One of baseball’s best pure hitters.
Did he die today?
He had a stroke. The guy was a BALL PLAYER.
“A fun-loving and gregarious ball player, Kirby Puckett totaled 12 solid seasons with the Minnesota Twins. The 1982 first-round draft choice hit for power and average, batting .318 with 207 home runs. A true team leader, Puckett led the Twins to a pair of World Series titles in 1987 and 1991. The six-time Gold Glove winner was named to 10 consecutive All-Star teams from 1986 to 1995. Puckett finished among the top 10 in MVP voting seven times, only to have his career end prematurely after the 1995 season due to irreversible retina damage in his right eye.”
I always liked him.
I think I’ve mentioned this before (perhaps recently), but the scout that signed Puckett (Elsworth “Browny” Brown) is from my hometown.
Puckett is the classic example of “the little engine that could”. A short and chubby “center-fielder” (where speed is key) that went to Triton Junior College in Chicago, then Bradley (Peoria, IL) and then was drafted by a low-budget franchise (Twins) that he led to two World Series Titles (87, 91).
A career cut short by glaochoma (sp?) and somewhat marred at the end by a harassment charge … but as you guys have said, he could just play baseball. Obviously, you have to have major talent to make it to the big leages and be a great player … but with him, I wonder just how much was talent, and how much was good old-fashioned hard work … because when you picture a “center fielder”, the last image you come up with is Kirby Puckett (well, maybe not the last image, but you know what I mean).
My lasting image of Kirby Puckett … circling the bases after an 11th inning, Game 6 (facing elimination) game-winning home run. In game 7, Jack Morris pitched possibly the best playoff game of my lifetime by throwing all 10 innings of a 1-0 victory over John Smoltz and the Braves. The Twins franchise did “more with less” than possibly any other frnachise of the modern era … a tribute to their manager, Tom Kelly, and their on-field leaders like Kent Hrbek and, of course, Kirby Puckett.
Widely regarded as one of the best gentlemen in the game of baseball … sort of haunted by the harassment incident. One heckuva player.
Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett dies
unbelievable. 44yo.
top of the 8th inning, smith on 3rd, pendleton on 2nd, nobody out. Kelly leaves Morris in the game. A ground out, an intentional walk, and a double play. Testicles. Pure testicles. The Twins also hit into a bases loaded double play in the bottom of the 8th, ending was is the all-time greatest scoreless inning of baseball. =)
It still is hard to comprehend that Puckett is gone.
He will definitely be missed, he was one of the first baseball players I remember seeing play. Regardless of the scandal he was a good player and will always be remembered as a sports legend here in Minnesota.
A good ballplayer and had good humanitarian moments as well. But he was definitely out of touch with social reality for the last six-seven years.
I think he was resigned to his a self-fulfilling prophecy of dying before he reached 50…it was quite common in his family. It’s too bad none of his friends and former teammates was able to intervene and get him on the road to taking better care of himself.
top of the 8th inning, smith on 3rd, pendleton on 2nd, nobody out. Kelly leaves Morris in the game. A ground out, an intentional walk, and a double play. Testicles. Pure testicles. The Twins also hit into a bases loaded double play in the bottom of the 8th, ending was is the all-time greatest scoreless inning of baseball. =)
It still is hard to comprehend that Puckett is gone.
Regardless of what Puckett did off the field, on the field he was one of the great players of his era. He was a monument in the game along with his contemporaries like Boggs, Gwynn, Murray, Ripken, Brett, and Yount. A throwback player who led the only team of his career to World Series titles. I’ll forever retain the oft repeated image of Puckett diving against the ‘trash bag’ wall in the Humphrey-Dome to rob someone of a homerun or extra base hit.
Jack Morris was one of greatest big game pitchers history. Led the great Tiger team of 1984 with two WS game wins, then came back the year after his Twins triumph to lead the Blue Jays to a title. He was an inning monster even at age 37 who kept the bullpen of Henke/Ward/Wells/Hentgen fresh. Somewhat of an injustice, in my opinion, for him to be excluded from the Hall while Don Sutton is in more because of his longevity than his excellence.
It’s too bad none of his friends and former teammates was able to intervene and get him on the road to taking better care of himself.
They tried, but it was ultimately his choice to have his weight go to over 300lbs. It is a sad commentary on another great athlete who cannot adapt to life after being in the spotlight for so many years. It’s too bad we continue to put athletes on pedastals, it is very hard for them once they leave the athletic field.
I loved watching Kirby play, the way it should.
this poster from Nike says it all about Puck! to think this guy was only 5’8 and weighed over 230lbs and made these plays in a stadium that makes it nearly impossible to even see fly balls ( i know, i played right field in college and played in The Dome ).
i recommend Scott Tinley’s book, Racing the Sunset, about professional athletes grasping life outside The Show. in too many cases, as in Puck’s, it is quite sad.
http://www.sportsposterwarehouse.com/warehouse/puckett88nike.htm
Kirby always seemed tos truggle off the field, namely with 5 divorces.
He seemed to live a dual life … the happy-go lucky baseball player that everyone adored, and the off-the-field Kirby that cut his friends out and all sorts of problems with women.
Athletes are human. Image is not always reality.
Whatever his personal life, the guy was a baseball player. One of the few that left a lasting impression on me.
He will be missed.
I am pretty sure he was only divorced once.
Any thoughts on if the stroke could have been the result of possible steriod usage?
I only ask because the stroke of Tedy Bruschi a year or two ago made me curious over the side effects of steriods. It seems odd for a young or middle aged man to have a stroke.
I believe he had a family history of death before 50 and he predicted his own short life. I also don’t think being 5’8" and 300lbs could help. I wouldn’t be surprised about the effect of drugs but it appears he already had a few strikes against him (no pun intended).
take a look at guys like Big Mac, Canseco, and Bonds then compare them to Puck. In cycling we refer to a butt like Kirby’s as a wattage cottage. no steroids on that body. and, unlike many players who use 'roids, Puck rarely missed a game.
check out his tribute on www.startribune.com.