Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Play-by-play Recap of Kirby's Memorial Service
I meant to write this up a couple weeks ago, but I'm just getting to it right now.
After the shocking news that Kirby Puckett had died shortly before his 46th birthday, it was announced that there would be a public memorial service at the Metrodome on Sunday, March 12. I thought about attending, but had plans to get together with friends for dinner and the Sopranos premier. Also, the weather was pretty nasty, and the idea of standing outside the Dome for a couple of hours didn't sound very appealing. The event was being broadcast locally, so I opted to record it, and watch it later that night. What follows is an irreverent, abbreviated play-by-play of the memorial service.
The Twins had originally asked Bob Costas to emcee the event, but he had a "prior engagement" after the private memorial service held in a Plymouth church earlier in the day, so Twins announcer John Gordon did an admirable job filling in for him. Apparently the Twins included Torii Hunter in the original list of speakers, without asking him first. Hunter declined, saying that he would probably just cry the entire time. You'd think they would check with him before publishing a list of speakers.
Gordon started off by introducing the Pucketts and the Olsons (kirby's fiancee), and also pointed out Puck's agent, Ron Shapiro, which he pronounced "Shapyro." Maybe that's the way Ron's name is pronounced, but I don't think so! That's the only name that Gordon butchered during the service, which is pretty astounding. The guy never figured out how to include the "r" sound in Carlos Baerga's last name, and his attempts at former Twins prospect German Gonzalez's name should be parodied in a comedy sketch someday. ("herman," "jerman," "german,[hard G]" "germon," etc.)
Then Gordon said "Please welcome pop local band G. B. Leighton to perform Kirby's favorite song, 'God Bless a Broken Road.'" A few years back, the Twins had a rally down at Peavey Plaza, and G. B. Leighton performed a song he had written for the occasion, which was absolutely horrible. It included lyrics about hitting homers in the Dome, and Hunter roaming the field. This song wasn't quite as bad.
After Leighton's less-than-inspiring musical tribute, for Twins GM Andy McPhail took the mic. I guess it makes sense to start with the best speaker, but everyone else pailed in comparison. McPhail was extremely eloquent, and got a little choked up towards the end. He talked about the clubhouse camaraderie that the late 80s Twins had, something he's never seen replicated, and he credits Kirby. He also talked about Shane Mack, the former first-round pick of the San Diego Padres, who developed into a pretty good ballplayer with the Twins. McPhail said that Mack would never have finished his development without the "gentle and constant support and enthusiasm he received from the player 20 yards to his right." No, not Johnny Moses- Kirby Puckett, of course. They cut to Mack in the crowd, and I didn't even recognize him! He's got a shaved head, and no 'stache. It was pretty freaky to see all the old Twins. They've aged quite a bit since '87 and '91, which makes sense, because that was a long time ago.
Cal Ripken followed McPhail, and kept his speech nice and short. He talked about how he never encountered a player that was more fun to play against than Kirby, and how his enthusiasm was contagious (a recurring theme throughout the evening).
Dave Winfield was next, and he's another great speaker. He said Kirby would be embarassed at being the center of attention. "He was a good man." That was another recurring theme- Kirby was a good (or great) man, regardless of what Frank Deford said. Winfield also recounted the fishing trip Puckett took him on- the first time Winnie ever fished.
Next up was Jim "Mudcat" Grant. "He called me Cat-man, and I will always remember that for the rest of me. He dearly loved that song 'What a Wonderful World,' and he really would want you to hear it tonight." Mudcat was accompanied by a Wayne Coyne-looking dude on electric guitar (local musician Martin Devaney, apparently). During the song, a graphic on the screen read "Jim Mudcat Grant: MUSIC ARTIST." Just in case we were wondering what business a former big league pitcher had singing, I guess.
Next up was a bunch of Puckett Scholars, led by Keon Blasingame, 1998 Puckett Scholar. It was very touching. (No, you perverts, not that kind of touching.)
Next up was Harmon Killebrew. Harm is a Twins legend, a Hall of Famer, and a really nice guy. But he's an awful public speaker. He droned on for a long time, said things like "I don't know why they asked me to speak," and spent 5 minutes talking about how badly Garth Brooks had wanted to be there, but was unable. He did talk about how Puck always called him "Killer," and how he never heard him call anyone by their first name.
