R.I.P. Kirby Puckett

longhorn_22 · Post by **longhorn_22** » Mon Mar 06, 2006 7:23 pm

Quote from ESPN:

Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett died Monday, a day after suffering a stroke at his Arizona home, a hospital spokeswoman said. The 44-year-old Puckett, who led the Twins to two World Series titles before his career was cut short by glaucoma, was stricken Sunday morning at his Arizona home.

I'll link an article when it becomes available.

longhorn_22 · Post by **longhorn_22** » Mon Mar 06, 2006 7:29 pm

Link:
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2357158

gtapp · Post by **gtapp** » Mon Mar 06, 2006 8:28 pm

Great player, Great guy. The most popular athelete to ever play in Minnesota (any sport). Imagine the numbers he would have put up if his career had not ended 4 or 5 years premature. He will be missed!

bozbobcat · Post by **bozbobcat** » Mon Mar 06, 2006 10:24 pm

I didn't get to watch Kirby play, but they just showed the highlights of his catch and home run to end game 6 of the classic 1991 World Series. I understand he was also a good guy that gave a lot to the game. Rest in peace.

PapaG · Post by **PapaG** » Mon Mar 06, 2006 10:46 pm

gtapp wrote:Great player, Great guy. The most popular athelete to ever play in Minnesota (any sport). Imagine the numbers he would have put up if his career had not ended 4 or 5 years premature. He will be missed!

I spent a good month of so of each summer in the '80s with my grandparents in Minnesota. I remember Kirby as a rookie and went to quite of few games in the Homer Dome during those summers. I lived in Billings the other 11 months, but my brother and I still managed to get our hands on some real Star-Tribune "Championship Drive" Homer Hankies during the magical '87 season. My cousin from Alexandria, MN, and I also wrote a letter to the Sporting News in either '84 or '85 bragging up the new "Dynamic Duo" of Kirby and Herbie (Kent Hrbek) and how these two would lead the twins from a joke to a champion.

Well, they did, and I sort of feel like a piece of my childhood was lost tonite.

RIP Puck. Thanks for the many great memories.

PapaG · Post by **PapaG** » Mon Mar 06, 2006 10:51 pm

bozbobcat wrote:I didn't get to watch Kirby play, but they just showed the highlights of his catch and home run to end game 6 of the classic 1991 World Series. I understand he was also a good guy that gave a lot to the game. Rest in peace.

I was at a game in the Dome in either '85 or '86 and Ron Davis (RD) was on the hill to try and close out a game against the Tigers. Two outs, the score is 7-6 Twins, and Lou Whitaker hits a deep shot to center. Back then, the centerfield fence was collapsable, so when Puckett would jump into it the fence would give 5 feet or so. Well, Puck leaps for the ball, lands on his feet, hangs his head for just a moment or so, then pulls the ball out of his mitt while flashing a gigantic smile. TWINS WIN! I remember looking towards the mound and Ron Davis must have set a world record in the vertical jump after seeing Kirby had caught the ball.

I've never seen this catch on video, but there is a good chance that the game wasn't televised. This was before every team had a consistent local TV contract.

Bar none, the best ending to a game I have ever witnessed in person, and that catch and Kirby's reactions while making it summarized all that Puck was about.

iaafan · Post by **iaafan** » Tue Mar 07, 2006 9:40 am

Wow. Awesome story PapaG. Thanks for sharing that as I've never heard about it. That story really captures Kirby and I can almost see it happening.

One of my favorite Kirby moment(s) was when they played the Brewers in a double-header in Milwaukee. He went 10-for-11 in the two games with four homers. He also robbed a home run. The highlights were on ESPN and they let Bob Uecker's (Brewers play-by-play) call out his last homer. I don't recall the words, but Uecker was just beside himself. One of those screaming "Holy cow! Can you believe it?!" type lines.

The guy was just flat incredible in every way.

Post by **rtb** » Tue Mar 07, 2006 1:53 pm

http://www.msureporter.com/vnews/displa ... dad452d3a5

Everyone should read this if you have a chance! Kirby will be missed!

BWahlberg · Post by **BWahlberg** » Tue Mar 07, 2006 5:44 pm

Colin Cowherd on ESPN radio said it well, and caught a lot of heat for it.

Kirby Puckett = Good ball player / not a very good human being.

I think other guys today were bringing that up, are we turning a blind eye to many athlete's social lives just because of their sports accomplishments?

Post by **rtb** » Tue Mar 07, 2006 5:55 pm

I don't think a lot of people know about Kirby's personal life and troubles. I agree that we need to look at that and not annoint him a hero because he did do some very bad things after baseball.

I like the article that I posted which said we should carry ourselves in life the way Kirby did in baseball. He was a great player and played with a true passion for the game.

BWahlberg · Post by **BWahlberg** » Tue Mar 07, 2006 5:59 pm

Yeah, and see you read posts of people saying he was a great guy, and an incredible person, but I wonder if they just base that off their opinion of him as a ball player, which is correct. But how often do they look to his personal life?

Ponycat · Post by **Ponycat** » Tue Mar 07, 2006 6:06 pm

Re/Max Griz wrote:Yeah, and see you read posts of people saying he was a great guy, and an incredible person, but I wonder if they just base that off their opinion of him as a ball player, which is correct. But how often do they look to his personal life?

