I don't know if any of you are baseball fans but Kirby Puckett passed away today. He was my hero as a youth. I still were his number when I play baseball today... Hence the 34 in my login ID. He was to young to die...only 45. Please remember to live life to its fullest and count everyday as a blessing. Now I may have to change my number to 45...
From an article:
Asked what he would remember the most from their playing days, former teammate Hrbek quickly answered, ``Just his smile, his laughter and his love for the game.''
Puckett was elected to the Hall of Fame on his first try in 2001 and thrilled the crowd in Cooperstown when he said, ``I'm telling you, anything is possible'' during his induction speech.
His plaque praised his ``ever-present smile and infectious exuberance.''
Puckett's signature performance came in Game 6 of the 1991 World Series against Atlanta. After telling anyone who would listen before the game that he would lead the Twins to victory that night at the Metrodome, he made a leaping catch against the fence and then hit a game-ending homer in the 11th inning to force a seventh game.
The next night, Minnesota's Jack Morris went all 10 innings to outlast John Smoltz and pitch the Twins to a 1-0 win for their second championship in five years.
``If we had to lose and if one person basically was the reason - you never want to lose - but you didn't mind it being Kirby Puckett. When he made the catch and when he hit the home run you could tell the whole thing had turned,'' Smoltz said Monday night.
``His name just seemed to be synonymous with being a superstar,'' the Braves' pitcher said. ``It's not supposed to happen like this.''
