Jim Thome Is Just A "Big, Friendly Farm Boy," And Other Aw-
Shucks Observations  On Monday night, Minnesota's Jim Thome
became the eighth player in MLB history to hit 600 career home
runs. Sports media has declared that not enough people noticed
his feat (to its credit, though, the condom sector did). So let
us humbly praise the humble man who is, in the immortal words of
Tim Kurkjian, a "good dude."  From Tim Kurkjian, ESPN:  world's
nicest man,  as genuine as they come,  a good dude,  the kind of
guy who would embrace a 9-year-old who had somehow infiltrated
the dugout, then promise to hit a homer for him that day,  just
a guy who loves to hunt,  a soft-spoken guy from Peoria, Ill.
From Joe Nathan, Twins teammate:  the world's nicest man,  he
lives up to the hype, and more,  so genuine,  he's like Harmon
Killebrew.  From Matt Capps, Twins teammate:  the best,  just a
regular guy,  a role model,  like every one of us would like to
be.  From Ron Gardenhire, Twins manager:  He's like Babe Ruth,
a pleasure.  F