Notes: Twins reflect on Puckett situation
03/06/2006
BRADENTON, Fla. -- It's not very often that baseball is an afterthought for Major League players, but just one day after Kirby Puckett suffered a stroke, that's exactly the way it was for the Twins.
Reports from St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, where Puckett was moved following his surgery, said Monday afternoon that the Hall of Fame player was in critical condition. Puckett was being treated there in the intensive care unit.
The team made its trip to Bradenton, Fla., on Monday to face the Pirates in an afternoon game, but once again the thoughts of everyone in the organization were focused on Puckett.
One of the most telling signs of the impact the news had was the absence of Twins manager Ron Gardenhire. The skipper was scheduled to make the trip but after hearing about Puckett's state, he decided against it.
"Gardy was already having a tough time emotionally," Twins bench coach and manager for the day, Steve Liddle said. "He wanted to be where he could be reached. He also wanted to be where he could grieve without the game interfering today, if that situation were to come about."
That didn't happen on Monday, but the emotions of the situation hit everyone hard. It was a very silent and somber ride for all those that rode up on the bus.
"Coming up here, it was pretty quiet," pitching coach Rick Anderson said. "You're just sitting there and thinking how unfair the whole situation is."
The overall solemn mood of the Twins is a telling sign of just how much Puckett means to the organization as a whole. Many of the players involved in the game had never had contact with the former Twins player but felt his impact.
"It's been tough, seeing some of the faces in the clubhouse that know him personally, the life is drained out of them," infielder Nick Punto said. "Seeing Torii Hunter today made me a little emotional to see how shook he was. It's definitely a tough day."
The return of baseball to the field Monday afternoon made it seem like things had returned to normal, but it was far from that. Twins general manager Terry Ryan was in Bradenton to watch his team play, but said that his mind was focused elsewhere.
"Anybody that knew Kirby or has been around him, we're all thinking about him," Ryan said. "I knew, though, what he'd want us to do. Go out and do what you're supposed to do here. He'd want us to go out and play the game."
The effects of Puckett's ordeal may be felt, but most admitted that it's hard to comprehend the situation.
"It just doesn't seem like it's real, what he's going through," Anderson said. "We're hoping that things work out ... it's just been real tough."
Wishing he was here: Realizing just how few of the current Twins players have had the opportunity to meet and get to know Puckett seemed upsetting to Liddle.
Puckett had been involved with the club actively until 2002 but of that Twins team, only Hunter remains of the position players.
"Most of these guys have never really had the opportunity to be around him," Liddle said. "It's something that they've all been cheated on, because he's something special."
Minnesota man: One of the people who may be able to express most how much Puckett has meant to the state of Minnesota as a whole was the Twins starter on Monday, Glen Perkins.
A resident of Lakeville, Minn., Perkins grew up as a big Twins fans and watched Puckett play numerous times. The Twins' first-round pick in the 2004 First-Year Player Draft has never met his boyhood idol. For Perkins, the effect of Puckett still seems to be felt more as a fan than as a player.
"To me, he's the most recognizable athlete Minnesota has ever had," Perkins said. "He's right up there with [Kevin] Garnett ... only because [Garnett's] seven-feet tall. It doesn't get any bigger than Puck. When you think Minnesota, you think Kirby Puckett."
A bit roughed up: With the impressive debut that Perkins made in his first outing this spring, it was easy to forget that he still has limited experience at the Major League level.
That fact was brought back into the spotlight once again on Monday. The left-hander pitched only one inning, facing eight batters and giving up three runs on two hits and three walks. He struggled with control of his pitches, able to only keep his fastball over the plate.
The coaches weren't concerned about the outing. But the fact that Perkins lasted only one inning with his 41 pitches became a bit of a joke with the coaching staff, especially since Perkins got out of having to hit in the National League park.
"We told him in the dugout that if we knew you didn't want to hit that bad, we wouldn't have started you," Liddle said with a chuckle.
Twins tidbits: Backup catcher Shawn Wooten and his wife Marissa are the proud parents of a new baby girl. Kylee Nicole weighed in at nine pounds, two ounces on Monday. Wooten is with his family in the Twin Cities. ... Tony Batista recorded his first hit of the season, a hard grounder to left, in the second inning of the game against the Pirates on Monday. ... Pitcher J.D. Durbin put together a better outing on Monday than his first last week, pitching two scoreless innings while allowing one hit and striking out two.
