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30 KIrBy PucKett A Middle American Tragedy —sheRRie l. Wilson intRoDuCtion After Kirby Puckett’s death at the age of forty-five in 2006, playwright Syl Jones wrote a play, called simply Kirby, about the Minnesota Twins center fielder. The play, which premiered at the History Theatre in St. Paul, Minnesota , in October 2007, traced Puckett’s path from stardom, including his entry into the Major Leagues in 1984 and his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001, to disgrace in the wake of a highly publicized divorce and allegations of domestic violence, infidelity, and sexual assault.1 Jones compared Puckett’s life to a Greek drama, with a “rise, fall, exile [from Minnesota to Arizona] and posthumous redemption.” The story “had this intersection of sports, race and mythology,” and Jones “thought it was incredible theater and it would write itself.”2 Graydon Royce of the Minneapolis Star Tribune summed up the play’s message: “Greek literature teems with tragic heroes, and Puckett’s story has the broad strokes of legend: an explosive arrival in 1984; white-hot fame during two world championships; his stoic optimism and gratitude when glaucoma cut his career short in 1996; his fall from grace when ugly details of his sexual misconduct and divorce became public; and his death from a stroke at the age of 45, while in exile in Arizona. As in the classics, fate has given Puckett an eternal saga in place of a long life.”3 The playwright sought to portray all sides of Puckett.“It’s not a biography of Kirby,” Jones told the Star Tribune.“It is a work of fiction. But it won’t succeed unless it rings true. There’s an essence of truth.”4 The play is set in Puckett’s mind after his stroke,piecing together thoughts and memories that Puckett might have had as he reviewed his life.5 Karl Gehrke of Minnesota Public Radio described the play as portraying“the difference between baseball and life.”Indeed,during much of his career with the Twins, Puckett seemed to succeed at both, but his private life later unraveled. Jones wanted the audience to realize the dangers of worshiping heroes and placing athletes on pedestals.6 The play encapsulates the legend of Kirby Puckett—his rise, fall, and even his posthumous (if not local) redemption. The focus of this chapter is Kirby Puckett: A Middle American Tragedy 31 to examine these phases of Puckett’s life, with an emphasis on three themes played out repeatedly in media coverage of Puckett—his image as an Everyman with an average, not necessarily athletic, body; his image as a typical midwesterner who fit in with Minnesotans despite racial differences; and his image as a star athlete who contributed to the community. The coverage of these themes in both Minnesota and national media differed distinctly during the three phases of Puckett’s life. enteR kiRby puCkett The rise of Puckett’s reputation began from the moment he set foot on a baseball field with the Twins in 1984. He led the team to World Series championships in 1987 and 1991 and was voted Baseball’s Best Role Model and Friendliest Player in a 1993 Baseball America reader survey.7 His popularity with Twins fans only seemed to grow after glaucoma suddenly forced him to retire as a player in 1996 and after his selection to the Baseball Hall of Fame five years later. When Puckett woke up on March 28, 1996, a fuzzy black dot obscured his vision. The problems were traced to glaucoma, and the damage was permanent . Puckett was forced to retire immediately. The following September, the Twins and fans thanked Puckett for his contributions to the team with an hour-long pregame ceremony attended by more than fifty-one thousand people. The program included videos, speeches, and banners; Puckett told the crowd that he had “played in front of the best fans in the whole entire world.”8 Rick Shefchik of the St. Paul Pioneer Press called Puckett Twins fans’ “all-time favorite player,”praising his humility,hard work,and contributions to the community. Shefchik speculated that Puckett could be a productive member of the community for another thirty-five years. Mike Gelfand, a reporter who covered the Twins in the 1970s,said that the“best thing”Puckett did in his career was “allowing us to idealize him. People want to believe there are people out there better than they are. Maybe we ought to...

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