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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

With Self-Pity A Viable Option, Puckett Takes Selfless Approach

Bob Sansevere St. Paul Pioneer P

On a day when he had every right to think only of himself, Kirby Puckett was worried about all the people who worried about him.

Especially the children.

“I want to tell the little kids who prayed for me that just because I can’t see doesn’t mean God doesn’t answer prayers. He answers prayers,” Puckett said. “I still can see with my left eye. I’m still alive.”

If you weren’t already choked up about the news Puckett is retiring, that would’ve done it.

Puckett affirmed something Friday evening throughout the news conference everyone dreaded would someday come. He showed us he isn’t just impressive with a bat in his hands.

He handled himself with class and a dignity you wouldn’t expect from a man who just hours earlier learned his right eye has irreversible damage and he will never play baseball again.

Then again, that’s Puck.

“That’s the way he lives his life,” Twins general manager Terry Ryan said. “It’s a shame the game will be without him. He’s one of the nicest human beings in baseball, and now he’s gone.”

During most of the news conference, Puckett’s wife, Tonya, cried.

“It’s a very sad day,” she said. Puck kept looking over at her, checking on her. He would rub her back or take a moment to wipe a tear off her cheek.

This was supposed to be the saddest of days for him, and Puckett was the one comforting others. He was the one trying to help everybody else accept the fact his career is finished.

“The world isn’t over, guys,” he said. “I can’t see out of my right eye. But I’ll have a good life.”

He looked into the crowd with his one good eye - his right eye had a patch over it and he wore sunglasses - and he saw that some of his teammates were struggling. It was an emotional time for a lot of them. There was a lot of mist in a lot of eyes. Tom Kelly, the Twins’ manager, spent most of the news conference looking down and averting his eyes from Puckett, obviously distressed that his best player and good friend would never play for him again.

“You guys know what you have to do,” Puckett told the players, attempting to lighten the moment. “If you don’t win tonight, I don’t want to talk to you no more.”

That got a laugh. Even Kelly looked up and smiled. Puckett was as light and breezy as anyone could be under the circumstances. He told Bert Blyleven, a television analyst for the Twins, that he’d better watch out because now that Puck is unemployed, he’ll be coming after Bert’s TV job.

Puckett got another laugh when he recounted a conversation with Kent Hrbek.

“I’m healthy. I’m in shape, somewhat,” Puck said. “Like Herbie says, I don’t have to stay in shape no more.”

Puck also noted Dennis Martinez was at the news conference. Martinez, in town with the Cleveland Indians, is the pitcher who hit Puckett in the left side of the face last season, shattering his upper sinus cavity and leading to speculation that pitch somehow caused Puck’s eye problem.

Puckett assured people, as did eye specialist Dr. Bert Glazer, it was highly unlikely Martinez’s pitch had anything to do with this retirement. Puck called Martinez “my good friend” and even blamed himself for getting hit. “I cheated a little and got caught out there naked,” he said.

In his own way, Puckett was letting Twins fans know they shouldn’t hate Martinez or blame him for what’s happened.

“It’s the epitome of what Kirby Puckett is about,” said Ron Shapiro, Puckett’s agent. “He always gets beyond himself to other people. He worries about everyone else in the process before he worries about himself. He handles it with a special grace.”

It was an impressive performance by Puckett, who wore jeans and his uniform shirt. Tugging on the shirt, he mentioned this would be the last time we would see him in a Twins uniform.

But not the last time we would hear from him. He said he’ll still be around the team, something he emphasized to his suddenly ex-teammates. Even if he wasn’t playing with them, Puckett wanted them to know he’ll be there watching.

“You play with pride and integrity,” he told them. “You never know. Tomorrow isn’t promised to any of us.”

Nobody knows that better than Kirby Puckett.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Bob Sansevere St. Paul Pioneer Press