Source: http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/
BRADENTON, Fla. -- It's not very often that baseball is an afterthought for Major League players, but just one day after Kirby Puckett suffered a stroke, that's exactly the way it was for the Twins.
Reports from St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, where Puckett was moved following his surgery, said Monday afternoon that the Hall of Fame player was in critical condition. Puckett was being treated there in the intensive care unit.
The team made its trip to Bradenton, Fla., on Monday to face the Pirates in an afternoon game, but once again the thoughts of everyone in the organization were focused on Puckett.
One of the most telling signs of the impact the news had was the absence of Twins manager Ron Gardenhire. The skipper was scheduled to make the trip but after hearing about Puckett's state, he decided against it.
"Gardy was already having a tough time emotionally," Twins bench coach and manager for the day, Steve Liddle said. "He wanted to be where he could be reached. He also wanted to be where he could grieve without the game interfering today, if that situation were to come about."
That didn't happen on Monday, but the emotions of the situation hit everyone hard. It was a very silent and somber ride for all those that rode up on the bus.
"Coming up here, it was pretty quiet," pitching coach Rick Anderson said. "You're just sitting there and thinking how unfair the whole situation is."
The overall solemn mood of the Twins is a telling sign of just how much Puckett means to the organization as a whole. Many of the players involved in the game had never had contact with the former Twins player but felt his impact.
"It's been tough, seeing some of the faces in the clubhouse that know him personally, the life is drained out of them," infielder Nick Punto said. "Seeing Torii Hunter today made me a little emotional to see how shook he was. It's definitely a tough day."
The return of baseball to the field Monday afternoon made it seem like things had returned to normal, but it was far from that. Twins general manager Terry Ryan was in Bradenton to watch his team play, but said that his mind was focused elsewhere.
"Anybody that knew Kirby or has been around him, we're all thinking about him," Ryan said. "I knew, though, what he'd want us to do. Go out and do what you're supposed to do here. He'd want us to go out and play the game."
The effects of Puckett's ordeal may be felt, but most admitted that it's hard to comprehend the situation.
"It just doesn't seem like it's real, what he's going through," Anderson said. "We're hoping that things work out ... it's just been real tough."
Wishing he was here: Realizing just how few of the current Twins players have had the opportunity to meet and get to know Puckett seemed upsetting to Liddle.
Puckett had been involved with the club actively until 2002 but of that Twins team, only Hunter remains of the position players.
"Most of these guys have never really had the opportunity to be around him," Liddle said. "It's something that they've all been cheated on, because he's something special."
Minnesota man: One of the people who may be able to express most how much Puckett has meant to the state of Minnesota as a whole was the Twins starter on Monday, Glen Perkins.
A resident of Lakeville, Minn., Perkins grew up as a big Twins fans and watched Puckett play numerous times. The Twins' first-round pick in the 2004 First-Year Player Draft has never met his boyhood idol. For Perkins, the effect of Puckett still seems to be felt more as a fan than as a player.
"To me, he's the most recognizable athlete Minnesota has ever had," Perkins said. "He's right up there with [Kevin] Garnett ... only because [Garnett's] seven-feet tall. It doesn't get any bigger than Puck. When you think Minnesota, you think Kirby Puckett."
A bit roughed up: With the impressive debut that Perkins made in his first outing this spring, it was easy to forget that he still has limited experience at the Major League level.
That fact was brought back into the spotlight once again on Monday. The left-hander pitched only one inning, facing eight batters and giving up three runs on two hits and three walks. He struggled with control of his pitches, able to only keep his fastball over the plate.
The coaches weren't concerned about the outing. But the fact that Perkins lasted only one inning with his 41 pitches became a bit of a joke with the coaching staff, especially since Perkins got out of having to hit in the National League park.
"We told him in the dugout that if we knew you didn't want to hit that bad, we wouldn't have started you," Liddle said with a chuckle.
Twins tidbits: Backup catcher Shawn Wooten and his wife Marissa are the proud parents of a new baby girl. Kylee Nicole weighed in at nine pounds, two ounces on Monday. Wooten is with his family in the Twin Cities. ... Tony Batista recorded his first hit of the season, a hard grounder to left, in the second inning of the game against the Pirates on Monday. ... Pitcher J.D. Durbin put together a better outing on Monday than his first last week, pitching two scoreless innings while allowing one hit and striking out two.
Source: http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/
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