The round table

This week: Mike Vivenzio

This week, the sporting world lost a legend. Kirby Puckett passed away at the young age of 45.  Puckett suffered a stroke earlier in the week and after undergoing surgery on Monday, he was listed in critical condition and died later in the afternoon.

Puckett embodied all that was baseball and brought life to an organization that he gave his all to.  Puckett spent 12 seasons in a Minnesota Twins uniform and will forever be the face of that organization.  Many people go as far as to say that without Puckett, the Twins would no longer be in Minnesota.

Puckett was a ballplayer who loved to have fun and showed it in his everyday actions both on and off the field.  He was always approachable and played the game with an enthusiasm and passion that seems to sometimes be lost in today's players.  For Puckett, it was never about the money but about the game.  In 1991, when the Twins were considered out of the World Series, it was Puckett that told his team to jump on his back and follow his lead and he put forth in that October Classic one of the most memorable performances, leading the Twins to a Game 6 victory and ultimately a World Championship.

It is Puckett's smile that will forever be ingrained in the minds of any who watched him play. It was that smile that lit up the ballpark.

Puckett's numbers speak for themselves as to how good a ballplayer he was.   Four straight 200+ hit seasons, 2,040 hits in his first 10 years, 2,304 career hits in 12 seasons, 10 straight All-Star nominations, finished in the top 10 for MVP in 10 of his 12 seasons and not to mention a first-ballot Hall of Fame member.

His career and his life both ended way too abruptly.  His career was ended due to glaucoma, which caused him to have a rapid decline in eyesight, and ultimately forced him out of the game he loved (although some would say that a 95 mph fastball that Puckett took in the face had something to do with it).  It doesn't feel right to speak of Puckett in the past tense, for all that watched know how great a ballplayer and a man he really was.  We will all remember the pudgy little centerfielder running out onto the field and doing things that no one thought possible for a man with his build and we will all wonder if he would have been able to catch Pete Rose had he been able to finish his career the right way.

Now, we say goodbye to a legend, a man that transcended the sport, and a true role model.  Kirby Puckett will be enshrined forever in our generation's minds and while his presence will be truly missed, it will never be forgotten and will always be felt.