After Killebrew's painful ramblings, they cut to video of Kirby announcing David Letterman's Top Ten List, which was fun to see again.
Top Ten Ways to Mispronouce Kirby Puckett
After a great collection of video highlights spanning Kirby's career, Ron Gardenhire stepped up to the podium. He said that the highlight of his career will always be the high-five he received from Puck when he was rounding third after his Game 6 homer. Gardy also said "I can promise you this: as long as I'm runnin this baseball team, we will play the game with respect. We will run every ball out and we will give you a show every time you come here, because that's what Kirby would want us to do." Very true. But would he want Juan Castro starting at shorstop?
Danny Gladden and Al Newman were next. Gladden talked about Kirby hitting balls he had no right swinging at. Newman talked about how the two of them would fall asleep on one another, because neither of them would stop talking through the night. He also said, quite emphatically, "He was a good man, and I believe he was a good family man. Most importantly, he was a good friend." Newmie refrained from talking trash about Gardenhire, probably out of respect for Puck.
Kent Hrbek came next, and said "I won't remember the hits, the hustle, the catches...they're all gonna happen again, by different people. What I'm gonna remember is his smile...the laughter...the clubhouse pranks...and havin a good old time." He also said the biggest thing he remembers is all the dogs and cats in Minnesota named "Kirby." If someone had a cow or a horse, they named it "Herbie." "I was always second fiddle to Puck, and I loved every minute of it."
Tom Kelly finished things up, and he was his typical grumpy self. He said "I think we've heard enough speeches today." He told all the players in attnedance to stand up behind him, and told the crowd to get their cameras out. He also complained about all the reporters who wanted to interview him (big surprise). He mentioned that there was another star from the 1987 team who "really wanted to be here today. He just couldn't."- Jeff Reardon. He finished with "That's why you people are here today. To show the respect...I'm done."
After a gospel choir sang a song, they turned down the lights in the Dome, and had a spotlight on a Puckett jersey in center field.
After the shocking news that Kirby Puckett had died shortly before his 46th birthday, it was announced that there would be a public memorial service at the Metrodome on Sunday, March 12. I thought about attending, but had plans to get together with friends for dinner and the Sopranos premier. Also, the weather was pretty nasty, and the idea of standing outside the Dome for a couple of hours didn't sound very appealing. The event was being broadcast locally, so I opted to record it, and watch it later that night. What follows is an irreverent, abbreviated play-by-play of the memorial service.
The Twins had originally asked Bob Costas to emcee the event, but he had a "prior engagement" after the private memorial service held in a Plymouth church earlier in the day, so Twins announcer John Gordon did an admirable job filling in for him. Apparently the Twins included Torii Hunter in the original list of speakers, without asking him first. Hunter declined, saying that he would probably just cry the entire time. You'd think they would check with him before publishing a list of speakers.
Gordon started off by introducing the Pucketts and the Olsons (kirby's fiancee), and also pointed out Puck's agent, Ron Shapiro, which he pronounced "Shapyro." Maybe that's the way Ron's name is pronounced, but I don't think so! That's the only name that Gordon butchered during the service, which is pretty astounding. The guy never figured out how to include the "r" sound in Carlos Baerga's last name, and his attempts at former Twins prospect German Gonzalez's name should be parodied in a comedy sketch someday. ("herman," "jerman," "german,[hard G]" "germon," etc.)
Then Gordon said "Please welcome pop local band G. B. Leighton to perform Kirby's favorite song, 'God Bless a Broken Road.'" A few years back, the Twins had a rally down at Peavey Plaza, and G. B. Leighton performed a song he had written for the occasion, which was absolutely horrible. It included lyrics about hitting homers in the Dome, and Hunter roaming the field. This song wasn't quite as bad.
After Leighton's less-than-inspiring musical tribute, for Twins GM Andy McPhail took the mic. I guess it makes sense to start with the best speaker, but everyone else pailed in comparison. McPhail was extremely eloquent, and got a little choked up towards the end. He talked about the clubhouse camaraderie that the late 80s Twins had, something he's never seen replicated, and he credits Kirby. He also talked about Shane Mack, the former first-round pick of the San Diego Padres, who developed into a pretty good ballplayer with the Twins. McPhail said that Mack would never have finished his development without the "gentle and constant support and enthusiasm he received from the player 20 yards to his right." No, not Johnny Moses- Kirby Puckett, of course. They cut to Mack in the crowd, and I didn't even recognize him! He's got a shaved head, and no 'stache. It was pretty freaky to see all the old Twins. They've aged quite a bit since '87 and '91, which makes sense, because that was a long time ago.
