OT: Kirby Puckett

[rpm]

Kirby Puckett was a great baseball player and a Minnesota icon. He had his flaws, but he was a guy who inspired a lot of people. Now it turns out that when he died he saved the lives of two people by donating his liver and one of his kidneys. I hope all you folks have followed his example and checked off to be donors on your driver's license, and told your family of your wishes. The life you save could be a cyclist, like me and a bunch of my bros who are going to race next month in Louisville.

[saab2000]

I left my little enclave German/Swiss/French/English enclave in NE Wisconsin in 1986 for the rolling farm fields in Northfield, MN. That year the Twins decided to win the World Series and Kirby Puckett was one of them. He inspired. Winning was never in question, from early that spring. They had something very special going. That they would be players in October was seldom in doubt.

It happened again in 1991, when I was home again in NE Minneapolis (where I am now living) and KP was again part of the mix. The Twins won again, beating the evergood Atlanta Braves, if I ain't mistaken. I was in North Minneapolis, defended by the everferocious Maggie and Taz (the two lovable muts), when the winning bloop single was hit by a New Yorker whose name fails me at the moment (but I think it was Gene Larkin) in Wilmington, NC.

The neighborhood erupted. I was home from Belgium at the time and with no A/C and a warm October and all of Minnesota on the edge of the seats the winning hit was tapped in and the run scored and the Twins won and you could hear it as loudly as if you were there. People poured out onto Knox Ave. North and were happy!!! I went home and went downtown where there was dancing on Hennepin Ave and 1st Ave was at a standstill and dancers in their (near)assless chaps from the Gay '90s were out on the street lights celebrating as much as anyone.

It was heady times, though the billionaire owner wanted subsidies then as much as now.

But the man who epitomised it all was/is Kirby Puckett. He was a Twins legend and his #34 is as big in MN as that of Walter Payton's 34 is in Chicago.

My Wisconsin driver's license has the box checked.

If I can't use my components (all thoroughbred, ...BTW) I hope someone else can. :D

[paulh]

It was heady times, though the billionaire owner wanted subsidies then as much as now.
The billionaire owner(smilin' Carl Pohlad) GOT his subsidies just this past weekend. The MN legislature showed no signs of being smarter than any other state/city being held hostage by their sports teams. The Governor (who actually claims to be a fiscal conservative and was strongly against any public subsidy for professional playgrounds for 10 years when he was in the legislature), flip flopper in chief, will sign the bill at the Humpty dome today or Friday, I think. The Dome is where the Twins won their 2 world series and is only 24 years old. On opening day in April 1982, it was snowing, and the politicos and all involved were breaking their arms patting each other on the back saying what geniuses they were to build this place. The new stadium will be partially funded by an increase in the sales tax in the county. But law states that such an increase in sales tax has to go to a referendum. Polls showed that 60 to 70% of the residents opposed the stadium plan. The lawmakers threw out the referendum requirement since they were scared the peoples voice would be heard. Laws...Schmaws!

[paulh]

Anyway.... I just renewed my MN drivers license last week and DID check the donor box.

[taz-t]

It happened again in 1991, when I was home again in NE Minneapolis (where I am now living) and KP was again part of the mix. The Twins won again, beating the evergood Atlanta Braves, if I ain't mistaken. I was in North Minneapolis, defended by the everferocious Maggie and Taz (the two lovable muts), when the winning bloop single was hit by a New Yorker whose name fails me at the moment (but I think it was Gene Larkin) in Wilmington, NC.



1) I ain't no lovable mutt
2) Braves shoulda won that series - I was at games 3 and 5.
3) yeah - the box is checked

- taz in atlanta

[saab2000]

1) I ain't no lovable mutt
2) Braves shoulda won that series - I was at games 3 and 5.
3) yeah - the box is checked

- taz in atlanta

The Braves have won a lot. Give the Twins a break!!! :D

Seriously though, it was '87 and '91 that turned me into a real baseball fan and a Twins fan. It seemed like it was inevitable both times. Those were games that proved that baseball is not boring at all.