robin killebrew was 47 years old. >>> the braves ryan mccann took a play out of killebrew's playbook.n the ninth, he won it with another homer. two at-bats, two home runs, not a bad day at the office. the braves won it, 2-1. that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm fred roggin. >>> coming up, the good and bad in celebrity baby news. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. >>> plus, why a steady diet of these fast food favorites has helped one man reach a super sized milestone. you're watching "early today." >>> welcome back on this early wednesday morning. 78 in phoenix. probably one of the coolest days you will have for a long time. chilly with rain this morning. that will get better as the day goes on. tomorrow dry weather in the west. well if you are watching us in seattle, washington. see vintage dpi tay daguitar as. and that is your pacific event of the day. >>> now here's a look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. donald trump may not be taking on the role of presidential candidate, but there is another job he has lined up. grandpa.

it was not a typical killebrew home run. it was a line drive that just shot out of the park into the left field stands and it sent us into the all-star break in first place. and i, along with lots of twins fans, believe that that -- it was that blow that was the key to the season. now, as i said, that rope of a homer was not a typical killebrew home run. he was known for these towering blasts. i remember one in particular. i was watching the twins on tv one summer night with my dad and my brother. the twins were playing the tigers in detroit in the old tiger stadium, and killebrew got ahold of one and it cleared the left field roof, one of just four shots that cleared that roof in the 87-year history of the stadium. my recollection is that by its trajectory, the ball was estimated to be a 480-foot home run. killebrew hit the longest ball in the history of metropolitan stadium in bloomington, minnesota, a 530-foot shot. now, killebrew was not that big a man. he was about -- he was 5'11", about 210 pounds. in his major league

but pitcher gaylord perry called killebrew ma bell because he hit the ball a long distance.e's the fifth hall of famer to die in just the past year or so. he follows guys like feller, duke, and sparky to their great reward. it should also be noted that he died with the same grace he displayed on the field. he issued a statement when he entered hospice for esophageal cancer saying calmly and clearly, "i have exhausted all options with respect to controlling this awful disease. my illness has progressed beyond my doctors' expectation of a cure." well, that's why they placed a photo of him beneath home plate today. it's why there's sadness in the twin cities and all over. harmon killebrew was 74 years old. >>> up next here tonight, a visit many thought would never happen. >>> finally here tonight, as we said earlier, a visit many thought would never happen. the queen of england today visited ireland. and while it's not quite nixon to china, and while london to dublin is just a short flight, it's something a lot of people never thought they'd see in their lifetime because of the

harmon killebrew died today of cancer.was 74. >>> and, still ahead on "world news," is coffee a kind of medical battering ram that stops certain kind of cancer in its tracks? a provocative new study. >>> and we find one american company fighting a ground war to keep jobs on u.s. soil. fighting and winning. >>> and how one supermodel is showing children who survived unimaginable disaster how to smile again. even though i'm a great driver, and he's... not so much. well, for a driver like you, i would recommend our new snapshot discount. this little baby keeps track of your great driving habits, so you can save money. [sighs] amazing. it's like an extra bonus savings. [ cackling ] he's my ride home. how much can the snapshot discount save you? call or click today. introducing crest 3d white enamel renewal toothpaste. it not only removes up to 90% of surface stains in just two weeks, it also strengthens and rebuilds your enamel. new crest 3d white enamel renewal toothpaste. life opens up when you do. so i've got to take care o

. >> couric: meanwhile, in baseball, few players were as possible as harmon killebrew. his homers soared like mortar shots, over 22 seasons, mostly with the minnesota twins. enough to make him number 11 on the all-time list and a hall-of-famer. harmon killebrew died today in his home in scottsdale, arizona, of esophageal cancer, he was 74. and coming up next, ship wreck on land. two months after the tsunami, the cleanup has barely begun. kept coming back... tos ...kept coming back. then i found out advair helps prevent symptoms from happening in the first place. advair is for asthma that's not well controlled on a long-term asthma medicine, such as an inhaled corticosteroid. advair will not replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. advair contains salmeterol which increases the risk of death from asthma problems and may increase the risk of hospitalization in children and adolescents. advair is not for people whose asthma is well controlled with a long-term asthma control medicine like an inhaled corticosteroid. once your asthma is well controlled your doctor will d

harmon killebrew died after battling cancer. he was 74.wins. only babe ruth had more home run seasons. the twins will wear a number 3 patch to honor him this year. and the groundscrew has buried a picture of killebrew under home plate. >>> making forward progress by going in circles. cnn's tom foreman explains the riddle in the latest installment of "building up america." >> to save the gas, start from zero. >> reporter: north in indianapolis, in the suburb of caramel, mayor james brain arou braynard has going around intersections, replacing them with round-abouts, whirlpools of track that keep people moving. >> it's made a difference in the way people go around. >> reporter: round-abouts, not to be confused with bigger intimidating rotaries on the east coast, are designed to smooth swoop drivers into any direction, slowly guide them around, and just as easy let them out and on their way. since cars don't stop, commuters save time and officials say use 30% less gas at intersections. >> a round-about can handle four to five times the amount

harmon killebrew was 74 years old. those are some of the day's major stories., back to gwen. >> ifill: next, the shaking up of the unsettled republican presidential nomination contest. from raising big money to performing damage control, the race to take on president obama has become increasingly active. the alternately shrinking and expanding campaign for the 2012 republican presidential nomination has shifted once again. on monday, former massachusetts governor mitt romney, who is not even officially in the race yet, changed its parameters by announcing he had raised $10 million in a single day. meanwhile, former house speaker newt gingrich, who joined the race last week, was on the defensive with many of his fellow republicans after dismissing a house plan to reform medicare as "right wing social engineering." appearing on "meet the press" sunday, gingrich appeared to veer off-message when he seemed to support forcing individuals to purchase health insurance, the most disputed part of the new health care law. >> i've said consistently, we ought to have some

mike mentioned the twins are in town but the team recently lost their greatest player, harmon kiflt killebrew passed away this week. >> next, a tasted test for a local sfruantd recipe. >> and mcdonald's, the big mac attack that keeps going and going. amamamamamamamamamamamamar ♪ oh oh oh ♪ just love me ♪ oh oh oh ♪ just hold me ♪ oh oh oh ♪ just kiss me ♪ oh oh oh ♪ just want me ♪ l-o-v-e ♪ love, love, love i wonder who it was that first put a strip of bacon next to an egg. which came first? the bacon or the egg? i know what's going down first. denny's. america's diner is always open. >>> it is 5:24. a recipe at skyline high school is among the finalists in recipes for healthy kids competition. three judges were in the school's kitchen to watch the students prepare spanish chick-pea stew. they ate a sample that is served in the school's cafeteria. >> i don't want to try it, kind of weird. >> it's wonderful to me. it's wonderful that the kids enjoy cooking it, preparing it some of them want to be chefs. >> the healthy kids competition is about serving nutritious food that kids will like in sch