Cal Ripken followed McPhail, and kept his speech nice and short. He talked about how he never encountered a player that was more fun to play against than Kirby, and how his enthusiasm was contagious (a recurring theme throughout the evening).
Dave Winfield was next, and he's another great speaker. He said Kirby would be embarassed at being the center of attention. "He was a good man." That was another recurring theme- Kirby was a good (or great) man, regardless of what Frank Deford said. Winfield also recounted the fishing trip Puckett took him on- the first time Winnie ever fished.
Next up was Jim "Mudcat" Grant. "He called me Cat-man, and I will always remember that for the rest of me. He dearly loved that song 'What a Wonderful World,' and he really would want you to hear it tonight." Mudcat was accompanied by a Wayne Coyne-looking dude on electric guitar (local musician Martin Devaney, apparently). During the song, a graphic on the screen read "Jim Mudcat Grant: MUSIC ARTIST." Just in case we were wondering what business a former big league pitcher had singing, I guess.
Next up was a bunch of Puckett Scholars, led by Keon Blasingame, 1998 Puckett Scholar. It was very touching. (No, you perverts, not that kind of touching.)
Next up was Harmon Killebrew. Harm is a Twins legend, a Hall of Famer, and a really nice guy. But he's an awful public speaker. He droned on for a long time, said things like "I don't know why they asked me to speak," and spent 5 minutes talking about how badly Garth Brooks had wanted to be there, but was unable. He did talk about how Puck always called him "Killer," and how he never heard him call anyone by their first name.
After Killebrew's painful ramblings, they cut to video of Kirby announcing David Letterman's Top Ten List, which was fun to see again.
Top Ten Ways to Mispronouce Kirby Puckett
| 10. | Kooby Pickett |
| 9. | Creepy Pockets |
| 8. | Bernie Crumpet |
| 7. | Turkey Bucket |
| 6. | Buddy Hackett |
| 5. | The Puckett Formerly Known as Kirby |
| 4. | Punky Brewster |
| 3. | Kent Hrbek |
| 2. | There once was a man from Nantucket who Kirbied his very own Puckett |
| 1. | Englepuck Kirbydink |
After a great collection of video highlights spanning Kirby's career, Ron Gardenhire stepped up to the podium. He said that the highlight of his career will always be the high-five he received from Puck when he was rounding third after his Game 6 homer. Gardy also said "I can promise you this: as long as I'm runnin this baseball team, we will play the game with respect. We will run every ball out and we will give you a show every time you come here, because that's what Kirby would want us to do." Very true. But would he want Juan Castro starting at shorstop?
Danny Gladden and Al Newman were next. Gladden talked about Kirby hitting balls he had no right swinging at. Newman talked about how the two of them would fall asleep on one another, because neither of them would stop talking through the night. He also said, quite emphatically, "He was a good man, and I believe he was a good family man. Most importantly, he was a good friend." Newmie refrained from talking trash about Gardenhire, probably out of respect for Puck.
Kent Hrbek came next, and said "I won't remember the hits, the hustle, the catches...they're all gonna happen again, by different people. What I'm gonna remember is his smile...the laughter...the clubhouse pranks...and havin a good old time." He also said the biggest thing he remembers is all the dogs and cats in Minnesota named "Kirby." If someone had a cow or a horse, they named it "Herbie." "I was always second fiddle to Puck, and I loved every minute of it."
Tom Kelly finished things up, and he was his typical grumpy self. He said "I think we've heard enough speeches today." He told all the players in attnedance to stand up behind him, and told the crowd to get their cameras out. He also complained about all the reporters who wanted to interview him (big surprise). He mentioned that there was another star from the 1987 team who "really wanted to be here today. He just couldn't."- Jeff Reardon. He finished with "That's why you people are here today. To show the respect...I'm done."
After a gospel choir sang a song, they turned down the lights in the Dome, and had a spotlight on a Puckett jersey in center field.
