impacted his signature on memorabilia for fans. Cuddy answered back to me by saying, "He is the sole reason you can read my autograph." He went on to explain the story by saying he did a signing with Harmon and Killebrew made him clean up his signature or he was going to stop signing.

Compare the two signatures below to see how much Cuddyer's signature has changed from earlier in his career.

Rookie Year Signature for Cuddyer

Cuddyer's Signature after being influenced by Killebrew.

Killebrew had one of the smoothest signatures for a big name baseball star. There have been quotes that Killebrew told players that there was no point in signing things if no one was going to be able to read the signature in the future.

The first time I received an autograph from Mr. Killebrew he told me a story about the pen he brought for the event. He held a special pen that he claimed was perfect for signing autographs. He took his time signing that ball and it will always be special to me.

Here's a look at the smooth signature of Harmon Killebrew.

There are some tough days ahead for Mr. Killebrew and his family. But it is great to hear the stories of how he has impacted the lives of other's during his wonderful life.

Peace be with you and your family, Mr. Killebrew. It has been a blessing to be a fan of yours during my lifetime.