I was deeply sadden to hear last night the death of Kirby Puckett. We shared a few days together back in 1996 at spring training in Ft. Myers. We met in the late 80s when I did an instruction book with him and Tony Oliva. Kirby was a class act and gave us all the time in the world- after practice- to use him as a swing model. He loved hitting baseballs. In Ft. Myers we had a chance to do a book with the Twins and Red Sox and met again. And he always smiled.
I have some great pictures of my then two year old daughter wearing two year old baby bibs, holding out as baseball while standing on the dugout seat getting an autograph with Kirby cracking up with a huge smile.
Kirby never played a single game after that '96 spring training. I saw his last home run in a night game against a community college team. Kirby hit the first pitch over the centerfield scoreboard and it disappeared into the darkness. Kirby got quite a razzing from his teammates as he crossed home plate. You were not allowed to swing at the first pitch against these kids. Puckett just laughed and said that the “pitch looked so fat and over the plate- I just reacted” The next day Kirby didn’t practice- we thought it was the shoulder he hurt at the end of the '95 season. Kirby never played again when it was the glaucoma they ended his spring and career.
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