Hypothetical question: Would you trade places with Kirby Puckett? (He’s the renowned Minnesota Twins baseball player who died from a stroke this week.)
Positives:
Negatives:
So, would you trade your life with him, become famous but dead at 44?
Nope.
But maybe age 64…
Nope. I have children, and I want to see them grow up. No amount of money or fame is worth not being with them.
Didn’t the “bad publicity” include things like spousal abuse? If so, then I’d have to vote a resounding no.
Not only was he “hit with bad publicity” after retirement…near the end of his career he was hit in the face with a baseball by Indians pitcher Dennis Marteniz.
I, personally, would not like to be hit in the face by a ball thrown by a major league pitcher. I think i’ll pass on being Kirby.
I would prefer to not die at age 44. How is fame worth that?
Jim
No.
Yes. And sexual harassment. He was a great ball player whose enthusiasm for the game lit up the diamond, and was notable for his civic works, but ultimately was human, just like us all, with good and bad. No, I wouldn’t trade places with him.
No. The end of his life was really pretty sad, as I see it. His baseball career - which was fabulously successful and which he seemed to enjoy as much as anyone who’s played - ended very suddenly because of the glaucoma, and from there he seemed to lose his way.
If I was going to die at the age of 44 no matter what, well, maybe. Otherwise, no way.