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Kirby Puckett Passes

post #1 of 34
3/6/06 at 10:39pm
Thread Starter 
Sad sad news.

Quote:
INNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Kirby Puckett died Monday, a day after the Hall of Fame outfielder had a stroke at his Arizona home, a hospital spokeswoman said. He was 44.

Puckett died at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Scottsdale, Ariz., Kimberly Lodge said. He had been in intensive care since having surgery at another hospital following his stroke Sunday morning.
I put a post in the Dead Celebrity thread, but dammit, he deserves his own thread here. Just an all-around nice guy and way too young to leave us.
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post #2 of 34
3/6/06 at 10:57pm
I remember him from the early 90s when the Twins played the Braves in the World Series, but I hadn't heard a whole lot about him since then. Of course, I don't follow sports too closely, so that probably has a lot to do with it.

Still, to die from the complications arising from a massive stroke at the age of 44 is really awful.

My prayers go out to his family.
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post #3 of 34
3/6/06 at 11:15pm
Back when I really got into baseball in the late 80's he was one of the more entertaining players around. Always enjoyed seeing him steal a home run out in the Metrodome's center field.
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post #4 of 34
3/6/06 at 11:59pm
When I was a kid he gave me hope that a then pudgy kid like me could play ball.

But truth was I just sucked.
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post #5 of 34
3/7/06 at 12:59am
ohh shit...That sucks.

I always remember that '91 Series against the Braves. Dude was small, but dynamite. Damn. 44 is way too young.
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post #6 of 34
3/7/06 at 1:46am
Kirby was one of my favorite players growing up. I'm shocked and saddened that he has passed away. I'll never forget you.
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post #7 of 34
3/7/06 at 11:24am
Being from Minnesota, Kirby is part of my earliest baseball memories. I'll never forget watching him play at the Metrodome. Everytime he came to bat there was a surge of excitement through the crowd, all the spectators hoping to see Kirby pop one into the stands. He's likely the most beloved Twin of all time and I know the fans around here are going to miss him greatly.
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post #8 of 34
3/7/06 at 12:23pm
A minor correction: He was 45, not 44. Apparently there was an error regarding his birthdate.

I'd seen him play many times, and he was truly a great player. He had many problems in his personal life, and in later years he kinda became a jerk, but there is no denying his baseball greatness. It's a sad day for MN sports.
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post #9 of 34
3/7/06 at 2:23pm
Good riddance.
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post #10 of 34
3/7/06 at 4:19pm
You know what I heard? Kirby's tears cured cancer.

What the hell GFC? You and I and in agreement way too often lately.

When I heard all these positive stories about Kirby, regarding his on-field accomplishments, I thought I was in some weird world, where domestic violence and groping random women was socially acceptable. Kirby was a hall of fame baseball player, not a hall of fame person. In fact, he was pretty much a shit off the field. ESPN.com's headline today was "Gone Too Soon." The headline should have read "Gone at Perfect Time."
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post #11 of 34
3/7/06 at 4:35pm
How about - "25 years too late" - (subtitle/first paragraph) 'People eulogize sexual predator because he played a good centerfield. Sports fans wonder why they get a bad name'
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post #12 of 34
3/7/06 at 4:44pm
Well said.
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post #13 of 34
3/7/06 at 5:35pm
45 is too young to die. Kirby is probably or was probably the most beloved MN sports figure ever.

Sad to see him go.
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post #14 of 34
3/7/06 at 5:39pm
I don't really know about anything that Kirby did off the field. I do know and saw him onfield though. Thats what my sentiment is about. Bill Clinton is a sexual predator as well but if he died next week my sentiment wouldn't be good riddance it would be sadness for his wive and family and those that cared about him.

