A Fallen Hero
Today I took a long lunch along with several of my co-workers and employees. We took the train down to the Metrodome to view a piece of the cities’ most sad and haunting new sites. Even in the middle of the day, people gathered in flocks to see a make-shift memorial to a man that was considered a local hero, fallen way before his time. The age of 45 is no time to die. There were the typical things -- flowers and countless candles that despite the chill in the air and the mist that continued to fall, remained lit and continued to burn in the shadows of a dark and cloudy Minneapolis day. There were cards, and letters and drawings that varied in quality, size and color – some bearing sentimental phrases and some just crayon etched stick figures that said “Goodbye, Kirby.” And then there were the other things, the mementos that conveyed the message that only the owner knew – bobblehead dolls, Twins ball caps, old programs and ticket stubs, baseballs and bats, baseball cards and posters. These gestures would be typical for any celebrity, but what made these special is that each person leaving them somehow identified with this fallen hero on a personal level. And, I’m told, that’s just the kind of guy he was.
Kirby Puckett came to play for the Minnesota Twins in 1982, in the 1st round as the 3rd pick. He played in 10 American League All-Star games, being named MVP twice. He received the Silver Slugger Award 6 times during his career and managed to achieve 5 200-hit seasons. Locally, he’s most appreciated as helping the Minnesota Twins win 2 World Series, in 1987 and 1991. All of these achievements are notable of their own merit, but it is the struggle and persistence, the attitude and the ethic that makes him a true hero for those that knew him and followed his career closely.
Puckett came to professional baseball from meager beginnings, being a native of the south Chicago projects. He never forgot where he came from and never lost site of the fact that hard work is what got him where he ended up. He never lost site of the magic of his sport, always taking time to speak to children and fans wherever he went. He did not hestiate to let everyone and anyone know -- Kirby Puckett loved baseball. Although attempts to lure him back to the management side of the team failed after his professional retirement in 1996, his salary reflected a genuine progression of humble beginnings but recognized worth. One of his earliest contracts with the Twins was a mere $130,000 per year in 1985, a mere token of what today's superstars would earn. Yet through his achievements, he progressed to earn a total of $43,190,001 throughout his career.
Puckett was not blessed with an athletic physique – standing only 5’ 8”, he struggled with speed to match his competitors. He is known to have said that he didn’t believe it was the size of the player that mattered, but the size of his heart. Puckett believed that desire and determination was everything in baseball. His record certainly doesn’t contradict this opinion. In the 1984 season, Kirby had 557 at bats, with only 12 doubles, 5 triples and zero home runs. Two years later, he hit 31 home runs, with .537% for the season.
He retired in 1996 after being diagnosed with glaucoma, and eventually lost site in one eye. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001 and continued to remain active in the Twins baseball social and managerial circles. Despite a couple of skirmishes with his personal life, Kirby remained a hero to the majority of the “real people.” After all, doesn’t everyone have some type of issues in their personal life at one time or another? The exploitation of these types of turmoil are best left for the tabloids to exploit -- right alongside headlines about space aliens sited in the drive-through at McDonald’s.
Kirby Puckett died from a stroke on March 5, 2006. The news riveted the Twin Cities. I knew very little about him, and am one of the few residents that had not met him, seen him play or heard him speak. He seemed to have touched thousands of people’s lives in some personal way, especially kids. He was a very public person and loved being so. I knew only one thing of Kirby, a quote that I'd heard him say several years ago and only recalled it when I heard it on the news last night. That quote alone was why I liked him. He was talking in an interview about a slump he’d been going through and he mentioned a couple of his team mates and competitors, saying that not everybody can stand up in a game and hit 4 in a row, because not everyone is meant to do that every time. So when you’re in the field and you’re playing defense, remember that someone has to bat and someone has to play defense. When you’re in the field, you have to give it all you’ve got EVERYTIME. And anyone can do that.
I always thought this statement was about more than baseball.
Minneapolis has spent more than a year trying to decide where to build and how to fund a new baseball stadium. Last fall, a site was chosen and the engineers and designers are working on plans even as I write this. It’s my guess that it will be named after Kirby Puckett and from what I can tell, he would have loved it. God knows, he deserved it.
Cya
