Sharing takes the edge off of sad reunion

By Joe Christensen, Star Tribune

Last update: March 8, 2006 - 12:08 AM

TAMPA, FLA. - There was a moment of silence for Kirby Puckett on Tuesday. Flags flew at half-staff. And the men who knew him best on this Twins team returned to work at a place called Legends Field.

Somehow, that seemed fitting.

Ron Gardenhire, Torii Hunter and Brad Radke had spent Monday in Fort Myers, Fla., grieving after Puckett's death from a stroke.

Tuesday, they had a game against the New York Yankees. It was an exhibition of little consequence, and the Yankees won 5-0.

But one thing it offered was a chance for these people to gather and share their favorite Puckett stories. To laugh and choke back a few tears. To continue grieving the loss of another baseball legend.

"I would say this is one of the saddest days in Twins history," Twins General Manager Terry Ryan said.

Still, Hunter and Radke were determined to play. Both of them said that's what Puckett would have wanted them to do.

Hunter even pictured the way Puckett would say it: "Get up, and go play this game! Forget about that [death]! Just have some fun! Keep playing this game that I taught you!"

So they played a game and shared some thoughts. Here were some of the most poignant:

Don Mattingly

His nickname was Donnie Baseball. Guess who gave it to him?

"[Puckett] was always kind of goofing around, calling me everything from 'Donnie Baseball' to 'Baseball,' " Mattingly said.

"It started at a dinner in Rochester. ... He started there and then just kept going. It stuck."

Randy Johnson

The Big Unit is famous for his scowl. Early in his career, he didn't know Puckett well.

Then one year, Johnson's mother was on a flight to watch the All-Star Game. She was having trouble getting her suitcase in the overhead bin. Guess who stood up to help?

"I don't know if [Puckett] really knew that was my mom until she introduced herself to him," Johnson said. "At that point, I just had a real appreciation for what he was all about off the field as well."

Brad Radke

One day, when he was about 14 or 15 years old, he went to watch a Twins game at the Metrodome. He was hanging next to the wall during batting practice. Guess who gave him a ball?

"After BP, [Puckett] flipped it to me," Radke said. "I came up here [to the big leagues] and told him the story. He said, 'Man, you make me feel old.' "

Torii Hunter

Even when he was a minor leaguer in the Twins system, Puckett invited him to dinner all the time. Guess who grabbed the checks?

"He would never let me pay," Hunter said. "He said, 'You just treat the next guy the same way.'

"It wasn't really about paying for the dinner. He was letting me know how to treat the next young guy, like [2002 first-round pick] Denard Span. You bring them under your wing and show them the ropes."

Ron Gardenhire

Asking Gardenhire to tell his favorite Puckett story would be like asking Tolstoy to name his favorite passage from "War and Peace." The Twins manager is a master storyteller, and Puckett left him reams of material.

"It was an everyday event," Gardenhire said. "When he walked in the clubhouse, the day brightened up."

With the New York press corps on hand, the Puckett memories kept flowing. You got the feeling it could keep going like this for weeks. Whether it's Fort Myers or Tampa, everywhere the Twins play this spring, it's bound to feel like Legends Field.