Goodbye Kirby
NOTE: This was on the Blogulator for a while, and now that an appropriate amount of time has passed, I'm moving this to my personal blog, as it is of a more personal nature, and we don't want those Nick Hexum Gay Rumor mongers to get confused about what the Blogulator is all about. Enjoy.
I know this is a Pop Culture blog and all, but sports have a way of interweaving with pop culture in their own way (hello, anybody ever heard of a great movie series called Major League?!) Anyway, I'm sure you've all heard by now that former Minnesota Twins centerfielder Kirby Puckett passed away today. Seeing that he had a profound effect on my childhood and my life, I thought I should give him some blogulator love.
For all you Wisconsin readers out there, Kirby Puckett is to Minnesota what Brett Favre is to Wisconsin. Throughout my childhood, from my earliest memories, the Twins and, most specifically, Kirby, were everything. Everybody loved Kirby Puckett.
Some of my earliest memories involve me, as a four year old, around the time the Twins won their first World Series. I didn't really know why I was excited, but I knew that it was something good. For Christmas, 1987, Santa brought us a Nintendo and a "Twins Win!" video, recapping the 1987 World Series season. The Nintendo is sadly long gone, but I still have the video sitting right to the left of me.
I remember going to baseball games at the Metrodome and getting ridiculously excited to hear the late Bob Casey announce his name ("Kirbeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Puckett!) It was obvious that his name was synonymous with the Twins, and Minnesota in general.
I think I can speak for any Minnesotan when I say that everybody remembers where they were during Game 6 of the 1991 World Series. I was surrounded by friends and family, finally old enough to at least grasp the basics of the game and know that Kirby was really, really good. Kirby wasn't having a great series, and reportedly, before the game, as the Twins were against the walls, one game away from being eliminated, he told the team to "climb on my back." Not only did he make one of the most memorable baseball catches of all time, not only did he hit a run-scoring triple early in the game to set the tone, he, of course, hit the walk off homer that told us all that we'd "see ya tomorrow night." That World Series, and specifically that game, is one of those memories that will stick with me for the rest of my life. As I continue to obsess over Minnesota sports teams, I don't see how anything will ever top that moment.
When Kirby retired in 1996, it was like the Twins lost their magic. The Twins without Kirby was the Twins without excitement. I only went to one game between 1996 and 2001, and the Metrodome went from being a practically mystical building to a cement hole. Only when the Twins started playing well again did I regain interest in the game, and even then, the giant banner showing his retired number dwarfed the new generation of players. Even in their new, good years, it's as if they are missing that magical ingredient, and that ingredient is very clearly Kirby.
As the scandal surrounding his court case and unraveling marriage came to light, I felt like my childhood idol was being exposed as a fraud. I was hurt, and I was angry. But in a way, it showed that we're all human, and that nobody is perfect. Sadly, he was ushered away from the Twins after that, never returning to any type of role with the team.
However, none of that will diminish what he meant to me. I was lucky to have had somebody like that as a role model growing up, somebody who was that unflinchingly optimistic and happy, somebody who gave his all in everything he did. And I was just a fan; the countless things he did for people in need will certainly be the biggest part of his legacy. For so many years, Kirby Puckett was my home state's icon, and I will always have fond memories of what he meant to me growing up.
Goodbye, old friend. I'm sure you're in Heaven right now with Bob Casey, with your name echoing through great baseball stadium in the sky.
Other good reads on #34:
Bat Girl's tribute
Jim Souhan
Patrick Reusse
Sid Hartman
I know this is a Pop Culture blog and all, but sports have a way of interweaving with pop culture in their own way (hello, anybody ever heard of a great movie series called Major League?!) Anyway, I'm sure you've all heard by now that former Minnesota Twins centerfielder Kirby Puckett passed away today. Seeing that he had a profound effect on my childhood and my life, I thought I should give him some blogulator love.For all you Wisconsin readers out there, Kirby Puckett is to Minnesota what Brett Favre is to Wisconsin. Throughout my childhood, from my earliest memories, the Twins and, most specifically, Kirby, were everything. Everybody loved Kirby Puckett.
Some of my earliest memories involve me, as a four year old, around the time the Twins won their first World Series. I didn't really know why I was excited, but I knew that it was something good. For Christmas, 1987, Santa brought us a Nintendo and a "Twins Win!" video, recapping the 1987 World Series season. The Nintendo is sadly long gone, but I still have the video sitting right to the left of me.
I remember going to baseball games at the Metrodome and getting ridiculously excited to hear the late Bob Casey announce his name ("Kirbeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Puckett!) It was obvious that his name was synonymous with the Twins, and Minnesota in general.
I think I can speak for any Minnesotan when I say that everybody remembers where they were during Game 6 of the 1991 World Series. I was surrounded by friends and family, finally old enough to at least grasp the basics of the game and know that Kirby was really, really good. Kirby wasn't having a great series, and reportedly, before the game, as the Twins were against the walls, one game away from being eliminated, he told the team to "climb on my back." Not only did he make one of the most memorable baseball catches of all time, not only did he hit a run-scoring triple early in the game to set the tone, he, of course, hit the walk off homer that told us all that we'd "see ya tomorrow night." That World Series, and specifically that game, is one of those memories that will stick with me for the rest of my life. As I continue to obsess over Minnesota sports teams, I don't see how anything will ever top that moment.
When Kirby retired in 1996, it was like the Twins lost their magic. The Twins without Kirby was the Twins without excitement. I only went to one game between 1996 and 2001, and the Metrodome went from being a practically mystical building to a cement hole. Only when the Twins started playing well again did I regain interest in the game, and even then, the giant banner showing his retired number dwarfed the new generation of players. Even in their new, good years, it's as if they are missing that magical ingredient, and that ingredient is very clearly Kirby.
As the scandal surrounding his court case and unraveling marriage came to light, I felt like my childhood idol was being exposed as a fraud. I was hurt, and I was angry. But in a way, it showed that we're all human, and that nobody is perfect. Sadly, he was ushered away from the Twins after that, never returning to any type of role with the team.
However, none of that will diminish what he meant to me. I was lucky to have had somebody like that as a role model growing up, somebody who was that unflinchingly optimistic and happy, somebody who gave his all in everything he did. And I was just a fan; the countless things he did for people in need will certainly be the biggest part of his legacy. For so many years, Kirby Puckett was my home state's icon, and I will always have fond memories of what he meant to me growing up.
Goodbye, old friend. I'm sure you're in Heaven right now with Bob Casey, with your name echoing through great baseball stadium in the sky.
Kirby Puckett
1960-2006
1960-2006
Other good reads on #34:Bat Girl's tribute
Jim Souhan
Patrick Reusse
Sid Hartman
posted by Mark at 1:50 PM
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