When I was young – too young to remember the year – my uncle gave me the best birthday present I have ever gotten. It didn’t seem like much at first glance – a scrap of paper in a gilded gold frame. But what was on that paper made one little boy’s dreams.

“To Nick,

All the best,

Kirby Puckett #34″

Puckett had probably signed a million autographs by that point in his career, so the words themselves weren’t incredibly significant. But the story of how they came into my hands helps paint the picture of why this man needs to be honored.

My uncle was working at a classy restaurant, J.D. Hoyt’s, in downtown Minneapolis. A roadhouse located in the warehouse district, it was the kind of place out-of-towners heard about by word of mouth and made sure to check out when they were in town.

Although it’s not an exclusive joint, some well-known celebrities have been known to stop by when they were in town. My uncle served an array of athletes during his time there, from Shaquille O’Neal to Kevin Garnett. And then there was Puckett.

The lovable Twin was a regular. All the waiters knew him, and he knew them. But my uncle was new and didn’t know the ropes. One of the reasons Hoyt’s was so popular was that high-society folks knew they could dine in peace without being pestered by fans.

Like I said, my uncle was new.

So one day he goes up to Puckett, knowing the hall-of-famer was my hero, and calmly, politely asks for an autograph for his nephew’s birthday.

Puckett’s reaction is the reason he will always be the most beloved athlete in Minnesota sports history.

He could have made a scene, complained, cost my uncle his job. He could have responded like thousands of other athletes would have and blown him off. But, because he was Puckett, someone who cared more about the love of the game and the fans who adored him, he didn’t.

He just took the pen, signed those seven simple words, and added another boy to the congregation that worshiped in the house of Puck.

I never liked him because he was a good baseball player. That was just an added bonus. He was a man who embraced life and lived how everyone should. He never took the opportunity he had been given for granted, never acted entitled to anything. That is why he stands out.

He had his problems after his playing days – incidents that drew the ire of the national media and fan base. But no matter how far he seemed to have fallen, from his weight gain to his divorce, we stuck with him.

True Minnesotans, those who can pinpoint where his walk-off home run landed in Game 6 of the 1991 World Series, those who fondly remember the human bowling ball chugging into second base after another liner to the gap, those who remember a man putting an entire team, an entire city, on his back and carrying that load to a championship, will always remember the best of Puckett.

Two years ago today, a legend was taken from us. I never got a chance to meet Puckett and thank him for all he did for me.

To this day, two years after his death, almost 12 years since he retired and about 17 years after my first memory of him, Kirby Puckett continues to be an influence in my life. I have been given opportunities that millions never will, and as Puckett did, I want to enjoy those – not take them for granted.

So from me, and I’m sure from millions of Twins fans across the world, I would like to say thank you. You will always be remembered.