Posted on 03/06/2006 5:11:04 PM PST by daler
ESPNEWS doing a tribute to Kirby right now.
"Tomorrow isn't promised to any of us".
They just played that clip on the local talker.
Heading for a tissue now....
Kirbeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
That's all you heard, ladies and gentlemen, if you happened to catch the Twins on television (say, during a World Series or two), the game was in baseball's version of a Boeing test chamber, and this ebullient fellow who resembled six pounds of baloney stuffed into a four-pound sack strode to the plate before pumping his bat and ripping a line drive or three. What Bob Casey actually said, to announce the popular outfielder, was: "The center fielder, Kirbeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee PUCKett!" But all you could hear in the middle of that racket ("Forget the decibel meter," ABC announcer Tim McCarver crooned, during the sixth game of the 1987 World Series. "Get the Richter scale!") was Kirbeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
And, somehow, that seemed entirely as it should have been. As appropriate as a Puckett running catch, as lingering as a Puckett bomb, and as unforgettable as that singular Puckett grin.
Jack Morris owes Kirbeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee bigtime. For the single, the triple, the sacrifice fly, the stolen base, the back-to-the-wall catch, and Charlie Liebrandt's fourth pitch of the eleventh inning---the pitch Puckett hit into the left field seats for a leadoff/walkoff bomb, making possible the Game Seven in which Morris pitched his almost-Koufaxian shutout.
Kirby Puckett was the Twins. And, if only baseball government had seen fit to hoist him that way, he may have been the single most ebullient player the game had seen since Ernie ("It's a beautiful day---let's play two!") Banks.
Too damned young to die. But that concerns only his mortal body. They will remember him as long as baseball is played in Minnesota. And a lot of other places, too.
Thanks. Don't have cable/sat.
The local media is going all out at the moment.
A true gamer in every sense of the word - a great loss for MLB and Minnesota. He had such an abnormal build for a baseball player (shaped like a fireplug) but man, could he swing a bat! RIP Kirby.
And you KNOW THAT because of what your read.
Typical of some at FR.
Man, this one is like a lick in the face, gut and shin. Kirby was one of the good guys. Great baseball player who gave the proverbial 110%. Many a tear is falling in Minnesota.
Prayers to his family, friends and 1000's of fans.
RIP, Kirby. You deserve it.
Rest in peace, Kirby. You gave your fans a lot of great memories.
Mr. Puckett was awarded the 1993 Branch Rickey Award for service to his community, the 1996 Roberto Clemente Man of the Year Award and the 2000 World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame induction. Truly a wonderful role model for children in a day when such are lacking in sports. May he rest in peace and condolences to the family of this man who shined in and out of the baseball field.
He was only 8 days away from his 45th birthday. RIP
I agree! Puckett was a great one. Very sad.
RIP Puckett.
"Marital difficulties and a trial for a sexual assault on a female patron at a bar, for which he was aquitted."
You ARE aware that famous people, especially sports figures, are targets for that sort of accusation, right?
A little jealous aren't you.
Knock it off!
Jack's performance in game 7 was the single greatest pitching performance I ever saw.
I met Jack 2 years later.
Kirby was given any and all props by Jack!
Thanks Kirby, I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!
lick=kick
I think all of you knew what I meant.
No, they don't matter to those that were and will ever be selected last.
Its about the inability to athletically compete at any level. Only simplistic judgements and sulking envy!
Jack has been on the local radio non-stop the last two days, listening to him right now.
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