The world was a better place with Kirby
As a player, Puckett made everyone happy
Puckett’s life, like his career, too fleeting
I don’t know where the funeral is going to be because there isn’t a church big enough to hold everyone. I have never covered any athlete who was more universally liked and admired than Kirby Puckett. What Michael Jordan was to basketball and Chicago, Puck was to baseball and Minnesota. Indeed, the Twins used to wear T-shirts that read “I wanna be like Puck.” (Do you think there are “I wanna be like Barry” T-shirts in San Francisco’s clubhouse?) Puck’s locker was the one every player surrounded at the All-Star Game. And why not? A clubhouse with Puck in it was always a happier place than one without him.
- Jim Caple
In a career and a life that ended far too soon, Kirby Puckett managed to leave a boatload of memories behind for baseball fans, particularly those from Minnesota and the Upper Midwest. Every now and then, a personality comes along that manages to take a team and in some cases an entire sport along for the ride. For more than a decade, Kirby managed to do that and then some for baseball in general and the Minnesota Twins in particular. When you consider how many people in Minnesota named their children and their dogs after Puckett, it would be difficult to underestimate the impact Puckett had on the entire state. Minnesota is a state with a long and storied athletic history, but I seriously doubt that there ever has been or ever will be a personality and a talent that captivated the entire state in quite the way Kirby Puckett did.
During Puckett’s tenure with the Minnesota Twins, 95 men were fortunate enough to be able to call Kirby Puckett their teammate. While those 95 men may have played for the Twins, Kirby Puckett WAS the Minnesota Twins. From the way that Metrodome announce Bob Casey strung out “KIRRRRRBBBYYYY PUCKETTTTTTT!!!!” when announcing him as he came up to bat to his 150-watt smile, everything about Kirby Puckett was larger than life, and it wasn’t manufactured. Puckett clearly loved playing baseball, being around his teammates, and being the center of attention. Twins fans loved him for his genuine, child-like enthusiasm, his open-book personality, and the balls-to-the-wall way in which he played the game. The fact that Puckett was instrumental in bringing Minnesota it’s first two World Series championships didn’t hurt, either.
Kirby Puckett was everything that was right with the game of baseball. Like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods, Puckett became the face of his sport. His joie de vivre, his passion, and his devotion to his craft was truly something to behold. He was everything that Barry Bonds (he of the new-yet-not-so-new allegations of drug use) will never be.
Perhaps the largest part of Puckett’s charm was that he was never possessed of the typical professional athlete’s body. Puckett was short and round and proud of it, and fans appreciated that he was a lot like them in many respects- imperfect, perhaps a bit overweight, and hardly the prototypical athlete. In spite of it all, Puckett played his way into baseball’s Hall of Fame, smiling all the way. He knew what he had, he knew how fortunate he was, and he never let it go to his head.
Someone- I’ve long since forgotten who- once described Kirby Puckett as a world class athlete who resembled a bowling ball with short legs. That may seem cruel, but it was true, and Puckett realized that was who he was. He may not have someone who aspired to an after-baseball career as an underwear model, but he did more with what he had than perhaps any player I’ve ever seen. I will miss him, and I will miss his personality and the joy he brought to the game of baseball. The fact that he was the same age as me is something that has not escaped my attention. My father had a stroke at an early age as well, so I suddenly find myself wondering about my own future health. Hmm….
Those of use who were fortunate enough to see Kirby Puckett play baseball are fortunate to have witnessed something truly special. I feel sorry for those of you who never saw Puckett play. We will not be seeing his like any time soon.
