My only regret the entire evening is I forgot to bring any Kleenex.

I've heard karma is how many people come to your funeral.

I'm so glad that I got it all on tape. I still can't believe that he's gone...so young...

Angela and I think there's a child somewhere with a very special week-old kitten.

What a beautiful tribute. This was well done. It was fun to see the current Twins, the past Twins, players from the past, and all out there. It was nice to see Kirby''s family from his children, his ex-wife, his fiancee and his future young son, his brothers, and his sisters out there in the field. It was great to see the fans in full force out there. It was simply beautiful. What can anyone say?

John Gordon did a fantastic job emceeing this tribute. This was best I seen from him. I thought he did a great job coordinating everything out there. His speech on Kirby was great.

What a great job by the Twin Cities Community Gospel. Their rendeition of the National Anthem was fantastic. They did a great job of singing out there.

Speaking of singing, Jim Grant was absoultely awesome in singing the song "What a Wonderful World" That song was fitting because KIrby was one of the few people that made this world a wonderful world.

I thought it was great to see guys like Harmon, Dave Winfield, Cal Ripken Jr, Kent Hrbek, Dan Gladden, Al Newman, Gardy, former Twins GM Andy MacPhail, and TK do the speeches out there. They did a fantasitc job. I was so happy to see Dave Winfield do his speech. He brought a smile to my face as he was talking about his playing experience with Kirby. He did a great job. He did a great job electrifying the crowd along with Harmon. I thought Dan and Al were too emotional to speak much. Gardenhire was awesome. I liked that Gardy talked about as long as he is managing, he will make sure the team and its players will play the way Kirby played which is hustling around the base, play hard, and play with a sense of enthauism. I thought MacPhall's speech was very touching out there.

The clip with him being on Letterman's show was priceless. I got lot of laughs seeing Kirby do the Top 10 list about his name. I was laughing when he mentioned Kent Hrbek and Punky Brewester in terms of missaying Kirby's name.

The highlight to me was TK rounding the greats behind him as he was speaking. That was a great job by him.

The moments that was displayed on the Jumbotron was awesome. I had tears and smiles watching Kirby's highlights as a Twin.

This was a great tribute to a gentlemen and a great player. I really enjoyed it and I hope everyone that watched it on TV or at the Dome enjoyed it too. This could have went on forever IMO. You just didn't want to see this end. It was long, but it seemed quick. This could have lasted 10 hours or forever. You just didn't want to see this funeral end. I am just honored that I got an opportunity to watch this funeral. MLB.com deserves big-time props for streaming this and they did a great job.

We finally get a closure in this. It's been tough, but now life has to move on whether we like it or not. It's a shame we lost an icon, but he is in his rightful place now.

May Kirby's life and the gift he gave to those around him, may it impress upon current fans and players alike...the importance of living your life to the fullest and remembering that if you work hard...in the words of Kirby...YOU CAN ACHIEVE ANYTHING!!!

That was just beautiful. Every second of it.

Did Al Newman look as good as I think he looked?

Being a Minnesota Twins fan for all of my life and even having the opportunity of meeting Kirby in 1986 was the one of the best moments that a kid could ever have.

Today, I'm a teacher in Minnesota. My students could not figure out why I was so tore up over the death of Kirby. "You never seem him play," I told them.

Unfortunately, I could not watch the memorial service on TV due to that I get my local channels from Sioux Falls, but earlier today, I watched "The Pride of the Yankees", starring Gary Cooper, telling the story of Lou Gehrig. For us who know baseball lore, Gehrig told those folks at Yankee Stadium that "he was the luckiest man on the face of the earth." Puckett borrowed this during his official retirement from baseball in 1996.

Gehrig knew he was going to pass on due to his disease; Puckett had glaucoma. But for both players who played the game with such passion, just having the joy for the game, and having thousands of fans with an outpouring of love and adoration for their talents on-and-off the field ... it just kind of makes a person think about the connection between Gehrig and Puckett.

Now I know what those people felt on that summer day in 1939 in Yankee Stadium....

To add to a point Batgirl made, when you can make the likes of Dan Gladden, Kent Hrbek and Tom Kelly and Ron Gardenhire all have to hold back the tears, you've done something right.

It was a terrific tribute. It brought back a memory of mine from when I was about 13 or so and my Dad took my brothers and I to a Twins game - it would have been in '88 or '89. After one of the innings, they played a montage of Kirby highlights to the John Fogerty song "Centerfield." When it was done, my Dad shook his head and said to us, "Watch him and watch him closely boys, because you may never see another one better."

Thanks Dad for the great advice and thank you Kirby or inspiring it.

Rest in peace Kirby. Nothing was more fun for a baseball fan than watching you play.

