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Sleepy Head
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I remember when I was a kid the Red Sox almost signed Kirby away from the Twins. I remember everyone I knew being estatic at the prospect of Kirby patrolling center field in Fenway. But, alas, and very fitting of his character, he left the money on the table and went back home to Minnesota to where he belonged and was loved.
RIP, Kirby.
Quote:
Kirby on the Sox? Gorman says it almost happened
By John Tomase
Eagle-Tribune Writer
BOSTON -- If Lou Gorman had gotten his wish, Kirby Puckett probably wouldn't be a Hall of Famer today. He'd be wrapping up his career with the Boston Red Sox.
It's common knowledge the Red Sox made Puckett a big offer after the 1992 season, an offer he nearly accepted. But not many realize just how close he came to signing.
Gorman does, though. And it still hurts the former Red Sox general manager. Captain Ahab lost his white whale; Gorman lost Puckett.
"We thought we had him signed," said Gorman recently from his office at Fenway Park, where he's now the team's executive consultant of public affairs. "When he left to fly home to Minnesota, we thought he was coming to Boston."
In retrospect, Puckett in Boston would have seemed wrong. The man most associated with the Twins was meant to finish his career in Minnesota and enter the Hall of Fame -- as he did yesterday with Dave Winfield -- with an M on his cap.
But the center fielder's Twin Cities loyalty nearly wasn't enough to keep him from calling Fenway Park home. Gorman tells the story.
"He tried to sign with the Twins, but it didn't work," Gorman says. "His agent was Ron Shapiro, one of the greats. He was very sincere, honest and straightforward. If I had a son, I would want Ron Shapiro to be his agent. He was tough, but good and fair.
"He approached me and told me Kirby really couldn't get what he wanted from Minnesota and that he was interested in coming to Boston.
"Puckett flew in with his wife and they spent the better part of three days here. We put them up at the Four Seasons under an assumed name. I forget the name we used. We talked and talked. We showed them the hospitals, the schools, the areas to live.
"We offered him a contract, the terms of which were acceptable. It was a four- or five-year deal for around $30 million. I forget exactly. (News accounts placed the offer at five years, $32 million).
"We agreed on the money, but Puckett wanted to go back and think it over. We had a slew of guys call him -- (Jim) Rice, (Mike) Easler, they all called to tell him how well they were treated in Boston.
"When they left that night, a Sunday night, Ron called and said to me, 'I really think you've sold him on coming to Boston.' "
Gorman was ecstatic. The Red Sox had finished the 1992 season 73-89 in seventh place, 23 games behind the Blue Jays. They badly needed to shake things up.
Puckett, at age 31, had just hit .329. A year earlier he had led the Twins to a World Series title. His presence in Boston would have helped erase the stigma surrounding Gorman over the failed 1991 free agent signings of Jack Clark, Matt Young and Danny Darwin.
But it was not to be.
"They flew back to Minnesota," Gorman said. "When they got to the airport, there were billboards (like), 'We Love you Kirby, Don't Leave.' (Twins general manager) Andy MacPhail begged the owner to talk to Puckett personally. (Owner Carl) Pohlad talked it over with him and met the terms he wanted."
Puckett signed in Minnesota for five years and $30 million, $2 million less than Boston offered.
"Kirby called to thank me and told me he was staying in Minnesota," Gorman said. "Had the owner not budged, he would have come to Boston."
Boston lost out, and in a way, so did Puckett. He was hit in the face by a Denny Martinez pitch in 1995. The following spring, glaucoma left him unable to see clearly out of his right eye and he had no choice but to retire.
Though Puckett never publicly blamed Martinez for his injury, many have hypothesized that it played a roll in ending his career after 12 years at age 35. Had he signed in Boston, he wouldn't have faced Martinez that fateful day.
Maybe he'd still be playing at age 39, batting second in a Red Sox lineup featuring Mo Vaughn, Nomar Garciaparra and Manny Ramirez. No one will ever know what would have happened, but Gorman knows he gave it his best shot.
"He didn't use us like Kent Hrbek did the year before to drive his price up," Gorman said. "He was sincere about coming to Boston. We thought we had him. It just didn't work out."
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