Kirby Puckett: the last interview

By: Larry Fitzgerald
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
Originally posted 3/06/2006

 

The tragic death of Kirby Puckett at age 45 from a massive stroke at his Arizona home has saddened us all. Puckett played 12 brilliant seasons with the Minnesota Twins. He was a 10-time All-Star and six-time Gold Glove winner with a .318 career batting average.

Puckett's career ended prematurely because he contracted glaucoma; in his playing days he led the Twins to two World Series Championships in 1987 and 1991, and he was elected to Baseball's Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 2001.

Puckett was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, and I must say he had a tremendous effect on anyone he came in contact with. He was a genuine superstar; his presence lit up a room with his infectious smile and buoyant personality.

The last interview Puckett (KP) agreed to was with me (LF) January 30 on my Monday radio show on KMOJ 89.9 FM. It was vintage Kirby Puckett, the greatest sports star this state has ever had.

 

LF: You’re the only athlete that I'm familiar with who has a street named after him. You are the most famous athlete in the history of this state. Tell me why it is that you are no longer associated with the Twins.

KP: I wish I knew. I spent 14 years -- two in the minor leagues and 12 in the big leagues -- with the Minnesota Twins. I was very successful playing baseball for the Twins and the State of Minnesota -- I loved it. I worked in the front office five years after I retired. Some accusations were made about some things that I had done, and I went to court about that and I beat the case.

The Twins got rid of me as a result; now, every now and then somebody from the Twins might call, they might have something going on at the ball park. I have talked to some Twins representatives. Last year they ask me what I wanted to do, and I said this is what I want to do and this is what it's going to cost. I'm a pretty upfront guy, and believe it or not, I'm still not around. They have Twins Fest every year and they haven't invited me.

It's okay. It was a good thing for the Twins and a good thing for me. It was a business deal. Al Newman will tell you: It's all about the business. When I was a baseball player, anything in the world was mine. But once you’re out of the game -- and that's what I tell a lot of young guys, too -- once you’re out of the game, nobody is really going to care about you.

You pretty much are going to have to take care of yourself and save your money and put money away, because one day it's going to rain, like my mother used to say. If you’re prepared for that, you can be prepared for anything. I would like to work with the organization (Twins). I think they know that, but it has to be under certain terms that's agreeable by both parties.

LF: You were the former executive vice president with the Twins, which is a tremendous position to have coming right out of baseball after your career ended prematurely, the terrible beaning against Cleveland and later the diagnoses of glaucoma. How have you been able to deal with the partial loss of your vision?

KP: I'm a baby of nine kids -- nothing in my life came easy. When I was diagnosed with this, yes, it was hard to walk away from the game. But I thank God every day that I was prepared to walk away. Because I used to tell guys all the time, “Save your money. Do this, buy some things that you want, but don't just go crazy when you get money, because the more money you have, the more money you spend.”

You get the hanger-ons that want to hang around you, and the people that want to be your friend and want to be with you because you have something. You have to sort out those kinds of people. I was able to do that throughout my whole career. You really have to be careful. As far as me having glaucoma, it was hereditary. I had no idea that my dad had it; my sister told me my father had it after the fact.

I've been able to deal with it. I'm a strong person. At least I'm not terminally ill. It could be worse. I always look at things in that kind of light and say at least I'm not dying tomorrow as far as I know. I 'm not terminally ill by any means. Yes, I lost my vision in one eye, but I still have 20-15 in my good eye and I'm thankful for that.

LF: Kirby, Sports Illustrated did a story that I thought was extremely damaging, put you on the cover, basically accused you of doing things, and you were found innocent of those charges. Did Sports Illustrated write you an apology?

KP: No! No retraction was ever given. I find it hard. You’re a journalist, you can tell me -- usually when people write a story they give two people’s side of the story. Sports Illustrated never called me, never tried to get in touch with me or my agent, for that matter. All of a sudden they write this story about all these accusations from people. These people had no credibility at all; it was people just trying to ruin me and ruin my image.

