Kirby Puckett dies

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Posted By: Art M.

Just off the news......

Baseball Great Puckett Dies a Day After Suffering Stroke
Hall of Famer Underwent Surgery Before Losing His Life at Age 44

FORT MYERS, Fla. (March 6) - Hall of Fame outfielder Kirby Puckett died Monday of complications from a stroke. He was 44.

Puckett underwent neurosurgery Sunday and was transported to St. Jospeph's Hospital and Medical Center, where he died Monday afternoon.

"This is a sad day for the Minnesota Twins, Major League Baseball and baseball fans everywhere," Twins owner Carl Pohland said. "Kirby's impact on the Twins organization, state of Minnesota and the upper midwest is significant and goes well beyond his role in helping the Twins win two World Championships."


03-06-06 20:16 ET


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Posted By: Brian Lindholme

Another tragic case that just proves baseball players are not immune to personal problems or health problems and many suffer the same troubles as non-athletes.

Kirby was far from perfect but on the field he was sure fun to watch.

God Bless
familytoad

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Posted By: Daniel Bretta

Makes one wonder if the pitch from Dennis Martinez wasn't in the end fatal.

RIP Kirby

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Posted By: DJ

The sudden death always humbles people to a certain degree. Who would have thought that thise great baseball would be taken from us at the age of forty-four?

I remember meeting Don Drysdale shortly before his death and I was simply in shock when the announcement came.

DJ

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Posted By: Robert

I heard on the news before he died that he gained a tremendous amount of weight after playing which I am sure was the cause of his poor health. It's sad because his career ended early and it seems he became depressed after he was forced out of baseball due to his glaucoma.

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Posted By: Chris Counts

In the locker room before Game 6 of the 1991 World Series, Kirby told his teammates "Jump on my back boys, I'm carrying you tonight." With his Twins down three games to two, he made a terrific rally-killing catch before hitting the game-winning home run that inspired the classic Jack Buck call, "And we'll see you tomorrow night!" In my 35 years as a baseball fan, I can't recall seeing anything quite so inspirational. It was like Roy Hobbs at the end of "The Natural." If sparks started raining down from the sky, I wouldn't have even noticed. I can still see him running around the bases, pumping his fist and flashing a big grin. That's how I'll always remember Kirby, one of my all-time favorites ...

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Posted By: Dan Koteles

sad day. He was a rarity for sure. Not many right
hand hitters could hit like Kirby. This will hurt
alot of people.

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Posted By: john/z28jd

He was the first player to make the hall of fame whos career i was able to follow from day 1.Always loved to watch him play,the way he hustled and you could tell he loved to play.It truly is such sad news to hear him pass so young


Just like to add,like usual,as soon as someone famous passes the ebay scumbags come out of the woodworks.Over 1800 Kriby Puckett auctions listed in the last 3 hours,out of 4270 total items of his listed on ebay.You gotta love people who try to benefit immediately from someones death

Obviously the 600 an hour average is about right since in the last hour since i posted the above the count went from 4270 items to 4883.This price is just ridiculous,this card couldve been bought for $10 yesterday

http://cgi.ebay.com/1985-topps-kirby-puckett-rookie_W0QQitemZ8772973232QQcategoryZ70403QQrdZ1QQ cmdZViewItem

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Posted By: DJ

I have been watching the eBay count as well.It's absolutely amazing. I remember when Darryl Kile passed away, it went from twelve items to four hundred in six hours and the closer the end of the auction, the more it brought in. A signed card brought $191. Today you can basically pick up a signed Kile card for $25 so no one buy into the hype! I remember seeing someone pay $850 for a Payne Stewart 8x10.

This Puckett certified signed card below should sell for $40. At 6 P.M, it was at $109. Look at what it ended up selling for?

http://cgi.ebay.com/04-Leaf-Cerified-Auto-Kirby-Puckett-34-Autograph-HOF_W0QQitemZ8773829434QQcategoryZ55956QQrdZ1QQcmd ZViewItem

$400+?

