I'm literally in the middle of reading this book right now. Makes you wonder what could have been.

I don't know if this is allowed on Twins Daily. If not, feel free to delete the post. 

But if someone would like to buy a copy, I'm glad to sell mine. It looks like the cheapest version on Amazon is $22.50 including postage. Send me a message and I'd be glad to work out a Venmo for $18 including postage. My hardcover copy is clean, no marks, just read once. 

Around 1984 (might have been ‘85) Tony and Kirby Puckett played on a fall league slow-pitch softball team in a league that I was in. Can’t make it up. NEVER would happen these days.

Of course we were in awe and trying to engage them the entire time. Tony was incredibly friendly, but couldn’t hardly get a word in edgewise with Puckett’s constant chatter.

I think we played them one or two double-headers. To my recollection, Oliva homered in every at-bat. After the first couple, we told him he didn’t have to run the bases. They were all no-doubters. He would have been around age 47 at the time, limping severely…but just LOVED swinging a bat. There was nobody among us 20-something year olds…including Puckett…hitting the ball as far as Tony was.

I can’t really remember his mid 60’s seasons. Started ‘remembering’ Twins games in 1968 or 1969. And I remember, at that time, my parents and uncle (who, respectively, grew up Tigers and Cardinals fans) considered Oliva to be the best player on the club. A club with Harmon Killebrew…still in his prime…on it.