I can understand the feelings and sentiment but the man just died and at a young age. Context.
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post #15 of 34
3/7/06 at 5:48pm
On-topic but slightly off-topic, Mike & Mike were of course doing a Kirby tribute on their show this morning, and the subject came up of just how beloved he is in Minny, to the point that, Greenberg suggested, he might be the one athlete in all of sports who is most closely associated with where he played. In other words, Greenberg said, if you go up to a sports fan and say Minnesota Twins, nearly all of them will say Kirby Puckett. They tried to disprove this by bringing up examples like Larry Bird (not with Bill Russell) and Cal Ripken (not with Brooks Robinson or even Frank Robinson), but eventually let it go as if their point had been made. Bullshit. It's an interesting discussion, I guess, but for me it would begin and end with Jordan and the Bulls.
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post #16 of 34
3/7/06 at 5:54pm
Its just another example of modern sports media declaring everything the "greatest" or the "worst."

And you're really going to compare Kirby Puckett to Bill Clinton?
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post #17 of 34
3/7/06 at 6:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnny Daywalker
I don't really know about anything that Kirby did off the field. I do know and saw him onfield though. Thats what my sentiment is about. Bill Clinton is a sexual predator as well but if he died next week my sentiment wouldn't be good riddance it would be sadness for his wive and family and those that cared about him.

I can understand the feelings and sentiment but the man just died and at a young age. Context.
Context? This isn't about a guy cheating on his wife. This is about a guy who held a cocked gun to his wife's head while she was holding one of thier children. A physical abuser and groper.

People die every day. Really good people, at that. This is the death of a dirt bag who, because he was a good baseball player, will be spoken of as a 'great guy', 'hero' and 'class act'. While his deification after death does make me sad, his death sure doesn't.
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post #18 of 34
3/7/06 at 6:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sin-eater
45 is too young to die. Kirby is probably or was probably the most beloved MN sports figure ever.

How quickly they forget Rod Carew!
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post #19 of 34
3/7/06 at 6:10pm
And George Mikan.
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post #20 of 34
3/7/06 at 6:28pm
Both were before my time and I didn't forget them.

But as someone mentioned earlier... if you asked someone to pick one sports figure in Minnesota history... I'm willing to bet you're either going to hear Kirby Puckett or Kevin Garnett.
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post #21 of 34
3/7/06 at 6:50pm
Recent Minnesota sports history.
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post #22 of 34
3/7/06 at 7:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Guttenberg Fan Club
Context? This isn't about a guy cheating on his wife. This is about a guy who held a cocked gun to his wife's head while she was holding one of thier children. A physical abuser and groper.

People die every day. Really good people, at that. This is the death of a dirt bag who, because he was a good baseball player, will be spoken of as a 'great guy', 'hero' and 'class act'. While his deification after death does make me sad, his death sure doesn't.
Honestly I hadn't heard that he held a gun to anyones head. I heard about the groping. Still what does that have to do with him dying or anyone enjoying his play on the field?
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post #23 of 34
3/7/06 at 7:12pm
Who said no one could enjoy his play? But if it's ONLY his play, then why are you sad at his death? If it's his athletic skill that you cared about, then his retirement was essentially when he died.

Those memories you have of him playing for the Twins aren't dead. Only a guy who was a danger to women. You want to enjoy his play? Go right ahead, but spare me these "what a wonderful person" stories that are flooding sports websites and message boards (i.e. Dickson starting this thread to honor an 'all around great guy').
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post #24 of 34
3/7/06 at 7:18pm
Thread Starter 
Well, let's hope Yanni has the good sense to have a stroke before GFC has a fit.
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post #25 of 34
3/7/06 at 7:19pm
Note to self: Do not mourn when Jim Brown passes, no matter how much I liked him as Fireball.
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post #26 of 34
3/7/06 at 7:42pm
Puckett's is a tough character for most Minnesota baseball fans to reconcile. On the one hand we have our collective memories of witnessing the man's amazing feats during our World Series seasons. On the other hand we've heard the disturbing charges of violence toward women.

What makes this conflicting depiction even harder to get our heads around is the electrifying personality and sportsmanship Puckett had during his playing days. He wasn't Tyson. Puckett was a guy that always had a smile and an encouraging word. He was more than a player; he was the face of the MN Twins. To some degree, in some people's minds, he still is.

