Full Text of HR0523 097th General Assembly
HR0523 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Kirby Puckett, a member of the Major League | 3 | | Baseball Hall of Fame, was one of the most popular, all-around | 4 | | talented players of the 80s and 90s; he played his entire | 5 | | major-league career for the Minnesota Twins, and he may be the | 6 | | most popular athlete that ever played for the Twins; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, The center fielder led his team not only with his | 8 | | batting skills, but also through his enthusiasm and effort; his | 9 | | plaque at in the Hall of Fame commemorates his "everpresent | 10 | | smile and infectious exuberance; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, He was born on the South Side of Chicago in 1960; | 12 | | he was the youngest of 9 children in a small apartment in a | 13 | | housing project; he played baseball as a kid, and after high | 14 | | school he installed carpet at an automotive plant, then | 15 | | attended a baseball tryout camp, where a college coach | 16 | | recruited him; he played for Bradley University and Triton | 17 | | College; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, The Minnesota Twins selected him in the first | 19 | | round of the 1982 draft, and on May 8, 1984, he played his | 20 | | first major league game for the Twins and had four hits; in | 21 | | 1986, he was named to the American League's all-star team, an | 22 | | honor he received in 10 straight seasons; he helped lead the |
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| 1 | | team to victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1987 World | 2 | | Series; the next year was his personal best: he batted .356 | 3 | | with 24 home runs and 121 runs batted in; in 1989, his .339 | 4 | | batting average won him the league batting title; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, When the Twins returned to the playoffs in 1991, | 6 | | he led the team to victory in the American League Championship | 7 | | Series and was named the series' Most Valuable Player; in Game | 8 | | 6, he hit a single and a triple, stole a base, and in the third | 9 | | inning, made a leaping catch against the center-field wall to | 10 | | prevent Ron Gant from hitting either a home run or an | 11 | | extra-base hit; then, in the 11th inning, with the score tied, | 12 | | he hit a home run to win the game and tie the series; the Twins | 13 | | went on to beat the Braves, 1-0, in Game 7; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, Kirby Puckett retired from baseball at the age of | 15 | | 35 and passed away in 2006; therefore, be it
| 16 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 17 | | NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 18 | | we remember Kirby Puckett and his many contributions to the | 19 | | sport of baseball; and be it further
| 20 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 21 | | presented to the family of Kirby Puckett as a symbol of our | 22 | | respect and esteem.
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