Kirby Puckett
FameRank: 6

"Anthony Kirby Puckett" was a professional Major League Baseball (MLB) center fielder who spent his entire 12-year career playing for the Minnesota Twins (1984–1995). He is the Twins' all-time leader in career hit (baseball)/hits, run (baseball)/runs, double (baseball)/doubles, and total bases. At the time of his retirement, his .318 career batting average was the highest by any right-handed American League batter since Joe DiMaggio.

Puckett was the fourth baseball player during the 20th century to record 1,000 hits in his first five full calendar years in Major League Baseball, and was the second to record 2,000 hits during his first ten full calendar years. After being forced to retire at age 35 due to loss of vision in one eye from a central retinal vein occlusion, Puckett was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum/Baseball Hall of Fame in Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, 2001/2001, his first year of eligibility.

More Kirby Puckett on Wikipedia.

Tomorrow is not promised to any of us.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: It may be cloudy in my right eye, but the sun is shining very brightly in my left eye. And just think how the sun has shined, right up to the doors of this great hall, the shrine for the greatest game in the world and the greatest players in the world ? baseball.

I'm retired, man. I'm loving it. Just being a bum. I kind of like it.

Yeah, I've been here, man. Where these guys are, I've been there. I guess it comes to a point in your career where it feels good for me to come back, to give something back like this.

All I can do is go out and play as great as I know how. I'm a professional. I didn't come here to just go through the motions, even when you're out of the playoff chase.

I was told I would never make it because I'm too short. Well, I'm still too short. ... It doesn't matter what your height is, it's what's in your heart.

Man, you make me feel old.

I don't work with the younger players. That's the manager's department. What I can do is go out and play as hard as I can.

Man, see, you should have picked up that bat and baseball and learned to play the game when we were trying to teach you. You ain't going to make no money in journalism.