By D. W. O’Dell

 I lived in the Twin Cities area from 1986 through 1991, and I can tell you one thing that I am sure of without doing any research: Kirby Puckett was the most beloved sports figure in his hometown, ever. Many adjectives describe Barry Bonds, but beloved isn’t one of them. Brett Favre is admired in Green Bay. Michael Jordan is a legend in Chicago. Ted Williams was an institution in Boston. The cult of personality surrounding Roberto Clemente Jr. really started after his death. But Puckett was beloved. Maybe Ernie Banks’ relationship to the city of Chicago was similar, but Mr. “Let’s Play Two” never won two World Championships for Cubs fans.

The Minnesota Twins’ home park, the Metrodome, was a dreary place to attend a ballgame, with its overly bouncy carpet and inflatable white dome that made tracking a pop-up an adventure for even the best fielder. But the place was a joyous one when the PA announcer would say, “Now batting for Minnesota, KIIIIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRRRRRBBBBBEEEEE PUUUUCKEEEEETT.” I swear he drew a four syllable name out for over a minute. And the cheer that went up echoed even longer.

You could quibble with Puckett’s Hall of Fame credentials. He didn’t reach 2,500 hits and hit barely over 200 home runs. Yeah, he went to 10 All-Star games, but that’s just popularity. There was also an element of popularity in his 6 Gold Gloves, plus the fact that no one expected a cherub-looking guy like Puckett to leap up and rob batters of home runs; that play was easy for people built like Ken Griffey Jr., but for a guy built like Puckett it seemed like he must possess some secret gravity defying knowledge.

But the bottom line is he won a batting title, an RBI title, led the league in hits 4 times, and finished in the top three in the MVP balloting 3 times. His career numbers are smaller than they should be because glaucoma cut short his career. Then you have to add in post-season heroics like his 11th inning home run to win Game 6 of the 1991 World Series, which forced a Game 7 that the Twins won. The Twins won two World Championships with Puckett, whose batting average was above .300 in the post season. Commissioner Bud Selig will tell you that Minnesota winning a championship is impossible - small market teams like Minnesota can’t compete with big payroll teams like New York or Atlanta.

They can if they have Kirby Puckett playing center field.

He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 2001, but then in 2002 he was hit with charges of spousal abuse and sexual harassment. He was acquitted of charges of groping a woman in an Edina restaurant, but he thereafter quit his front office job with the Twins and moved to Arizona. Reportedly his weight ballooned and his health deteriorated.

Kirby Puckett dying at age 45 is a sad occasion. Anyone dying is sad, and anyone dying as young as 45 is tragic. But if the sorrow felt on the occasion of a person’s death is proportional to the joy he brought to others during his life, then Kirby Puckett’s passing is one if the saddest days ever.