Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Kirby
I went to a pro baseball game when I was really young at the old Big A in Anaheim. I don't remember much of the game. I do know that Vida Blue was pitching for the A's.
While in college I got into baseball a little bit. I went to a game down in Kansas City, saw the Royals play the Red Sox. Wade Boggs was playing third for the Sox, George Brett third for the Royals. It was during the Bo Jackson years, he made a nice defensive play late in the game then hit a homer to win it in the bottom of the eighth. Dewey Evans was still playing in right for the Sox. Bill Buckner (yes, that Bill Buckner) was playing first for the Royals after getting run out of Boston by Red Sox fans.
I went to a Yankees/Twins game in the Metrodome, took the ex-wife's grandma who had never seen a pro baseball game in her life but listened to the Twins on the radio almost every night in the summer. Jack Clark played embarassingly bad defense in right for the Yankees, a fan poured a cup of beer on Rickey Henderson as he made a catch against the left field wall.
I saw Ken Griffey Jr. hit a ball about 450 feet into right center field and saw Twins manager Tom Kelly get ejected from a game for his sixth and final time in his career. I saw A-Rod play for the Mariner in that game. I saw Torii Hunter in his first regular season start for the Twins earlier that season.
I've been blessed to see some great baseball players in the few major league games I've been able to attend. Some are now in the Hall of Fame, some will be soon enough. By far, the best baseball player I ever saw play in person was Twins center fielder, Kirby Puckett.
I went to a game a few years ago at the Metrodome. Puckett had been retired for a couple of years at that time, but after the game, a number of grade school kids went onto the field and jumped against the center field wall with a ball in their gloves to have their photos taken "stealing a homer" just like Kirby did on so many memorable occasions.
I read a story once about Kirby who, after being called up from the minors, put his name and number in the Minneapolis phone book. He received calls from random people who recognized his name. He said that most of the callers were very nice to him. This was years before he was a twin cities institution, just a light hitting late season call up.
The people of the twin cities deserved a man like Kirby Puckett, and Kirby Puckett definitely deserved the wonderful treatment he got from those folks. He had his faults, but as a ball player and an amabassador for Minnesota baseball, there was none finer.
You will be missed, Kirby.
BOJ
While in college I got into baseball a little bit. I went to a game down in Kansas City, saw the Royals play the Red Sox. Wade Boggs was playing third for the Sox, George Brett third for the Royals. It was during the Bo Jackson years, he made a nice defensive play late in the game then hit a homer to win it in the bottom of the eighth. Dewey Evans was still playing in right for the Sox. Bill Buckner (yes, that Bill Buckner) was playing first for the Royals after getting run out of Boston by Red Sox fans.
I went to a Yankees/Twins game in the Metrodome, took the ex-wife's grandma who had never seen a pro baseball game in her life but listened to the Twins on the radio almost every night in the summer. Jack Clark played embarassingly bad defense in right for the Yankees, a fan poured a cup of beer on Rickey Henderson as he made a catch against the left field wall.
I saw Ken Griffey Jr. hit a ball about 450 feet into right center field and saw Twins manager Tom Kelly get ejected from a game for his sixth and final time in his career. I saw A-Rod play for the Mariner in that game. I saw Torii Hunter in his first regular season start for the Twins earlier that season.
I've been blessed to see some great baseball players in the few major league games I've been able to attend. Some are now in the Hall of Fame, some will be soon enough. By far, the best baseball player I ever saw play in person was Twins center fielder, Kirby Puckett.
I went to a game a few years ago at the Metrodome. Puckett had been retired for a couple of years at that time, but after the game, a number of grade school kids went onto the field and jumped against the center field wall with a ball in their gloves to have their photos taken "stealing a homer" just like Kirby did on so many memorable occasions.
I read a story once about Kirby who, after being called up from the minors, put his name and number in the Minneapolis phone book. He received calls from random people who recognized his name. He said that most of the callers were very nice to him. This was years before he was a twin cities institution, just a light hitting late season call up.
The people of the twin cities deserved a man like Kirby Puckett, and Kirby Puckett definitely deserved the wonderful treatment he got from those folks. He had his faults, but as a ball player and an amabassador for Minnesota baseball, there was none finer.
You will be missed, Kirby.
BOJ
# posted by Blind Orange Julius @ 1:10 AM 