You could have bought some nice low grade pre-war vintage cards for that price.

DJ

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Posted By: David Smith

I kind of take exception to being called a scumbag as far as selling my Puckett items on eBay. The way I look at it, it is a good business move.
Remember the old saying "strike while the iron is hot"? Well, that is what I am doing by selling my stuff on eBay.

There are some S74's I would like to buy that still have their original backing but I can't right now because I have some medical bills to pay. (No health insurance with my job and I passed a kidney stone a month or so ago and had to go to the hospital). By selling my Kirby Puckett items (which I no longer want and couldn't sell for very much before his death) to willing buyers, I can get some money in and (hopefully) pay my bills down or off. Then, I am closer to adding to my vintage baseball collection.

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Posted By: jay behrens

Do want you have to do, but most people look down on those that take advantage of the death and misfortune of others. I have a signed Puckett photo and rookie somehwere and as most people know, I don't have much money, but there is no way I am going to dig it out and sell just because I can make a lot of money on it right now.

Jay

I've just reached Upper Lower Class. I am now officially a babe magnet for poor chicks.

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Posted By: Lee Behrens

It definately is a sad day in Minnesota. The Puckett family has a history of early family deaths. As far as the beaning I was at the game and was the sickest thing I ever saw at a baseball game, I don't think I will ever forget that sound.

He brought much joy to Minnesota and will always be a Favorite Twin and baseball player.

Lee

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Posted By: John S

RIP Kirby....thanks for the memories.

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Posted By: Bob S

My thoughts, exactly. Let the scavengers reap their "rewards". We easily lose our humanity and forget our mortality.

Bob

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Posted By: Mike

Kirby

What a joy to have watched you play. Played the game like you are supposed to. Even your opponents loved you, and respected your talents. Thanks for the memories. We will see you again.

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Posted By: Ryan Christoff

David Smith,

Sorry, buddy. You're a scumbag. I wouldn't normally say that to you, but I had to strike while the iron is hot.

It doesn't matter what you're going to do with the money. You can justify all kinds of illegal or immoral actions that way.

-Ryan

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Posted By: dd

During his time on the field no one smile more than he.

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Posted By: DJ

Hold on, so because David is selling his Kirby Puckett stuff to pay off some medical bills, that makes him a scumbag? Wow, tough Forum. Instead, make the Forum proud and knock off a conveniant store or steal from a neighbor to pay your health bills. Never judge a man until you have walked in his shoes I guess best applies here and sudden and unexpected medical bills are a stressful burden for those who are uninsured.

Do I agree with profitting from the recently departed? No I don't, but I can understand under extreme situations what has to be done and after all, it's just sports memorabilia we are dealing with and if you care nothing about the items to begin with, what's the problem? You should save them forever even though you have no attachment to them and have been trying to sell them for a long time with no takers?

My two cents...

DJ

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Posted By: davidcycleback

If there is profiting, it likely at as much due to the bidders as the sellers. I remember someone got irate against a seller when a Pat Tillman card was sold for tons of money. Someone else pointed out that the seller started it at $1 and it was the bidders who made it so so high.

I'm not for striking while the iron is hot with deaths (I wouln't offer Pucket items for sale if I had any), but if someone is selling stuff that others are willing to pay for and the proceeds go to the seller's medical fees, that doesn't greatly offend my senses.

One might argue that selling a Spice Girls CD to anyone who hasn't already heard the music is unfairly taking advantage of the unfortunate-- and all the Spice Girls are still alive.

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Posted By: Eric

What a very sad day for baseball fans. Growing up, I loved watching Kirby play. He was a local boy (Chicago) with one hell of a passion for the game. I collected his cards, emulated his style of play and loved the zest he demonstrated on the field. As my dad would point out..there's a guy who's game you should strive for. I'm very saddened by his passing, he was molded from greatness.

E.