I agree with everyone - that memorial was wonderful. I went alone, which made me a bit sad initially, but once I got there, I almost preferred it that way. I could see thousands of people, sure, but there were a few times that I felt that I was the only one in the seats, a few times where it felt so personal. I don't know if I'm getting it across at all here (in fact I highly doubt I am), but I'm not sure I would have felt quite the same way if I had had someone with me. I don't know.

It was hardest watching Hrbie up there - it seemed like he had such a tough time getting through it. Cal Ripken Jr. had a few lighthearted bits that were welcome, and I was very happy to see him there. Same with all the other greats, which Batgirl and Leslie Montiero have already listed, so I won't do it again here. Like being there for Puckett's 1000th RBI, his memorial service is something that I doubt I will ever forget. It was lovely seeing so many Twins fans there to remember him. What a great night, regardless of the sad reason for which we were there.

I still can't believe I heard Mudcat sing :)

I was hanging on until Killer mentioned how after the Cooperstown singing incident that Puck was supposed to sing Wonderful World at -his- funeral.

Thank the baseball gods for the MLB webcast.

Does anyone know if the webcast is online anywhere? I wasn't able to watch live but I was hoping I might be able to watch a recording of it (video or audio). I am a subscriber to MLB.tv but I haven't been able to find it.

When Harmon mentioned that, it was hard to keep the composure, but I did a lot of laughing tonight...and oh, we all definitely needed that. Seeing Torii laugh was awesome.

The entire thing was just amazing. It was so well put together. I can't wait to see what it looked like on TV.

I enjoyed watching the Memorial on mlb.tv. I wish I could have been there with my fellow Twins' fans though. That being said, it was a fitting tribute for a man that touched so many people's lives. Mudcat's performance was touching, and I've never heard Take Me Out to the Ballgame performed like that (it was so fitting though)

Secondly, I'm wondering if anyone took a picture of the jersey in centerfield? I'd love to have that as the backdrop on my computer. I've been searching for the perfect pic to memorialize Kirby, and the picture they showed on the webcast of the lone jersey was exactly what I've been looking for.

I'm looking forward to seeing it when I get my DVD.

The best thing I can say about Kirby is the best thing I can imagine saying about anyone:

"My life is better for having known you."

Adieu, Kirby.

I was unable to watch the service on tv last night because I was at the hockey game. I saw bits and pieces of it when I got home on the news. Please tell that there will be a DVD. I really want to see it. The world is a little less happy now, but it is also a little bit better because of Puck. RIP
Mary

my favorite part was at then end when all that was left was his jersey and they played highlights of his career.......THANKS PUCK FOR ALL THE GOOD MEMORIES...thanks BG for allowing us to grieve here along with you

My heart goes out to everyone in Twins Territory for the loss that you all have suffered. I feel like my good friends' uncle has passed on, and have no words to console -- just to say that while not part of the family, I knew him as well as I could and had the utmost respect for him as a man as well as a ballplayer.

The game of baseball has sorely missed him for quite some time now. We as baseball fans will miss him terribly.

Respectfully yours,
YankeeFan

"Angela and I think there's a child somewhere with a very special week-old kitten."

Perfect Kurtis.

Last night gives "Touch 'em all, Kirby" a whole new meaning.

There was not enough Kleenex in the world to prepare me for seeing that #34 jersey lying on the turf in centerfield.

Dear Mr. Chaz,

BG has posted the link to the service above.

Dear Mr./Ms. Bird,

On the Strib website, they have a photo gallery. That picture is there.

Sincerely,
BG

The link above is/was broken (BG might fix it before I even post this). Click my name for full Kirby coverage at MLB. There's a link there to the video.

Last night was perfect. Perfect in every way. I'm so fortunate that I was able to grow up watching this man play baseball the way he did - he was ours and we were his.

Last night was beautiful. At moments, it was the quietest I'd ever heard the Dome, and at moments was probably the most laughter and celebrating.

The lone trumpet at the end, with the jersey in the spotlight in centerfield, was amazingly wonderful and sad and touching and beautiful, all at once.

I just finished watching the most of the ceremony--it was beautiful--but I missed part--the tribute played on Twins web-site cuts off shortly after Mudcat Grant finished singing--something I didnt expect to hear. Does anybody know if the rest of the ceremony is available on the internet?? Would like to have seen the last part.

DAM

I saw it online and couldn't help but tear up on few occasions but I also laughed at the Letterman clip and the story Ripken Jr told.

I think Gardy was rushing b/c he didn't want to cry and the same with TK but I like TK b/c he's a gruff old man.

The playing of take me out to the ballgame was like tapps and it was so fitting.

I kept hoping for one more video clip, one more speaker, one more moment before Kirby was laid to rest for us. When my screen went black I lost it b/c for me that was like the coffin being lowered beyond my sight. It meant he was truly gone.

