Editing Kirby Puckett (section)

===Retirement===
{{MLBBioRet
| Image  = KirbyPuckett_Twins.png
| Name   = Kirby Puckett
| Number = 34
| Team   = Minnesota Twins
| Year   = 1997
}}

After spending the spring of 1996 continuing to blister [[Spring training#Grapefruit League (Florida)|Grapefruit League]] batting with a .344 average,<ref name="startribune.com">{{cite news|url=http://www.startribune.com/sports/11709746.html|last=Christensen |first=Joe|title=Goodbye, Kirby|date=March 6, 2006|work=Minnesota Star Tribune|access-date=October 6, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006105640/http://www.startribune.com/sports/11709746.html|archive-date=October 6, 2014}}</ref> Puckett woke up on March 28 without vision in his right eye. He was diagnosed with [[glaucoma]], and was placed on the disabled list for the first time in his professional career. Three surgeries over the next few months could not restore vision in the eye.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_n25_v89/ai_18260230/?tag=content;col1 |title=Kirby Puckett battles glaucoma; star outfielder undergoes laser eye surgery |access-date=September 10, 2009 |magazine=Jet |year=1996 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120708060406/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_n25_v89/ai_18260230/?tag=content;col1 |archive-date=July 8, 2012 }}</ref> When it was apparent that he would never be able to play again, Puckett announced his retirement on July 12, 1996, at the age of 36.<ref>{{cite news|url = https://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=jp-puckett030606&prov=yhoo&type=lgns |title = Puckett's Abrupt Ending |date=March 7, 2006 |access-date=September 18, 2024 |work=Yahoo Sports }}</ref> Following his retirement, the Twins made him an executive vice president of the team.<ref name="auto"/> 

Puckett received the 1996 [[Roberto Clemente Award]] for community service.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/03/06/obit.puckett/index.html|title=Baseball great Kirby Puckett dies – Mar 7, 2006|publisher=[[CNN]]|access-date=October 6, 2014}}</ref>