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Posted By: jay behrens

I don't know who this David Smith is, but his line is the standard line you hear from every quick buck artist on ebay. Not saying his story isn't true. I have no idea, but it's the type of story that is used all the time to justify taking advantage of situation.

If he truely was desperate for money, then why hadn't he already tried to sell it. It's not like Puckett didn't have a huge following before his death and the worthless until he died. I've been in tough spots before where I've needed to sell stuff off in order to pay bills and never looked at anything and said to myself, well it's not going to sell for much, so I am just going to sit on it. I sold everything I could that I didn't have attachments to, no matter how much or how little I got for the items.

Jay

I've just reached Upper Lower Class. I am now officially a babe magnet for poor chicks.

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Posted By: warshawlaw

But what difference is it to anyone here if a seller wants to sell a Puckett autograph now versus a year from now? It doesn't affect Puckett's loved ones, who I guarantee you are not on ebay looking at the prices of his stuff, nor does it affect anyone who has nice memories of Puckett. It is no different than shorting or buying into a stock, bond, etc., on the day's news. Like it or not, the death of a HOFer makes a lot of collectors take notice and go after an item that they might have waited on until later on the theory that he was going to be available to sign for the next 30 years and now he isn't. I don't think a seller capitalizing on the passing of a famous person by selling a legitimate item that he owns has anything to apologize for nor does he have to justify himself to anyone.

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Posted By: jay behrens

It says a lot about the person's character. I don't see how trading stocks is equivelent to taking advantage of personal misfortune. I guess you don't have a problem with hoarding supplies just before a disaster like Katrina (just an example disaster) and then going out and selling those supplies for 10 times what you paid for them to those that now want them. And no, this example isn't comperable to Puckett's death, but at some point, you have to draw a line. For many of use, taking advantage of someone else's misfortune is the line we do not cross.

Jay

I've just reached Upper Lower Class. I am now officially a babe magnet for poor chicks.

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Posted By: Chad

I want to say that scrambing to sell Kirby's cards is wrong but I don't have any real justification for it. Probably it's not. My initial reaction is that it's pretty creepy, all these thousands of people scrambling to log into their ebay accounts and upload scans of Kirby merchandise as fast as they can. It's unfair of me, I think, but there it is. I will agree it's not a rational response.

Kirby Puckett is one of the all time great baseball names. On that we can all agree! I'm an A's fans, and I hated the Twins, but I always really liked Kirby. His career was a series of jolts, for me, at least. His sudden transformation into a superstar. His 1991 series heroics. His retirement. His legal troubles. And now his death. Everything about the man was unexpected. (Just getting the thread back to Kirby.)

--Chad

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Posted By: T206Collector

I mean, I guess I understand that profiteering on the death of someone is a bit untoward. But, at the same time, baseball card values are always linked to the lives of other individuals. When anything happens in their lives, including their death, there is a chance that something will happen to their value. That's not particularly surprising.

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Posted By: Judge Dred (Fred)

Lets keep this as a tribute to one helluva a ball player.

He was great and one of best clutch players of his time. It's sad to see him depart so soon.

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Posted By: dennis

a great player who could have excelled in any era!

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Posted By: Peter_Spaeth

A guy is a "scumbag" because he posts a baseball card on ebay? Give me a break. If it sells high it is because people for whatever reason are willing to pay a high price. What is the gentleman supposed to do, wait until a reasonable mourning period?

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Posted By: john/z28jd

Peter you obviously have an opinion about it and so do others.I would never sell an item right after someone dies because morally to me its wrong to make extra money off someones misfortune right after it happens.No one who does it has to defend themselves on why they did it and someone thinking its wrong shouldnt have to defend their opinion either.People have different definitions of morals,so what?

All i was trying to say is the mindset that says "someone famous died,yes! im gonna be rich in a hurry!" is pretty low to me

the fact that his items were being listed every 10 seconds after its announced he died compared to an average of one every 7 minutes the weeks prior proves theres alot of people out there who think different than me and a selected few here who agreed with me

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Posted By: Peter_Spaeth

John, you sound tolerant and politically correct now, but you are the one who called the guy a scumbag, and I was just responding to that.

