Just Can't Say Good Bye

Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett dies after massive stroke

By Hal Bodley, USA TODAY

Kirby Puckett, once described as everything that is good about baseball, died Monday a day after suffering a massive stroke at his Scottsdale, Ariz., home.

Arguably the most popular sports figure in Minnesota history, the affable Puckett succumbed at the St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center where he was moved Sunday night after undergoing extensive surgery to stop bleeding and remove pressure from his brain at Scottsdale health care Osborn.

Puckett was given last rites and died in the afternoon, hospital spokeswoman Kimberly Lodge told the Associated Press.

Puckett, who would have turned 46 next Tuesday, propelled the Twins to World Series titles in 1987 and 1991 before his career was cut short by glaucoma in 1996.

Puckett, a player with a perpetual smile, ended his 12-year career with a .318 batting average, six Gold Gloves for his play in center field, a batting title in 1989 (.339) and 10 trips to the All-Star Game. He was inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame in 2001, his first year of eligibility.

Commissioner Bud Selig, who called Puckett "a Hall of Famer in every sense of the term," added in a statement: "Kirby was taken from us much too soon — and too quickly."

Carl Pohlad, owner of the Twins for whom Puckett played his entire career, said "this is a sad day for the Minnesota Twins, Major League Baseball and baseball fans everywhere."

Players union chief Don Fehr said "Kirby played the game with such passion and enthusiasm that he was beloved by players and fans throughout all of baseball. An icon in Minnesota, Kirby's contributions to the game and all who love it will stand as a lasting tribute to his life."

Puckett, affectionately called "Puck," by friends and teammates, came out of the tough Chicago ghetto, but always said: "No matter what you achieve, you need to know where you've been."

Puckett's signature performance came in Game 6 of the 1991 World Series against Atlanta. After telling anyone who would listen before the game that he would lead the Twins to victory that night at the Metrodome, he made a leaping catch against the fence and then hit a game-ending homer in the 11th inning to force a seventh game.

The next night, Minnesota's Jack Morris went all 10 innings to outlast John Smoltz and pitch the Twins to a 1-0 win for their second championship in five years.

"If we had to lose and if one person basically was the reason — you never want to lose — but you didn't mind it being Kirby Puckett. When he made the catch and when he hit the home run you could tell the whole thing had turned," Smoltz told the AP Monday night.

"His name just seemed to be synonymous with being a superstar," the Braves' pitcher said. "It's not supposed to happen like this."

Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk echoed Smoltz's sentiment.

"There was no player I enjoyed playing against more than Kirby. He brought such joy to the game. He elevated the play of everyone around him," Fisk said in a statement to the Hall.

Puckett was drafted by the Twins in 1982 and became their regular center fielder two years later. At 5-foot-8, he weighed about 210 pounds when he played, but in recent years his weight ballooned to an excess of 300 pounds.

"The last few times I saw him, he kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger," said former Twins All-Star Tony Oliva, a mentor to Puckett. "We were worried about him."

"It's a tough thing to see a guy go through something like that and come to this extent," former teammate Kent Hrbek told the AP Monday night.

"That's what really hurt him bad, when he was forced out of the game," he said. "I don't know if he ever recovered from it."

Asked what he would remember the most from their playing days, Hrbek quickly answered, "Just his smile, his laughter and his love for the game."

Puckett's birthdate was frequently listed as March 14, 1961, but recent research by the Hall of Fame indicated he was born a year earlier.

Puckett was a guest coach at Twins spring training camp in 1996, but hadn't worked for the team since 2002. He kept a low profile since being cleared of assault charges in 2003, when he was accused of groping a woman at a suburban Twin Cities restaurant.

Puckett, who was engaged to Jodi Olson and planned a June 24 wedding, had two children with his ex-wife Tonya.

Funeral services are incomplete.

Contributing: The Associated Press

Copyright © 2006 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.