Posted on 03/06/2007 6:11:22 PM PST by ButThreeLeftsDo
One year after the death of Kirby Puckett, the Minnesota Twins paused to remember the Hall of Fame outfielder and his lasting impact on the organization.
Center fielder Torii Hunter, a close friend and the only current Twins player who was a teammate of Puckett's during past spring trainings, has found it difficult to talk about the subject since Puckett died of a stroke at age 45 on March 6 last year.
"I got up this morning, and I prayed for him and his family. I know it must be a tough day for them," said Hunter, who first met his mentor in 1994 when he was a minor leaguer. They were placed next to each other in the clubhouse that spring.
Puckett was the catalyst on both Minnesota's World Series championship teams in 1987 and 1991, which were managed by Tom Kelly.
"You miss him. It's a wonderful thing to think about him. He has given us so many memories," said Kelly, now a special assistant to the general manager and a guest coach during spring training.
The Twins held a moment of silence in Puckett's honor before their exhibition game Tuesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
"It weighs on your heart," said fellow Hall of Famer Paul Molitor, who also serves as an assistant coach during spring training. "In some ways, it's hard to imagine that it's been a year already. There are certain times of the year when his presence is really missed. There was a big void out there last summer."
Even this jaded Yankees fan admires what Puckett did for the game of baseball, (although my Yanks didn't win jack diddly squat in the 80's and early 90's ........)
Finally, another baseball fan!!!
;-)
"his vive and enthusiasm for the game inspired millions of baseball fans"
And, more importantly....kids.
That's the most important part :)
Oh, and, bundle up NY! I hear it's going to be a bit "fresh" tonight...
The winds have been kinda high for two days now, and just as an anecdote, last night I took the garbage out to the street and within 15 minutes the can had already been knocked over by the wind. Oh well, there wasn't that much garbage to begin with, so dragged it back to its spot on the driveway, chased after the lid (which had blown halfway down the street), and put it off till Thursday when the winds won't be as high.
18 above. 40's by Friday.
Why do they always have to make it sound so dramatic? Tell the real temperature first, then the wind-chill factor next. Is this so difficult?
It's called panic the listener/viewer, in order to keep them tuned in.
Kinda like AlGore.
It ain't about the climate.....
It's all about CONTROL.
Which is why we are tuning OUT more and more ... oh well, back to baseball :)
As an aside: In the 80's, my Yankees had become almost a joke ... only two division championships and only one pennant. I dunno if you ever noticed how arrogant us Yankee fans are about winning the World Series (all the time!), but that level of non-accomplishment didn't sit well with us fans, not at all.
When Kirby Puckett came onto the scene in the mid 80's, while watching the Yankees play the Twins, it was immediately apparent that Kirby was a very special player, that he possessed a love of the game and went out of his way to perform the very best that he was capable of.
Immediately, I'm yelling out to Steinbrenner (figuratively, not literally): "Make this guy a Yankee, he's gonna be a winner", even knowing that Kirby would prolly forever be a Twin.
Here is a Salute to one of Baseball's greatest players, and one of its finest inspirations ... Kirby Puckett :)
Early in Kirby's career with the Twins, he sprinted around the bases from first to score the winning run in the ninth on a Kent Hrbek single.
Interviewed after the game, he spoke my favorite Kirby quote: "I be runnin' runnin' runnin'!"
Interviewed after the game, he spoke my favorite Kirby quote: "I be runnin' runnin' runnin'!"
Pardon what I'm about to say because it isn't *PC*, but: Who would've ever thought that some pudgy runt with short legs could've pulled off such an accomplishment on a baseball field?
/grin
He just wanted it more than anyone else.......
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