Write On Sports LLC - "Kirby’s Death Still Hurts" by Leslie Monteiro

Kirby’s Death Still Hurts

2007-03-16 16:09:08 | By: Leslie Monteiro

Last Tuesday was the anniversary of Kirby Puckett’s unfortunate death. His death is surprising still now. The Twins organization, Twins fans, and the Puckett family are still having a hard time of coming to grips. He was enjoying a new lease of life with his new fiancée, Jodi Olson. His life was coming together to a point that the Twins were ready to bring him back. It would have been a great ending after going through some tough times in his life.

When his death was announced on a late Monday night last year, Twins fans were literally crying. This Twins fan cried for a good 20 minutes. There is a reason why it hit home. Kirby was “one of us”. The term “one of us” was nicknamed by KFAN’s afternoon drive-time host Dan Barreiro. Kirby was a Chicagoan, but he made his fame in Minnesota. Minnesotans accepted him as one of their own because he got the job done and he fit the mold of “Minnesota Nice.” He was one of those guys that would be very friendly to fans and help others, especially those in need. He was not doing this to make himself look good. He was very genuine. Most athletes in sports do not have that type of personality anymore so it is understandable to see why this hit home to Minnesotans.

Kirby made a lasting impression not only on Minnesotans, but baseball fans around the country and his peers. He had fun playing the game. Baseball was not work for him. He just enjoyed the pressure that comes with it. It showed when he was in big games like the World Series and the ALCS. He always loved the camaraderie of being surrounded with his teammates in the locker room. He fraternized with the players, coaches, and managers from other teams. With those types of attributes, there were not many baseball fans that hated him. He was one of the most beloved athletes in sports. People can learn from him in all walks of life in terms of how to relate to people and how to have that enthusiasm in life.

When Minnesotans think about the best athletes that ever played in the state over the years, they will likely mention Puckett. There is a case for George Mikan, Johan Santana, Randy Moss, Kevin Garnett, Tony Oliva, and several others, but they never made that big impact on and off the field the way he did. His work with the Twins brings fresh memories to these people. It is like they never forgot. It is hard to forget what he did in Game 6 of the 1991 World Series when his home run in extra innings off Braves starter Charlie Leibrandt gave them a chance to get to Game 7. The quote from the late Jack Buck, “We will see you tomorrow night,” when that homerun reach the seats at the Metrodome is something that is ingrained in a Minnesotan’s head. It says something about him when the two big newspapers in the Twin Cities had a big portrait of him in the front pages on the day after he died and in the funeral. It says something about him when many Minnesotans and many baseball dignitaries made the trek to the Dome in a huge snowstorm on that Sunday night to pay their respects.

Minnesota has had a championship drought by its professional teams since 1991. It has been now 16 years and the drought will likely not seem to end. The Vikings and the Timberwolves came close. The Purple choked against the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship Game in 1999 and by all accounts, they have not recovered since. The Timberwolves went to the Western Conference Finals in 2004, but they fell short to the Lakers. One has to wonder if they will ever reach that level under this horrible management team. It goes to show you that you need to have players that have it in them to do well. When was the last time a Minnesota sports franchise had a guy that would take the bull by its horns?

One has to wonder what would happen if Puckett did not have that glaucoma that ended his great career prematurely. Maybe he would not have the personal problems with his wife. Maybe he would have been happy and lived life to his fullest. There is no question that unfortunate injury affected him a bit. Whenever he went to the Timberwolves games at the Target Center, he looked very sad most of the time. He was not himself. He started to be overweight. He just did not look good. He loved to have fun with the guys, but it is hard for him to enjoy if he is not part of the team anymore. These things just took a toll on him and it led to his death personally and professionally.

His death is simply a loss to everyone that knew him and followed him. It is going to take time for this go away. One year was not going to be enough. Odds are five years will not be enough either. He was not just your typical athlete. We all looked up to him.

Twins fans and baseball fans should celebrate and reflect the good times that Kirby gave us during the month of March.