The Minnesota Twins held a memorial for Kirby Puckett at the Metrodome yesterday. Kent Hrbek was the star of the service:
Hrbek, the hometown boy who played first base on both of Minnesota’s championship teams and batted right behind Puckett, was cheered louder than any of the speakers.
“I’m not going to remember the hits and the hustle and the catches that Kirby made,” Hrbek said. “I’m going to remember the smile. I’m going to remember the laughter. I’m going to remember the clubhouse pranks and just having a good ol’ time with Puck.”
As Puckett’s popularity grew, Minnesotans and Twins fans began to name not only their children, but family pets, Kirby. This was not lost on Hrbek.
“And if somebody else had a cow or a horse, they always named it Herbie,” he said. “I was always second fiddle with Puck, but I loved every minute of it.”
People who knew Puckett were always quick to mention his ability to make them laugh, and the ceremony wouldn’t have been complete with a chance for chuckles.
Puckett’s memorable cameo as a Top Ten list reader on the “Late Show with David Letterman,” was shown. He offered Creepy Pockets, Turkey Bucket, Buddy Hackett and Englepuck Kirbydink among the top 10 ways to mispronounce his name.
My good friend Jim Storer named his dog Kirby, and Jim wasn’t even a Twins fan. As a player, everybody loved him.
He was truely one of the greats, a baseball hero that will be missed.
Though, I will always remember the home run he hit in 1991 against my Braves, forcing a Game 7 in the World Series. A game the Twins would go on to win.
Kent Hrbek cheated in the World Series and I will personally never forget it or forgive him. He is a scumbag and worse than any steriod user. Too bad they let him participate in the funeral of a good baseball player who smiled a lot and was nice to reporters (before he would go home and beat his wife).
Dude, take out your issues on your own time, not here, please.
No Matt Davis, NOTHING IS WORSE THAN A STEROID USER. NOTHING!!!!
What a moving tribute. Whatever problems Puck may have had in his post baseball career, he was an absolute joy to watch… and made visits to the dank Metrodome a real pleasure for me and my wife back in the 90s. I can still see him rounding first, running , almost as if he were out of control, legs pumping and that big barrel chest heaving. Puck played every play as if the World Series depended upon it.
My son wasn’t born until 1995, but I’ve always stressed to him the importance of Kirby Puckett on the Twins championship years of ’87 and ’91. He feels as if he knows him. I’ve also tried to instill the work ethic that Puck always had about the game into him in his Little League play (although he’s insane about catching rather than outfield).
He was such a great part of his team and the baseball community of the upper midwest and this is such a sad, sad event. We will miss him.