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Everyone here has been so remarkable. It has been so wonderful to hear everyone's stories and be able to grieve together. I cannot tell you how much it's meant, and thank you, all.

I cannot even find the words to express how touching the response to this horrible tragedy has been. Just read some of the comments in the entry below. Start somewhere random and read ten of then, or fifty, or all 225, and read about the way this one man, this baseball player, has touched people. So many of the comments were from fans of other teams who wrote to express their sorrow, their admiration, even their love for our number #34. My e-mail box, too, is flooded from people around the country expressing their condolences and their tributes-what a great man to inspire all of that. How lucky we were to have him play for our team.

There have been so many stories in the last few days, in articles, on the radio, on websites--please feel free to talk about some of your favorites below. WCCO ran a two hour radio broadcast about Kirby (and FSN is running one tonight at 6:30) and it was all filled with the stories of things Kirby did, small and big, that showed how special he was. From personalizing a baseball card when he wasn't supposed to, to paying for a South African girl to get a new heart, Kirby was extraordinary.

It has been difficult for me to describe my grief to friends who do not live here, who do not follow baseball. And I am sorry for those who did not know him to grieve him. Torii Hunter's words sum it up so well--"I didn't just lose a teammate and a friend. I lost Kirby."

I hope when the Twins get their new stadium, they can find a way to call it Kirby Puckett Park. I know the opportunity to take $80 million to have Medtronic Ballfield will be hard to resist. At the same time, the entire organization has said they would not be where they are without Kirby, and I hope they can make the ultimate tribute to him. And if they can't do it, I hope Guidant, Target, Boston Scientific, Northwest, 3M, General Mills, ...whoever, can find a way to make it happen.

Three final thoughts: on Sunday night there will be a memorial for Kirby at the Dome. Doors open at 6, the ceremony starts at 7.

Also, many people have written to ask what charities Kirby supported. When he was a player he was heavily involved in Children's Heart Link and Tonya Puckett is still on the board. Make a donation, and tell them Kirby sent you.

Finally, Kirby Puckett was an organ donor and it looks as if his kidneys may help his sister, and his other organs could help as many as eight people. Look here to find out how to become an organ donor.

How lucky is the person who gets his heart?

Batgirl will write something very silly this weekend, not because her heart is not heavy, but because there is baseball to play, and as a new blogger in town says to the hypothetical question, "Should we be laughing at a time like this?" "Absolutely not. If there is one thing that Kirby would not approve of, it’s jocularity in the face of tragedy. Or doing something you love when it is hardest."

EDIT ESPN Classic will have an all-Puckett day Thursday, starting at 1 pm, which will include Game 6 of the 91 World Series.

Posted by Batgirl at March 8, 2006 09:37 AM