Kirby Puckett dead at 45
PHOENIX -- Kirby Puckett, whose bright personality outshined even his Hall of Fame performance, died yesterday in nearby Scottsdale one day after
suffering a stroke. The former Minnesota Twins outfielder was 45.
An official from St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center announced the news. The stroke occurred Sunday morning at Puckett's Scottsdale home.
"I admired Kirby throughout his career," baseball commissioner Bud Selig wrote in a statement. "He was a Hall of Famer in every sense of the term. He
played his entire career with the Twins and was an icon in Minnesota. But he was revered throughout the country and will be remembered wherever the
game is played."
Part of Puckett's charm was his cartoonish physique; baseball-reference.com lists his playing size as 5-8 and 210 pounds. But after his 1996
retirement, Puckett's weight ballooned to a dangerous level, and baseball friends expressed their concerns about his health.
"The last few times I saw him, he kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger," former Twin Tony Oliva said Sunday after learning of the stroke. "And we
worried about him."
He is survived by two children, Catherine and Kirby Jr., and his ex-wife Tonya.
Born March 14, 1960 into poverty in Chicago, Puckett had 2,304 hits, 207 home runs and 1,085 RBIs in only 12 major-league seasons, winning six Gold
Glove awards and making 10 All-Star teams. And then there was the number that sealed his Hall of Fame status: two World Series rings.
Puckett hit .357 with a .419 on-base percentage for the 1987 Twins, helping them outlast the St. Louis Cardinals and win the world championship in
seven games.
In 1991, the Twins fell behind the Atlanta Braves 3-2. In the hours before Game 6 at the Metrodome, Puckett told his teammates to jump on his back and
let him lead them to victory. He followed up his inspiring words with inspiring play, jumping against the wall to rob Ron Gant of an extra-base hit in
the third inning and slamming a walk-off homer against Charlie Leibrandt in the 11th inning, sending the Series to a seventh game, which Minnesota
won.
Such exploits reflected Puckett's everyday magnetism. "There was no player I enjoyed playing against more than Kirby," Hall of Fame catcher Carlton
Fisk said in a statement. "He brought such joy to the game. He elevated the play of everyone around him."
On Sept. 28, 1995, Puckett was hit by a pitch from Dennis Martinez in the bottom of the first inning, the ball breaking his jaw. The following spring
training, he woke up without vision in his right eye. He never played again, retiring in July 1996 from what eventually was called glaucoma. He was
only 35.
Puckett made the Hall of Fame in 2001, the first year in which he was eligible. In his induction speech, he said, "I want you to remember the guiding
principles of my life: You can be what you want to be. If you believe in yourself and you work hard, anything - and I'm telling you, anything - is
possible."
His plaque praised his "ever-present smile and infectious exuberance."
In the years since his retirement, Puckett maintained a sunny disposition, refusing to publicly share any disappointment. He served as a vice
president for the Twins, helping them out with positive publicity during a time when the team was terrible, and continued to generate laughter.
But his life took a dramatic turn shortly after his Hall of Fame induction. His divorce was ugly, as Tonya accused him of violence, threats and
infidelity. In 2003, he was cleared of all charges from an alleged sexual assault of a woman at a Twin Cities restaurant.
He severed ties with the Twins and moved to Arizona, but several former teammates were at the hospital Sunday and yesterday, including former Yankee
Chili Davis and current A's coach Ron Washington.
Longtime Twin Kent Hrbek, asked what he will remember about Puckett, replied, "Just his smile, his laughter and his love for the game."
| Quote: | Originally posted by REV.PAULIE
HONUS-as much as i can't stand a great deal of what you really like (for my own reasons that i would never hold,nor impose,against you),YOU FUCKING
RULE!
YOU,HONUS,IS WHAT MAKES THE "EDGE" COOL.
YOUR FRIEND,
PAULIE |
check out my post contributions at www.VinylNoize.com
|
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