Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

- Tilted Sports (https://thetfp.com/tfp/tilted-sports/)

- - RIP Kirby Puckett (https://thetfp.com/tfp/tilted-sports/101891-rip-kirby-puckett.html)

RIP Kirby Puckett

Quote:

Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett dies

By DAVE CAMPBELL, AP Sports Writer
March 6, 2006

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Kirby Puckett died Monday, a day after the Hall of Fame outfielder had a stroke at his Arizona home, a hospital spokeswoman said. He was 44.

Puckett died at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, Kimberly Lodge said. He had been in intensive care since having surgery at another hospital following his stroke Sunday morning.

Puckett carried the Twins to World Series titles in 1987 and 1991 before his career was cut short by glaucoma. His family, friends and former teammates gathered at the hospital throughout Monday.

The hospital said Puckett was given last rites and died in the afternoon.

"On behalf of Major League Baseball, I am terribly saddened by the sudden passing of Kirby Puckett," baseball commissioner Bud Selig said. "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. Kirby was taken from us much too soon -- and too quickly," he said.

The buoyant, barrel-shaped Puckett broke into the majors in 1984 and had a career batting average of .318. Glaucoma forced the six-time Gold Glove center fielder and 10-time All-Star to retire when he went blind in his right eye.

"This is a sad day for the Minnesota Twins, Major League Baseball and baseball fans everywhere," Twins owner Carl Pohlad said.

:( I always liked him, even though I wasn't a Twins fan by any means, but he was one of the guys who always seemed like they were having fun playing.

I was never a Twins fan either, but Kirby is just one of those players that I'll always fondly remember from my childhood. I vividly remember watching his catch and game-winning home run in Game 6 in '91, what a performance.

Dead of a stroke at 44...... just don't seem right. R.I.P. Puck.

Yeah, he was one of the most stand-up athletes around. I wish more professional athletes had even an ounce of his class and humility.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fresnelly

Yeah, he was one of the most stand-up athletes around. I wish more professional athletes had even an ounce of his class and humility.

You said it. I can't add much more to this than to also add my condolences. He deserved to stay with us for so much longer than this.

Tho I was/is a HUGE braves fan, I think of that giant leaping catch in the '91 world series. It was one of the best catches I saw for many years and I thought he was one hell of a player also. I was able to see a game back in '94 in Minnesota, he will definately be missed by all.

What makes a 44 year old have a stroke and die? Did he have a former drug habit or sustain some sort of head trauma?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toaster126

What makes a 44 year old have a stroke and die? Did he have a former drug habit or sustain some sort of head trauma?

He took a nasty hit to the eyesocket which ended his career....one can only speculate as to whether this was a cause of the stroke.

RIP Kirby...a true professional

Kirby was one of my favorite players when I was growing up. I had a poster of him on my wall. For some reason I liked those hefty guys who would still leg it out to first. I'm not one to be upset over the death over someone I never met, but I still gotta salute the guy for being the awesome person that he was. I'm glad to see he's getting the recognition, and none of it sounds too obligatory.

No matter which team you pulled for, Kirby was the kind of player that when you saw him play, you just had to smile. I was surprised to hear about his death last night and instant replays of his playing days started flashing off in my head. RIP

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."

As a pup growing up in Minnesota I vividly remember the 91' world series, one of the best ever, and Kirby's all time great performance. Slumping for what seemed like the whole series, coming off a 3 game skid in Atlanta; that catch in centerfield followed by the walk off home run will stay with me forever.

I had all three of my brothers come to my place in St. Paul, Minnesota, to watch the 1991 World Series. That Series was the best I've ever seen -- all defensive, very close, extra innings, individual heroics (Jack Morris pitching ten innings! Kirby's catch and homer!). We went apeshit after the 6th and 7th games. Kirby was my brother's idol, and it was great to enjoy that with him.

I flew that brother back to Minnesota for Kirby's retirement ceremony from the Twins. Those are very good Kirby memories.

It was very hard to watch Kirby's fall from grace. His charmed life seemed to fall apart after he retired. The criminal charges and accusations of domestic violence and numerous infidelities eroded his legacy a great deal. He was a great Hall of Famer, but I am sad that his life outside of baseball finished the way it did.

Terrible news, I always wondered just how many records would have fallen had he been able to play 8-10 more years. Always liked him as a player when I was a kid.

I always will remember listening to the start of twins baseball games on the way home from fishing during the summer. I also went to alot of twins games, and kirby was great. Even though i was only 6 when they won the first world series i still remember it, same with the one in 91.