On July 13th, 1993, Minnesota Twins great Kirby Puckett homered and doubled in the 1993 All-Star Game at Camden Yards in Baltimore. Kirby was awarded the MVP award as the American League defeated the National League 9-3.

I was lucky enough to move to the Twin Cities and to begin going to Twins games regularly in 1986. That meant I saw Kirby Puckett play in person, a lot. For a few years I went to at least one game per series at the Metrodome, sometimes two or three. I worked at a publishing house two blocks away from the stadium and was a bachelor with a lot of time on his hands.

There was one seat in the old Metrodome that kind of hung over the centerfield wall a bit. If I got to the game early enough, and was not at the game with someone else, I headed right to that seat. It was the perfect place to watch Kirby in action.

Kirby was a special player, charismatic and talented. He was one of those players that you stopped what ever you were doing when a ball was hit to center field or he was up to bat. A free-swinging, hit-machine, there were times when Kirby carried the club on his back, like Game 6 of the 1991 World Series.

After Kirby retired, a lot of less-than-savory stories came out about him. I never know what I am supposed to do with that kind of information, or how I am supposed to feel. This is one of the many reasons I do not read biographies of writers or politicians that I admire.

Hemingway was a jerk, okay, but he could write like an angel. Kirby played baseball like an angel would– if an angel had tons of charisma and could hit a major league fastball in or outside the strike zone.

Kirby was voted into the Hall of Fame in 2001. He died at the age of 46 in 2006. He had feet of clay but could jump incredibly high for a short guy.

Kirby was the most fun player I have ever seen play in person. And I got to see him play often. Even from a seat that was partially into his office. How lucky am I?