CLEVELAND -- Jim Thomes point-the-bat hitting stance, a powerful symbol of the most successful era in Cleveland Indians history, is now a permanent fixture at Progressive Field. Cheap Islanders Jerseys Authentic . The Indians honoured their career leader in home runs on Saturday by unveiling a statue of Thome -- his bat pointed menacingly at the pitcher -- to rest in the ballparks centre field monument area. An emotional Thome, who played for Cleveland from 1991-2002 and again in 2011, said he signed an honorary one-day contract with the team so he could retire as a member of the Indians. "It feels so good to be home again, in this ballpark, where it all began," Thome said as voice cracked several times. "It gives me goose-bumps." Thomes statue is just the second erected by the club, joining one for Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Feller. Thome will certainly join Feller in Cooperstown one day. Thome, who last played in 2012 for Baltimore, hit 337 homers for Cleveland. With him in the lineup, the Indians won six AL Central titles, advanced to the World Series in 1995 and 1997 and played in front of 455 consecutive sellout crowds. "I look at that statue and I think of our teams in the 90s," he said. "There are so many guys from those teams who could have a statue." While there was some debate whether Thome, who left Cleveland after the 02 season to sign with Philadelphia, deserved a statue, theres no denying his legacy with the Indians. "I want to thank the fans," he said. "Ill never forget the atmosphere you guys created here every night." Thome signed his one-day contract on the field before the game and was given a long standing ovation by the crowd. He threw out the first pitch to former teammate Sandy Alomar Jr., the Indians first-base coach. Indians designated hitter Jason Giambi, currently on the 60-day disabled list with a knee injury, temporarily gave up his No. 25 to honour Thomes one-day contract. Giambi will assume his number again when hes activated. Thome had a most unique stance. He would point his bat toward the pitcher to get ready, then pull it back and prepare to swing. And that swing usually resulted in good things for the Indians. "Theres an old saying in baseball," said Mike Hargrove, who managed Thome for nine seasons in Cleveland. "Good players can make a manager, a general manager and a hitting coach look real smart. Jimmy did his part." Thome developed an especially close relationship with Charlie Manuel, who was his hitting coach and later his manager with the Indians. "Hes like my son, in a way," Manuel said. "Cleveland got better when Jim Thome came to town." The left-handed slugger also had a flair for the dramatic. He hit the longest home run in ballpark history, a 511-foot blast on July 3, 1999, against the Kansas City that landed close to where his statue stands. The Indians have put up a plaque nearby to honour the homer. And in a moment straight out of a movie, Thome homered following a pregame ceremony in which the Indians announced they were building his statue on Sept. 23, 2011. Thome belted 52 home runs in 2002, the club record for a season. In 2001 he hit 49 homers -- the most by a left-handed hitter in club history -- and drove in 124 runs, both career highs. Several of Thomes former teammates were in attendance this weekend, including Kenny Lofton, Carlos Baerga and Travis Hafner. John Hart, who built the Indians team in the 90s as general manager, was also on hand as well as several members of Thomes family. Cheap Islanders Jerseys China . Louis and Ryan Kesler have demanded to be traded. Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys . Irving played 10 minutes Sunday night before going to the locker room. He had two points and four assists, missing all five of his shots. The All-Star game MVP is the top scorer among Eastern Conference point guards with 21. http://www.cheapislandersjerseys.com/ .C. -- North Carolina State coach Mark Gottfried said his team had a "golden" opportunity to help its NCAA tournament chances.Bobby Orr Punches Stan MikitaMikita and Bobby Orr are two of the all-time greats at their position, but as seen in the video above, there was clearly no love lost between the two of them during the heat of play. In a strange showing of poor sportsmanship, Bobby Orr took a swing at Stan Mikitas head after the whistle had blown. Most likely just another reason Mikita chose to stick with his bucket.Mikita, Jordan and Hull(Credit: SSports Illustrated)The greats recognize the greats. Cheap Islanders Jerseys. During a regular season game last year, Mikita, Bobby Hull, and Michael Jordan cheered on the Chicago Blackhawks together on what seemed to be celebrity appreciation night. What do you think would be better to witness, Mikita and Hull shooting jumpshots, or Jordan skating a lap around an NHL rink?Bar Down wishes you a happy 74th birthday Stan Mikita! 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