Kirby Puckett remains the Twins' all-time leader in hits (2,304), doubles (414), at-bats (7,244) and runs (1,071). AP

At the end of the '95 season, Puckett was hit by a pitch that broke his jaw, and in late March of '96, he awoke one morning with blurred vision in his eye. By that July, he had been diagnosed with glaucoma. He immediately retired, at 36 years old. "I just thank God that I got the chance," he told SI, "to live out the dream that I had since I was 5 years old."

Puckett was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001, on what he called one of the proudest days of his life. By 2002, though, he was embroiled in a very public and very damning divorce proceeding with his wife, complete with charges of infidelity and domestic violence. Later that year, he was accused of dragging a woman into a restaurant restroom and fondling her, though he was acquitted of the charges early in 2003.

In the past few years, Puckett had retreated from the Twin Cities and from his contact with the Twins. Friends were concerned that Puckett, who had wrestled with his weight, was getting too heavy. Some reports said he weighed more than 300 pounds at one point.

Sunday, in Scottsdale, Ariz., he suffered a stroke, and when news of his condition reached the Twins, it hit hard. The team's likeable center fielder, Torii Hunter, pulled himself from an exhibition game. Coaches were teary-eyed. Fans prayed. Friends, including Cincinnati centerfielder Ken Griffey Jr., stood vigil by his bedside. Twins owner Carl Pohlad said, "Eloise [his late wife] and I loved Kirby deeply."

It's never pretty discovering the faults and flaws of a very public man. Too many of our sports heroes, way too often, are found out to be different than they appear. Puckett, very possibly, was even more flawed than most.

But Puckett, for his 12 glorious years in a Twins uniform, meant more to his fans, his friends and his teammates than most, too. So if they choose to recall him for his effort and his joy and the way he played the game, if they look for the good in the man instead of the bad, who will blame them?

"Didn't I always have a smile on my face?," Puckett told SI back in '96. "I may not have been the prettiest thing in the world, but I gave all I had."

An ever-present smile. An infectious exuberance. Unquestioned effort.

They're all good parts of Kirby Puckett to remember.