Hall of Fame Will Feature a Twin Bill

In something of a twin victory for the Twin Cities, Dave Winfield and Kirby Puckett were notified Tuesday that they had been elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility. They will be inducted at Cooperstown, N.Y., on Aug. 5.

Winfield, a former St. Paul high school and University of Minnesota star whose 22-year major league career included two seasons as a teammate of Puckett with the Minnesota Twins, was named on 435 of the record 515 ballots by 10-year members of the Baseball Writers Assn. of America. His 84.5% was far more than the 75% required for election.

Puckett, the charismatic center fielder whose 12-year career with the Twins was cut short by glaucoma and a sudden loss of vision in his right eye, was named on 423 ballots, or 82.1%.

None of the other eligible players got close, although former catcher Gary Carter, whose credentials in most categories are superior to those of 2000 inductee Carlton Fisk, received 334 votes or 64.9%--a significant jump from his 50% of last year.

Former Boston Red Sox outfielder Jim Rice was next with 298 votes, followed by former relief pitchers Bruce Sutter and Rich “Goose” Gossage with 245 and 228, respectively. Former Dodgers Steve Garvey and Tommy John remained eligible by getting 176 and 146 votes respectively, but Kirk Gibson, whose dramatic home run in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series propelled the Dodgers to their last championship, fell short of the 26 needed to stay on the ballot, getting only 13.

Winfield, one of only seven players to collect more than 3,000 hits, (3,110) and 400 home runs (465), received the news at his Bel Air home and said, “We called this Christmas around my house because it was like waiting for Santa Claus to come. No matter how prepared you are for it, no matter, what you think, it’s still emotional. This is a great day.”

A multi-sport athlete, Winfield was drafted by four professional teams--baseball’s San Diego Padres, the Minnesota Vikings of the NFL, the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA and the Utah Stars of the old American Basketball Assn. He chose baseball, joining the Padres out of college, and never spent a day in the minors. He gained his greatest renown with the New York Yankees, and also played with the Angels, Toronto Blue Jays, Twins and Cleveland Indians.

It is suspected that he will elect to have his plaque show him in a Yankee cap, but Winfield said he was not ready to make that decision, fueling speculation that he still harbors resentment toward owner George Steinbrenner. The Boss once referred to Winfield as “Mr. May” for his lack of World Series production and also hired a known gambler, Howard Spira, to dig up dirt on Winfield and his charity foundation.

“My hat’s off to all the teams that gave me the opportunity to do my thing,” Winfield said. “I didn’t want to think about the question of a hat because I didn’t want to be presumptuous. Right now, the only hat I’m wearing is the Hall of Fame hat.”

Winfield and Puckett, teammates in 1993 and ‘94, are only the fourth pair of teammates to be elected in the same year, joining Fisk and Tony Perez, inducted in 2000; Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford in 1974, and Lefty Grove and Mickey Cochrane in 1947.

The former Twins congratulated each other by phone Tuesday and said their induction will be even more special because of the opportunity to share it with a friend.

“The best thing I can say about Kirby--and I played with a lot of guys--is that he was the most positive on a daily basis,” Winfield said.

“He did something to help every player almost every day. The Twins had some fine players, but he was as responsible as anyone for bringing them together.”

There was speculation that Puckett would not receive first-ballot support because his premature retirement left some of his statistics short of Hall standards, but many voters might have given weight to his personality, accessibility and the vitality with which he played.

He won six Gold Gloves, led the Twins to surprising World Series victories in 1987 and ‘91, batted .318 with 2,304 hits and 207 homers, and accumulated more hits in his first 10 years than any player in the 20th century.

He might still be playing at 40 if he hadn’t awakened on a March morning in 1995 with hazy vision in his right eye, a victim of what Puckett calls the “quiet assassin” that is glaucoma. Puckett tried several remedies, but the condition deteriorated.

He could no longer see a 90-mph fastball, let alone hit it.

Now an executive for the Twins and national spokesman for the Glaucoma Foundation, Puckett said he is able to lead a full life and feels his election was justified.

“I was at the top of my game when I was forced to retire,” he said.

“I think you could put my numbers over 12 years up with anybody and they’d be comparable.

“I played every game like it was my last. I left my blood, sweat and tears on the field. When I retired, I never looked in the mirror one time and said I wished I would have done this or that. I was definitely an overachiever.”

The fans recognized that and still do.

Puckett attended a Minnesota Timberwolves’ basketball game in Minneapolis on Monday night and the public-address announcer introduced him and wished him good luck in Tuesday’s Hall announcement. The fans responded with a standing ovation.

Still, there is a bittersweet aspect to his election.

Two brothers--Donnie, 50, and Spencer, 46--died in the last 13 months of heart attacks. His parents are also deceased.

“I’ve lost two siblings,” said Puckett, who was drafted and signed by the Twins out of one of the poorest Chicago projects. “It’s sad that they won’t get to see this happen.

“Neither will my mom and dad, but I think they know that all the hard work and perseverance didn’t go to waste. I think they know that they’ll be with me [in Cooperstown].”

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THE FACTS

Hall of Famers by position:

Pitcher: 64

Catcher: 13

First base: 18

Second base: 15

Third base: 11

Shortstop: 21

Left field: 20

Center field: 20

Right field: 21

The Hall of Fame now comprises 251 members: 187 former major league players, 23 executives, 17 Negro Leaguers, 16 managers and eight umpires.

*

Eligible for the Hall of Fame in future years:

2002: Andre Dawson, Ozzie Smith, Alan Trammell

2003: Eddie Murray, Ryne Sandberg, Lee Smith, Fernando Valenzuela