30 Seats Over, 1 Row Down

Apologies for those expecting my Oscar wrap up. I’ll have that posted later tonight or tomorrow but I wanted to spend today talking about the loss of baseball Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett. I woke up from my Oscar hangover to the news that Kirby had suffered a stroke Sunday and would probably not live through Monday. Sadly that news was correct.

I spent the majority of my youth in Minneapolis. Prior to moving there, baseball was not a huge part of my sports life. I was a Yankee fan and I had loosely followed my old hometown team the Milwaukee Brewers, but outside of the World Series I didn’t watch or listen to much baseball. When I arrived in Minneapolis the Minnesota Twins were the laughing stock of baseball, with their powder blue uniforms, a lineup of players who were great prospects at one point but never amounted to much and a new Dome stadium that had all the ambiance of a county jail. That began to change in the mid-80’s, new uniforms, prospects that actually panned out and a stadium that was beginning to gain an identity despite its lackluster appearance. All of these changes were epitomized in Kirby Puckett. You can read about his stats at ESPN.com but what Kirby meant to the Twins, Minnesota, and myself was immeasurable.

For the Twins, he was that talent they nurtured in the minor leagues that not only turned into a consistent All Star performer but also a leader on and off the field. When the Twins debuted their new uniforms, Kirby was at the press conference showing how the stylish threads hugged his pronounced belly. When someone wasn’t putting in an effort on the field Kirby was the quintessential locker room leader both with his words and his example. Kirby never took a play off. He always hustled. This is rare in any sport but especially in baseball where 162 games can certainly cause even the most competitive athlete to lose focus during the season.

That style of play led the entire state of Minnesota to fall in love with Kirby. This was and is no small feat in the Land of 10,000 Lakes for a couple of reasons. For one, Minnesota belongs to the Vikings. Despite being the State of Hockey, no sport is more embedded in Minnesotans then pro football. The Twins were easily third class citizens in the 80’s and its most popular players were from past eras like Harmon Killabrew. Secondly, for being a relatively progressive state, African American sports stars have faced an uphill battle in being embraced by the white majority. The slightest slip up on or off the field often has led to a significant fracture in the athlete’s support, just ask Rod Carew, Chuck Foreman, Willie Burton, Chris Doleman, etc. etc. Puckett never slipped up during his playing career. He was approachable to fans and media and his unique body and infectious laugh quickly endeared himself to fans and non fans.

For me, Kirby meant many things. Obviously I loved watching him play, but it was the personal memories that mean the most. As a kid I remembered trying to mimic his batting routine from his routine of adjusting his jersey to the way he wiggled his bat to the way stepped into the swing. I had never seen such a demonstrative step and it always seemed that he was going to make contact; unfortunately it didn’t work that way for me. I also will treasure the fact that during his playing days, I didn’t have to wonder about steroids, gambling, drunk driving or any of the common issues most of us associate with our athletic heroes today. Unfortunately, once Kirby was forced off the field due to glaucoma he went through a nasty divorce where his wife accused him of abuse and he also faced two sexual harassment allegations. I had a very tough time reconciling my love of Kirby the player with my worry and suspicions of Kirby the retiree. Perhaps Kirby lost himself when he lost the ability to play, I suppose we’ll never know for sure, and while these thoughts still occupy part of my mind, I’m choosing to remember Kirby the player today.

My greatest memory comes from Game 6 of the 1991 World Series. Obviously this is the game that most will remember Puck for. I was lucky enough to be in the stands that night. I was 17 and starting my senior year in high school and it was the very rare instance where my late father came to a game with me. My mom was the true sports fan but for some reason my dad came with me that night. We sat in the lower deck in left center field and greeted Kirby as he came out to take the field with our Homer Hankies. During the game I watched my dad go from being an interested spectator to a passionate fan. Everyone knows what happened in the end, Kirby saved the game with a defensive gem at the wall and then hit the game winning homerun to send the Twins to a game 7. I was also lucky enough to go to Game 7 with my mom and see them win it all but it was Game 6 that remains stuck in my head.

I’ll always remember Kirby’s home run ball landing 30 seats over and 1 row down and the joy my dad and I shared at that moment with each other, with 55,000 other fans, and with Kirby.