Kirby Puckett

Puckett was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, in 2001. He was the third youngest player still living at the time of induction to receive the sport's highest honor, behind only Lou Gehrig and Sandy Koufax. Twelve busloads of fans from Minneapolis-St. Paul came to support their favorite son at the ceremony, many wearing Puckett's Number 34 jersey. At his acceptance speech, he told the crowd, "Don't feel sorry for yourself if obstacles get in your way. I faced odds when glaucoma took the bat out of my hands, but I didn't give in or feel sorry for myself. It may be cloudy in my right eye, but the sun is shining very brightly in my left eye."

Kirby Puckett followed his dream as a young boy growing up in the inner city of Chicago, and it led him to stardom. He appears to have remained humble throughout the process, however, and thankful for the years he had as a player as well as for the years ahead. As a young player he did not let his short stature prevent him from becoming a strong and gifted hitter and fielder. Instead of becoming discouraged, he hung a photo of an even shorter player, Hall of Famer Hack Wilson at 5'6" and 190 pounds, for inspiration. While playing award-winning ball games, Puckett still found time to give back to his community, and even after losing part of his eyesight continued to serve in an uplifting way.