It’s been over two-and-a-half years now since Kirby Puckett died in an Arizona hospital. His post baseball life had diminished his image somewhat, but he was still the central hero for the Twins’ two glorious World Series titles, and I think his memory has been pretty fully rehabilitated in the wake of his death.

The following portrait of the man is a mix of quotes from Kirby, excerpts from an interview I did with Mike Pagliarulo about the 1991 Twins for my blog on the teams’ past, and a few other quotes from Kent Hrbek and former Twins GM Andy MacPhail.

Kirby Summarizing His Career

"I wore one uniform in my career, and I'm proud to say that. As a kid growing up in Chicago, people thought I'd never do anything. I've always tried to play the game the right way. I thought I did pretty good with the talent that I have."

Kent Hrbek after Kirby’s Death

"It's a tough thing to see a guy go through something like that [blindness in his right eye] and come to this extent. That's what really hurt him bad, when he was forced out of the game. I don't know if he ever recovered from it."

Mike Pagliarulo on What Kirby Brought to the Twins (Other Than His Stats)

“Kirby was a great teammate. Kirby was just fantastic, a gamer. Someone who can change the game in a minute, a very dangerous hitter.

"Kirby’d say, 'It’s my responsibility to get this team going, get some hits and help us score runs,’ and try to take the pressure off everybody. It was a psychic thing, relieve the pressure. He did things like that all the time.”

Kirby Explaining His Popularity with Twins Fans, in Early 1992

“A lot of the older guys, I probably look fatter than them. I guess the guy in the stands figures it could be him out there.”

Former Twins GM Andy MacPhail

“There aren’t a whole lot of people who look like Puck. Especially in Minnesota.”

MacPhail Describing a Scene at a Twin Cities Area Mall

“Before our first Christmas here I was walking through a mall and there was a young kid who barely seemed old enough to talk, looking through a store window with his parents. He was pointing to a Twins jersey and saying, ‘Kirby, Kirby.’ It sounded like those were the first words he said. I realized then that [Puckett] is, in a sense, the identity of the Twins.”

Kirby in Early 1992

“I like to think I have, realistically, five or six good years left. I don’t want to be one of those guys who hang on just to hang on. When I’m gone, man, I’m gone. I won’t hang around, and I won’t be a guy who’s at autograph shows. I’ll just be out being a normal guy, running Kirby’s Car Wash and doing what normal guys do.”

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