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Posted By: prewarsports

Despite the obvious moments of his career, here is my personal fondest memory of Kirby Puckett.

In about 1992 or so I went to Seattle with my family to visit places I had grown up around since we had moved from there in 1988. I asked my father to take me to a Mariners game and they were at home agains the Twins. I picked the game during the homestand that Randy Johnson was pitching because as a 15 year old boy I wanted to see a man throw 100 MPH. Kirby Puckett hit three home runs that night including at least (2) off of Randy Johnson. In the same game Johnson hit 102 MPH on the Radar Gun. It was the most dominant performance against a dominant pitcher I have witnessed. Kirby Puckett was truly a great player, even when pitted against other great players.

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Posted By: Dan Koteles

what I do not like is the piss -poor writers that
somewhat focus on a couple of negatives that Kirby
may or may have not done about his marital situation.
Maybe he did cheat ,say he did get caught and she
whacks him upside the head and he says 'one more time
and I'll'......

This can happen to anyone and his ordeal may have
been nothing .When you take a guy who has shown a
true love for the game and to those who encountered
him and they write b.s about him when he dies ,is
TOTALLY LOW CLASS ,even in todays obnoxious society.

All the good wanted taken away by some ,over possibly
nothing at all.....makes me disgusted to had further read any part of their non caring story .

How many baseball players could get fans from other
teams like he did ?

PATHETIC WRITERS, NEARLY ALL OF THEM !!!!!!!!!!

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Posted By: Peter_Spaeth

I agree with Dan, that stuff has all been aired already a million times, leave it out of the man's obituaries for god's sake.

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Posted By: john/z28jd

Peter,just so it doesnt get far off topic this is my last response on this.Im far from politically correct(no ones ever called me that before) or tolerant and i stick by my original comment,if you want me to soften the word to make you feel better than i will,instead of scumbags i'll just say, TO ME,they have low morals,hopefully that makes you happy.Like i said theres no use in arguing it because youre entitled to your opinions and the reason i say that is i dont argue(or talk about disagreeing) with someone online anymore,i dont do it in person either,i give people about 30 seconds and if they dont agree with my point i agree to disagree whether they do too or not.
Its alot easier that way.I suggest to people all the time learn the word "whatever" and move on.Its the best way to end a disagreement especially over something silly like which word best describes people who sell items right after people die to capitalize on their death

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Posted By: Ryan Christoff

What people seem to forget in all of this is the fact that Kirby Puckett was an actual person with friends and loved ones who are devastated and in shock right now. He wasn't just a famous athlete.

Perhaps it's a bit much to label someone as a scumbag based on one act. Maybe it's more appropriate to say that what they did was a scumbaggish act. Maybe it's all semantics.

Some of us heard the news of Puckett's death and thought "Wow, how sad."

Others thought "Sweet, now is the perfect time to sell that autograph!"

Peter asked "What is the gentleman supposed to do, wait until a reasonable mourning period?"
ABSOLUTELY! What is a "reasonable" mourning period? I really don't know, but how about waiting until he's in the ground for starters. We're talking about stuff that was listed on ebay within 24 hours of his death. The justification we were given for one seller was that he needed to pay for medical bills...and buy some S74s for his collection. Whatever lets you sleep at night, I guess.

I don't understand why that guy even posted here in the first place unless he felt guilty or knew it wasn't right. No one singled him out specifically.

I didn't know Kirby Puckett, so I have no way to know what was true or false regarding his troublesome post-baseball life. Therefore, I choose to remember the smiling Kirby Puckett, the Kirby Puckett whose glove reached over that garbage bag wall and stole home runs away from visiting batters. That guy was just a flat out winner.

-Ryan

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Posted By: Cat

It's not just EBayers:

http://shop.mlb.com/searchHandler/index.jsp?searchId=10552880722&sGroup=MLB&keywords=kirby&clickid=topnav_search_txt