We'll See You Tomorrow Night

The death of the greatest Twin and my favorite player came suddenly and unexpectedly. I saw the news that Kirby had suffered a stroke on Sunday, and 24 hours later he was gone. He may or may not be the most valuable Twin of all time; it's hard to view it objectively in a time clouded by sentimentality. In any case, without Kirby, I may be a mindless NFL fan like so many other sports enthusiasts. Jack Morris said that without Puckett, there would be no baseball in Minnesota, and I don't doubt it. A league average CF would not have been enough to take home two world titles and Kirby played an especially larger role in the second. More importantly, he was an ambassador for the sport to the entire upper Midwest, using his charisma and love of the game to make it special for thousands.

As a player, Kirby is an interesting paradox of supporting and defying convention. On the one hand, his .318 average and lack of batting eye made me believe in the value of the single and his game 6 heroics reinforced the notion of a clutch player. On the other hand, his squat shape undermined the scouts' idea that a CF has to look like Willie Mays. He was one of a kind, and an all-time great.

His life was less luminous to so many people over the last few years- not surprising for someone who lived so fully off the game of baseball. But controversy does not undo his greatness, it only gives perspective to how great he had been. Even if another wild-swinging CF as short and round as him comes around in the future, we can say with certainty that there will never be another Kirby Puckett.