DId he have some other stuff go on besides the "gropping accusation" in the restaurant.

PapaG · Post by **PapaG** » Tue Mar 07, 2006 6:43 pm

Ponycat wrote:
Re/Max Griz wrote:Yeah, and see you read posts of people saying he was a great guy, and an incredible person, but I wonder if they just base that off their opinion of him as a ball player, which is correct. But how often do they look to his personal life?
DId he have some other stuff go on besides the "gropping accusation" in the restaurant.

His ex-wife alleged he had abused her, he was accused of sexual harrassment by a Twins employee in 2001, and the restaurant thing.

None of it led to any convictions or even lasting charges.

Colin did journalism in whole a disservice by spitting on Puckett's grave today. Shameful, except knowing Colin a bit here in Portland he's always been about the shock value.

PapaG · Post by **PapaG** » Tue Mar 07, 2006 6:47 pm

Re/Max Griz wrote:Yeah, and see you read posts of people saying he was a great guy, and an incredible person, but I wonder if they just base that off their opinion of him as a ball player, which is correct. But how often do they look to his personal life?

I didn't say he was a great guy or incredible person. He brought a lot of joy to me when I was a pre-teen and throughout his career. I shared a few thoughts on this.

Colin has said that he was once chased around his Vegas apartment by a girlfriend with scissors. If she said he did something to her (whoever she is), yet there was no conviction, does that mean Colin has to act like a classless clod to himself on the air?

Allegations don't mean crap to me. Convictions, yes, but ex-wives, jilted lovers, and such have agendas of their own.

MSUCATS · Post by **MSUCATS** » Tue Mar 07, 2006 10:02 pm

There was A TON of media attention on the whole restaurant issue, in Minneapolis. They talked about the other issues Kirby had.

When a person dies, even though they have personal struggles/issues/conflicts/problems, etc... people don't talk about the negative. When a person dies, we celebrate the GOOD things they accomplished and contributed in their life. Think about it... what would you want people to say about you, when you die?

vike_king · Post by **vike_king** » Thu Mar 09, 2006 5:12 pm

Re/Max Griz wrote:Colin Cowherd on ESPN radio said it well, and caught a lot of heat for it.

Kirby Puckett = Good ball player / not a very good human being.

I think other guys today were bringing that up, are we turning a blind eye to many athlete's social lives just because of their sports accomplishments?

I think too many people dwell on allegations as fact. I have listened to KFAN (Minnesota sports talk radio on the net) ESPN, and other media outlets regarding Kirby's strock and subsequent death. They all responsibly pointed out the allegations in Kirby's background because they are responsible jounralists. Cowherd showed a total lack of class for they way he went off on Kirby the day after he passed away. Amazing. He is certainly entitled to his own opinion but there is a time and place.

Ok, enought about that crap.

I tried to name my son Kirby, had an agreement with my wife that if our child was born on a day when Kirby went 4-4 the child would be named Kirby. Mr. Puckett went 5-5 on June 6, 1990. I let the little lady have her way and didn't push the name thing...after all...she did all the work.

BWahlberg · Post by **BWahlberg** » Fri Mar 10, 2006 11:14 pm

I think a lot of Twins fans of Kirby's turn a bit of a blind eye to his off the field actions, just like many Giants fans don't think Bonds took steriods.

During his "groping" incident my father's professional secretary told him that she used to live in a town where Kirby had a mansion (Hudson, MN I believe) and many people in the town were aware of multiple "visits" the Puckett house would get from the local police.

Again, I think he was a great ball player, and most the other stuff about him either was aquitted in court, or just word of mouth, but so is Barry Bond's steriods use, and who thinks Barry wasn't on "the juice" now?

gtapp · Post by **gtapp** » Sat Mar 11, 2006 12:39 am

Kirby was great on and off the field. He was great to everyone. You could walk up to him at a bar or restraunt and he would seem like your best friend. The allegations from his wife: she was mad as hell about his affair and threatened the life of his mistress. All that came out shortly after she discovered the affair. SUSPICIOUS! The Restraunt accusations were made at Red Stone restraunt (one of our favorite hangouts). It is filled every night with women looking for money. These women will sleep with anyone with money and if they strike out they make false accusations to find a source of money. Happens every weekend.

Kirby was no saint but nobody is. He love people. He supported every worthy cause he could. He NEVER turned down even one autograph and he LOVED life. He was one of the best 2 or 3 ball players of his day. His numbers were a little short of Hall material only because his career was cut short by Glaucoma (sp?). For the yeras he played he had the best numbers in baseball. He could hit a fastball over his head or a curveball in the dirt and he had 6 gold gloves in 10 years. You never heard of one complaint (contract, playing time, lack of support). Without a doubt he was the most beloved player in all of baseball as measured by his peers.

People love to pick on the rich and famous. It feels good when they fall hard. If all they can find on Kirby is the unsubstantiated complaints of an X-wife (who was one of his best friends until his death and was at his side at the Hospital) and the greedy accusations of a drunk women then that says all you need to know about his character!

iaafan · Post by **iaafan** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 4:21 pm

Yes. Excellent post gtapp. People just can't seem to look past the initial "claims" made against Kirby and definitely don't look at the circumstances (recent divorce/drunk-greedy women) that hatched those claims or what is going on now (ex-wife at bedside).