He's a HOF-er and was well-liked nationally. Most knew he had been battling health problems for quite a while.

A very talented, 5-tool player who may not have gotten much recognition because he played for a small-market team. Led the Twins to two World Series titles.

The irony of his demise was evidenced by listening to ESPN sports talk radio on the day following his passing. On ESPN's Mike&Mike; show, they essentially did a 4-hour eulogy for him. Then the very next show, The Herd, decried Puckett for his legal problems and all but vilified him. I didn't stick around to hear what Dan Patrick thought (he was probably talking about himself shooting an 81 at Augusta for the entire show).

Classy guy and a great player. He did have some problems but don't we all?

Kirby was a baseball legend, and he died too young. He was probably the most liked player in baseball for several years, and one of the most popular people in Minnesota. Its a shame that his life after baseball was so short, and so full of difficulties.

Kirby was to Major League Baseball what Dominique Wilkens was to the NBA: A Human Highlight Reel - it seemed that during his prime playing days, a week couldn't go by without Kirby being featured on one of those Plays of the Week wrap-ups on the news. How many times did we see him defy logic, and physics, in lifting his short hefty frame up to steal a surefire home run ball from some poor shcmuck who'd thought he had just gotten the better of Twins pitching? A bunch. And as a die-hard Tigers fan, I had witnessed first-hand the misery he had wrought on my boys whenever the Twins came to town. I even bore witness as he bagged his 200th career home run off of Felipe Lira at old Tiger Stadium late in the 95 season. It was just over a month later, after hitting that home run, that Kirby would be on the recieving end of an errant pitch from Indians pitcher, Dennis Martinez, which would shatter his jaw and burst an artery in his mouth. It has been speculated about that this incident is what may have caused him the glaucoma that ended his career the next season, and some have even speculated that it led to his suceptibility to the fatal stroke he suffered. Perhaps we're better off not knowing, if that was the case...for Dennis's sake. Kirby will be remembered for his energtic presence on the field, who had some flawed and human moments off. He was a worthy first-year inductee into the Hall of Fame, the most valuble player in Twins history and nothing less than a baseball legend, who cashed in way too early.

I found out this morning that Kirby Puckett had a stroke last night but didn't expect the worst to happen. He died this afternoon at only 45. His career was cut short in '95 due to glaucoma and loss of vision in the right eye. This caused him to gain a lot of weight and his friends were concerned for his health. He will be remembered as a great player who spent his career with the Twins, and as a good natured man who always had a smile on his face.