Kirby Puckett has died. Saint and sinner, he was, perhaps, the most popular player in franchise history. To the fans joy, Kirby Puckett played his entire career with the Twins (1984-95) and led them to two World Series titles. My husband and I were able to attend one of the 1987 World Series games, but could attend the 1991 series because I was very pregnant with the boy featured in this photograph. Erik, our son, was born the year the Minnesota Twins won their second World Series. At the hospital, newborn Erik was given a Homer Hanky (if you have to ask ,then you don’t live ’round here) and a Twins ornament. How fitting it is that our son loves baseball and happens to be pretty good at it, too.
Kirby used to live not far from us. Once in a while we’d see him drive by us on one of the major side roads. His daughter and my daughter went to the same preschool, although not in the same class. Kirby donated tickets and other memorbilia to the preschool on a regular basis. His name was gold in this community for a long time; even the trial didn’t seem to tarnish his star irreparably.
In 2004, we traveled to Cooperstown and stopped at Kirby’s plaque. That is where we took this photo. Please pray for Kirby’s children..
Tags: Baseball, Obituaries by TK
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