And unfortunately, that's what happened -- it ruined me a little bit. But the people that know me know better, and know that I'm not capable of doing these things that people say. And so that's what I worry about. I know what kind of person I am. I know I've done things in the past, and I've always preached that I'm not perfect by any means. I was in trouble all my life. I got more whuppins than anybody in my family, and I was a baby of nine.

So it's obvious that I did things that I was not supposed to be doing. Some things that were said were very hurtful, but life goes on. But I thought that it was really wrong that I was not asked to give my opinion before writing this story. But what could I do about it?

LF: Did you consider suing Sports Illustrated?

KP: No! Sports Illustrated is what they are. One bad article, it's okay. I'm a big Sports Illustrated guy myself, as you know. I've got nothing bad to say about them. It's okay, you know.

LF: The Twins finished third last year, a disappointing season after three straight division titles. When you look at the Twins today, what do you see? How far away are they?

KP: I think they are going to be a good, contending team. But I think you see the way the White Sox came out of the gate last year. They came out like gangbusters, and they held on. They faded a little bit at the end, but they showed what type of team they were at the end. And the way they won in the playoffs was incredible. Beating Boston like that, like it's not a problem, then beating the Angels and winning four in a row in the World Series -- what can you say about the White Sox?

Right now, I think the White Sox are definitely the team to beat. What do they do? They get rid of Frank Thomas and they sign Jim Thome, and they resign Kernerko. They have not lost anything. They have their whole team intact. The White Sox are definitely the team to beat, but I think the Twins will contend. The Twins will go as far as the pitching takes them.

The Twins have some guys now with Rondell White, getting him in there with Torii Hunter and Justen Moore, I think they are going to have a big year. They have some guys that are going to do some things. But the Twins are a very situational kind of a team. What I think the Twins should do is more hit and running, put guys in motion, put the pressure on the defense and let them make the plays.

I love Ron Gardenhire. He's not doing anything wrong; he's my buddy, and I would never say anything about him behind his back. But they have a team where a lot of people don't know some of these players. I don't know a lot of these players that are in the Big Leagues. But what they showed me last year, they did not show me much. But these guys have a lot to prove -- we all know we have Torii. He's going to win Gold Gloves and do his thing. But I think they will miss Jacque Jones tremendously.

LF: What are your feelings on the steroid problems that have damaged the game of baseball?

KP: Baseball has had a tough couple of years, we all know that. Some of these ball players, it's right there in black in white. It's telling you if you do something wrong and you cheat and put something in your body that you don't normally use. If everybody else is not doing it and some people are, it does not make it fair. They say it helps you hit homeruns. I don't know.

I know it helps you hit the ball, and it makes you bigger and stronger, and the balls go farther. And guys are having career years. I think if you know that you’re doing this and you know you’re doing wrong, eventually you’re going to get caught, because they do test now.

I think it's pretty stupid if you know you’re going to get suspended. Why would you do anything to chance anything like that? You’re cheating, and people are never going to forget that. You lived your life to play this game -- why would you ruin it by trying to cheat with steroids? I don't get it.

LF: Do you think the Twins will get a new stadium anytime soon?

KP: Not in my lifetime. I don't think so. I'm not a politician, I don't know. I do know the economics of the game have changed. If it were up to me, I would tell Carl Pohlad, “You’re getting older now. You want to leave a legacy. You've done a lot of great things in this game. If you want to leave a legacy, put up $250 million up front, and I think the legislature and the State of Minnesota will chime in and you will have a stadium. But the people are not going to build you a stadium, because you have people out here who work hard every day for their money, and they cannot understand the economics of the game and the way that the game goes.”

When you say 450 million dollar stadium, people out working making minimum wage, they can not understand that. So I think if people see that you’re trying to do something very positive, and if the Twins put $250 million up, I think the state would be more than happy to find some way to get the other $150 or $200 million done so you can have a new stadium. Because we all know Minnesota definitely deserves a stadium. It's no doubt about it.