RIP Kirby

Thank you so very much for all the wonderful memories.

I watched the memorial on TV and was very touched. I feel so very lucky to have had the chance to see Kirby play. It breaks my heart that it all ended far too soon.

His attitude. His work ethic. His smile. Thank God for the blessing of memory.

i was lucky enough to be there with my sister, my best baseball buddy. we had such a great day all the way from being bundled up in our lawn chairs in line to watching the players hanging out on the field afterwards. one thing (among so many) i thought was very cool was during the highlight reels on the jumbotron that we've seen a million times, the crowd cheered like we were watching him live right there in front of us!

i would like to know if anything like this has ever been done for any other player anywhere. i don't know where to start looking. this was pretty darn cool and although i will alway maintain that twins fans are the best fans out there, it would be good to know there were special tributes to other great players.

if for some reason the young puckett children couldn't truly grasp just how much their dad touched people before now, i think last night was a pretty great way to show them.

I wasnt able to watch it on TV or online last night and yeah, the version on mlb.com is only an hour long. I did some sleuthing though and found a copy of the ceremony on a website used for BitTorrent downloading. If you are not against using this to find a copy of the ceremony to watch, clikc my name for a link.

If you can't get to MLB, or don't have enough time, there's a 10-minute "highlight reel" of the service at startribune.com. Click on my name for link.

When I heard that TK was the last speaker, I said to my wife, "There's no way he makes it through his speech.". God I love TK. He's that growly bear guy who really is a puppy dog in private.

Beautiful ceremony. It gave my 10 year old son a sense of what Kirby was all about. Yes he was a great player. But if on-field activity was all that mattered, you wouldn't have heard Harmon Killebrew call Kirby the greatest Twin ever (with no sense of irony).

By the way, wasn't it cool that the best singer of the evening was a retired ballplayer?

Read Britt Robson's overview at City Pages. Different take, good different.

Agent 99:

Thnx for the referral to the STRIB--feel like now I have watched enough between that and the first hour on that is on Twinsbaseball.com

DAM

The Twins website will have the whole thing up later in the day.

The whole service was wonderful.
I came home & watched it again when they did the replay on Fox at midnight.

A couple of things I noticed which were not conveyed on TV...

I wish they would have shown the effect of the lights being turned off in sequence around the Dome.
As I watched it later on TV, I realized how glad I was that I was there, since they weren't able to really show that as it happened.
For me that was another of the many powerful moments of the evening.

Another was when the crowd began to chant "Kirby, Kirby, Kirby" for the final time while the spotlight was on his jersey, glove & shoes out in centerfield.

When GB Leighton was playing the song "Bless the Broken Road", as I listened to the lyrics I thought, "This sounds like it was Jodi & Kirby's song".

Sure enough, I looked through my binoculars at Jodi, and she was singing along, holding her son's hand. He was singing along too.

When it was over, she put her arm around him & pulled him close to her.

After witnessing that, I could see how much she loved Kirby, and I'm glad that she was with him to make the last few months of his life so happy.

Here are those lyrics:

"I set out on a narrow way many years ago
Hoping I would find true love along the broken road
But I got lost a time or two
Wiped my brow and kept pushing through
I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you

Every long lost dream lead me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

I think about the years I spent just passing through
I'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to you
But you just smile and take my hand
You've been there you understand
It's all part of a grander plan that is coming true

Every long lost dream lead me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you"

And God Bless You too Kirby.

We'll never forget you. Ever...

What a wonderful tribute. The end was absolutely the best, with Kirby on Letterman and the scene with the jersey in the OF.

If anyone has an info on a DVD, I'd really like to hear it.

It was an amazing night...I was the scruffy guy that played guitar w/ Mudcat (I got the call on Sat. afternoon) and it took every ounce of my strength to not completely lose it while we were playing. I cannot begin to say what an honor it was to be a part of the tribute to my childhood hero. Mudcat is a sweet, sweet man, as well. It's been really great to see what Kirby meant to everyone.
take care,
Martin Devaney

Martin,

Well done.

Dear Mr. Devaney,

Bravo.

Sincerely,
Batgirl

Way to go, Martin. It was great.

The Twins site replay of the memorial cuts off right after Mudcat's singing; does anyone know if there's a way to see all of it? The last moments are the ones I wanted to see most...especially after reading all you guys have been saying about it. I'm still hoping to procure a copy on DVD or video somehow, but, for now, I'd love to just see it.

All:

There has been alot of talk about a dvd of the tribute, is there any reason the believe a dvd will be produced or is everyone hoping someone recorded it at home and can make available to others?

thanks

All:

Twinsbaseball.com now has the complete tribute on-line.

DAM