Kirby Puckett

Kirby Puckett's vision has improved by half since his last visit to the eye specialist, but it's still a wait-and-see situation for the Minnesota Twin. Twins general manager Terry Ryan learned the prognosis Friday in a telephone conversation with Dr. Bert Glaser, a specialist working with Puckett at the Retina Institute of Maryland. Doctors have been unable to determine why a blood vessel behind Puckett's right eye became partially blocked, blurring the vision of the 10-time all-star outfielder.

OK, everybody who thought Kirby "Union Gap" Puckett would have more home runs by now than Don Mattingly, Fred Lynn, Tony Armas, Dwayne Murphy, Jesse Barfield, Dusty Baker, Kent Hrbek, Phil Bradley, Carney Lansford and Dave Winfield combined, please raise your hands. Yeah, sure you did. Now, of all the remarkable developments in what truly has been a remarkable season so far, few rank with Kirby Puckett. When this season began, Puckett looked like about as likely a candidate to be leading the league in home runs as Whoopi Goldberg.

He has seen more faces change around him than the cast of Saturday Night Live. From John Castino and Houston Jiminez, to Steve Lombardozzi and Lester B. Straker, to Scott Erickson and Chuck Knoblauch. Yes, Kirby Puckett has seen them all come. And he has seen about a thousand of them go. But for all of those years - all eight of them - one thing has never changed: When you thought of the Minnesota Twins, you thought of him. You thought of a 5-foot-8 pudgeball scooting around center field, cranking out those 200-hit seasons like the Tony Gwynn of the Midwest.

On the brink of their second consecutive World Series championship, the Braves were visited by the ghost of their failed past. Kirby Puckett was in the stadium last night, major league baseball's guest after winning the Roberto Clemente Man of the Year Award. The award goes to the player who best symbolizes Clemente's commitment to charity work, community involvement and sportsmanship. Clemente died in a plane crash while flying supplies to earthquake-ravaged Nicaragua. "I am truly honored to receive this incredible award," said Puckett, who was forced to retire this summer because of irreversible damage to his right eye because of glaucoma.

It was the World Series that lived on the other side of midnight. And it was the World Series that proved the journey from last place to first isn't always as long as it seems. It was the World Series in which a two-run lead looked like a 1,000-run lead. And it was the World Series in which the final swing mattered more than all the rest of the swings combined. It was the World Series in which Kirby Puckett turned into Carlton Fisk. And it was the World Series in which Rick Aguilera turned into Manny Mota.

Minnesota centerfielder Torii Hunter was selected American League player of the month for April - the first Twin to win that award in 10 years. The previous Minnesota recipient was Kirby Puckett in June 1992. Tampa Bay's Paul Wilson pitched six scoreless innings against Minnesota on Thursday, before giving up four earned runs. Still, his 2.70 ERA since the all-star break last summer is the lowest in the American League during that span. By hitting his 500th career double Wednesday, Rafael Palmeiro of Texas became the 11th player in major- league history and the only active player with 450 homers, 500 doubles and 2,500 hits.

Kirby Puckett will return to the Metrodome on Sept. 7 not to be saluted by the Minnesota Twins, but to thank Twins fans for their support. Puckett, who was forced to retire July 12 after 13 seasons because of glaucoma in his right eye, will address the crowd during a special ceremony before a game against the California Angels. "I look forward to the opportunity to thank the fans for their enduring support throughout my career," Puckett said. "The fans have always been there for me, and my wife [Tonya]

The Minnesota Twins had been robbed, but they weren't ruined. Moments after centerfielder Otis Nixon took away Rich Becker's bid for a winning home run, Pedro Munoz hit an RBI single in the 10th inning last night that gave the Twins a 4-3 victory over the visiting Texas Rangers. Kirby Puckett followed Becker with a ground-rule double, and scored on Munoz's third hit of the game. Puckett tied Harmon Killebrew for the Twins' record of 1,047 runs. The Rangers remained one-half game ahead of Milwaukee for the wild-card lead.

As usual when the Minnesota Twins have a monster night, Kirby Puckett was right in the middle of things. "I feel like every time I go up to the plate I'm going to get a hit," said Puckett, who had three hits and a career-high seven RBI to help the Twins clobber the visiting Boston Red Sox, 21-2, for their sixth straight win. "I feel if I get a good pitch I'm going to get a hit. But I'm just the same old Kirby. I'm just up there hacking. " The Twins raked six Boston pitchers for a club-record 21 runs, including a record-tying 11 in the fifth and a season-high 22 hits, including 10 in the fifth, eight of which were consecutive.

On Monday, the Puck stopped here. And all Kirby Puckett did for the next three days was tell everyone he talked to how much he sure did love what he saw of Philadelphia. Then, of course, yesterday he went out and signed with somebody else. Puckett, 31, went back to his old team, the Minnesota Twins, for $30 million for five years. And once again, the Phillies were left to ponder how close they may have come to reeling in one of the biggest free-agent fish ever. "He just called me and said, 'I really was leaning your way,' " Phillies president Bill Giles said late yesterday afternoon.

