I Love This Game! My Life and Baseball
Posted by Rhubarb_Runner on Wednesday, July 11th, 2007 at 6:00 am
[contributed by: Rhubarb_Runner]
I Love This Game! My Life and Baseball
by Kirby Puckett
Copyright © 1993 by HarperCollins
hardcover, 238 pages, several b/w photos
From the jacket: "Kirby Puckett's incredible catch above the center field fence and his eleventh-inning home run in Game Six of the 1991 World Series turned that championship series around -- and ignited a nationwide fandom for the smiling center fielder of the Minnesota Twins. His stunning statistics, which include a career batting average ranked third among all active players, five Gold Glove awards, two World Series rings, and a perennial spot on the All-Star team, have all been accomplished by a guy with a chunky, fireplug build who admits he can't even touch his toes. Kirby Puckett's sunny disposition, his huge talent, and his obvious love for the game have won him the respect and affection of fans and ballplayers everywhere, and in this marvelous, personal account, Puckett tells us how he became the player and the person we admire today.
Puckett movingly describes his journey from a childhood spent playing ball on concrete "fields" between apartment buildings on Chicago's tough south side to a spectacular career anchoring a major league franchise. The youngest of nine children, Puckett played ball wherever he could, but few baseball scouts ventured into the housing project where his family lived.
His break came when he was discovered by a scout who had come to watch his own son play in an Illinois collegiate summer league. After a mere two years in their minor league system, the Twins gambled on a still unseasoned Puckett, calling him up to replace an ailing outfielder. He went four-for-five in his major league debut. The rest is history.
Nine years and two World Series later, Puckett continues to thrill fans with his hard-nosed approach to the game, his bold batting style and refusal to play cat-and-mouse with pitchers, and his homer-stealing catches at the center field wall. He gives us an insider's look at some of the exciting moments and great players he's encountered on the field, as well as telling the real story of his cliffhanging negotiations with the Twins after the '92 season, which resulted in a hard-won five-year contract -- much to the relief of virtually the entire population of Minnesota.
He takes us inside the locker room to experience the genuine camaraderie and team unity that keep up the "Twins mystique." Minnesota has a reputation as an always-bustling team propelled by a solid work ethic, and Puckett is a driving force behind that reputation. He introduces Tom Kelly, the highly regarded and lively team manager, and fellow Twin superstars past and present, including Frank Viola, Kent Hrbek, Gary Gaetti, Tom Brunansky, and many more.
Unswervingly upbeat, Kirby Puckett will charm readers as naturally as he charges up his teammates on and off the field with his thoroughly engaging tale of life playing hte game he loves with the team he loves."
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Last line of the book: "I'm a Minnesota Twin forever." 'nuf said.
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Personal notes:
- This book was written too early. It's conclusion takes place just following Kirby signing his long-term contract in preseason 1993 -- too early to get his take on dealing with glaucoma and life outside of baseball. But not likely that any of the later legal issues would have been covered anyway.
- Trivia: who was the "ailing outfielder" that Puckett was called up to replace?
- Trivia #2: who were the two active (then) ballplayers with a higher career BA than Puckett? I'm sure of one off the top of my head.
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#1 -- Darrell Brown?
#2 -- Wade Boggs, Tony Gwynn?
I'm going to play ignorant (easy for me to do) since I don't have the answers in front of me, and have forgotten since I put this post together a while back. Your answer for #2 is the same that I came up with. I seriously don't remember the answer to #1, but I'll post both answers after other Citizens have had a chance to think it through.
I read this book shortly after it came out, and my recollection is that, for what it is, it's pretty good. I mean, if you're looking for major revelations or salacious gossip, you aren't going to get any, but it is a pretty good telling of Puckett's basic life story.
I believe this is the book in which Puckett discussed his decision to stay in Minnesota after a lengthy courtship with Boston and Philadelphia, a prospect I found fascinating the first time I read it. Puckett the Phillie didn't interest me much, but the idea of Puckett abusing Fenway offensively was a very compelling thought.
Correct - the last chapter was the "climax" of the book, in which Kirby discusses his contract talks and his decision to stay.
I'm going along with Moss on both accounts - "Downtown" Darrell Brown as the player Puckett replaced, and Wade Boggs and Tony Gwynn as the only two active players at the time of publication possessing a higher career batting average than Puckett over a significant number of at bats.