Of course, this doesn't excuse the behavior that allegedly emerged later. But it should help explain why, right or wrong, most people want to remember the better side of him.
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post #27 of 34
3/7/06 at 7:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Guttenberg Fan Club
Those memories you have of him playing for the Twins aren't dead. Only a guy who was a danger to women. You want to enjoy his play? Go right ahead, but spare me these "what a wonderful person" stories that are flooding sports websites and message boards (i.e. Dickson starting this thread to honor an 'all around great guy').
I agree those are only memories and good ones at that. However I never once said he was a wonderful person merely a wonderful player and I enjoyed watching him.
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post #28 of 34
3/7/06 at 10:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard Dickson
Well, let's hope Yanni has the good sense to have a stroke before GFC has a fit.
Way to stand up for the wife-beater, Dickson.

Having a stroke doesn't erase the sins of the past.
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post #29 of 34
3/7/06 at 11:06pm
Thread Starter 
Was he a saint? No. But did he deserve to have a stroke and die and have you positively giddy about it? No.
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post #30 of 34
3/7/06 at 11:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard Dickson
Was he a saint? No. But did he deserve to have a stroke and die and have you positively giddy about it? No.
Wife beaters and a guy who holds a gun to his wife(with a kid) don't deserve a long, healthy life. It's not often guys like this get what's coming to them. It may not be nice to speak badly of the dead but to praise his life is wrong too.
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post #31 of 34
3/7/06 at 11:56pm
Thread Starter 
You know, I've read pretty much every story online today about his troubles, and nowhere was it mentioned that he held a gun on his wife. And he was acquitted of the criminal charges brought against him.

When he was playing, he was everything a baseball player should be. Getting prematurely robbed of that probably did a lot more damage than we'll ever know. Doesn't excuse anything he might have done, but I'm not gonna root for his death because of it.
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post #32 of 34
3/8/06 at 12:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard Dickson
You know, I've read pretty much every story online today about his troubles, and nowhere was it mentioned that he held a gun on his wife. And he was acquitted of the criminal charges brought against him.

When he was playing, he was everything a baseball player should be. Getting prematurely robbed of that probably did a lot more damage than we'll ever know. Doesn't excuse anything he might have done, but I'm not gonna root for his death because of it.

I think rooting for his death is too strong as well. Then again the way some sports writers have been acting the past few days you wouldnt know if Ghandi died or something. I think its bullshit to make him out like he was a super guy when he wasnt.
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post #33 of 34
3/8/06 at 1:10pm
Who was rooting for his death? This guy was a fucking dirt bag, Dickson. If you have great memories of him playing baseball, that's fine. Enjoy the time you got to watch him play. But don't come at me with this 'all around great guy' bullshit. The women of this country are better off without a guy like Kirby Puckett groping them and threatening their lives.

As I was getting at earlier, this is the kind of shit that makes fans (of sports, art, etc.) look like fucking loons. This violent sexual predator is viewed as a great guy because he could play baseball. If this was some guy in your neighborhood, you'd certainly view him differently.

I don't believe in capital punishment or killing other than in self-defense. That doesn't mean I have to be sad every time someone dies. Otherwise, we'd all be sad all of the time.
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post #34 of 34
3/8/06 at 8:25pm
I think ESPN made mention of Puckett's wife divorcing him amid charges he tried to strangle her. Also, anybody read the Frank DeFord piece on Puckett that ran in SI a few years back? In it there were other allegaions of questionable behavior. Specifically that Pukett was a weenie wagger. He'd sit in his car parked in a shopping mall parking lot with the car door open and his dick hanging out. I would have to believe there is some sort of corroboration on this as I don't think SI would have had a slated agenda to write an assassination piece on Kirby Puckett, but I am also not one of those guys who believe the old "You can't print it if it's not true" adage. I never heard of any libel lawsuit brought up in regards to the SI article and SI doesn't have the rep as a scandal rag that I know of. Just saying there's some weight there is all.
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