NEW YORK - The New York Yankees have told Mr. October to stay away this summer. The Yankees want Reggie Jackson to steer clear of the clubhouse and team events following his pointed remarks about Alex Rodriguez and several former stars, a person familiar with the situation told the Associated Press Monday. The Hall of Famer will lay low for several weeks, the person told the AP on condition of anonymity because there was no formal announcement. Jackson was reportedly not disciplined or fined, and will remain as a special adviser to the Yankees.

Charlie Manuel had more time to remember his friend Kirby Puckett yesterday, and each story brought a smile to his face. "We used to play rough," Manuel said in the visitors' dugout at Progress Energy Park, where the Phillies played the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. "He used to pick me up by my shirt and my crotch and press me over his head. We used to put on boxing gloves and box each other in the instructional league. We used to play around. " Puckett, the Hall of Fame centerfielder who spent his entire career with the Minnesota Twins, died Monday after suffering a massive stroke Sunday.

KIRBY PUCKETT, the bubbly, barrel-shaped Hall of Famer who carried the Minnesota Twins to two World Series titles before his career was cut short by glaucoma, died yesterday after a stroke. He was 45. Puckett died at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, spokeswoman Kimberly Lodge said. He had been in intensive care since having surgery at another hospital following his stroke Sunday. Puckett carried the Twins to World Series titles in 1987 and 1991 before his career was cut short by glaucoma.

Hall of Fame member Kirby Puckett yesterday was cleared of all charges in the alleged sexual assault of a woman in a restaurant bathroom. A jury of six men and six women in Minneapolis deliberated nearly 12 hours over two days. Puckett sat still as the verdicts were read, then hugged his lawyers. The 43-year-old Puckett, who played his entire career for the Minnesota Twins, was accused of dragging a woman into the men's room, forcing her into a stall, and grabbing her breast hard enough to leave a bruise.

Minnesota centerfielder Torii Hunter was selected American League player of the month for April - the first Twin to win that award in 10 years. The previous Minnesota recipient was Kirby Puckett in June 1992. Tampa Bay's Paul Wilson pitched six scoreless innings against Minnesota on Thursday, before giving up four earned runs. Still, his 2.70 ERA since the all-star break last summer is the lowest in the American League during that span. By hitting his 500th career double Wednesday, Rafael Palmeiro of Texas became the 11th player in major- league history and the only active player with 450 homers, 500 doubles and 2,500 hits.

A woman who said she had an 18-year affair with Kirby Puckett obtained a court order barring him from having contact with her. Laura Nygren, of St. Louis Park, Minn., has accused the Hall of Famer who played for the Minnesota Twins of shoving her in his Bloomington condominium and threatening her. A judge is to decide at a hearing tomorrow if the temporary order will be made permanent. Puckett's lawyer, Beth Bryant, declined to comment. Dave St. Peter, Twins senior vice president for business affairs, said he does not comment on such matters.

One was a superstar from the moment he stepped onto the field until the day he chose to walk away. The other was denied the chance to say goodbye on his terms, but his greatness was not diminished by that. Dave Winfield and Kirby Puckett, one-time teammates, now are mated in baseball's greatest shrine, elected to the Hall of Fame yesterday. The duo, winning election on their first try, become only the seventh pair of teammates to earn induction on the same ballot. Winfield earned 84.5 percent of the vote, Puckett 82.1 from the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

Beware of public pronouncements on April 1. The Baltimore Orioles postponed yesterday's home opener because of strong winds and chilly temperatures. Some fans thought this was merely an April Fool's Day joke - the temperature at game time was a balmy 58 degrees. So they showed up anyway. "I've seen games played in Chicago with more wind than this," said fan Leroy Herman. "We're disgusted. " This was the second straight year that the Orioles postponed their home opener.

On the brink of their second consecutive World Series championship, the Braves were visited by the ghost of their failed past. Kirby Puckett was in the stadium last night, major league baseball's guest after winning the Roberto Clemente Man of the Year Award. The award goes to the player who best symbolizes Clemente's commitment to charity work, community involvement and sportsmanship. Clemente died in a plane crash while flying supplies to earthquake-ravaged Nicaragua. "I am truly honored to receive this incredible award," said Puckett, who was forced to retire this summer because of irreversible damage to his right eye because of glaucoma.

Kirby Puckett will return to the Metrodome on Sept. 7 not to be saluted by the Minnesota Twins, but to thank Twins fans for their support. Puckett, who was forced to retire July 12 after 13 seasons because of glaucoma in his right eye, will address the crowd during a special ceremony before a game against the California Angels. "I look forward to the opportunity to thank the fans for their enduring support throughout my career," Puckett said. "The fans have always been there for me, and my wife [Tonya]