"I hope I get in," Kirby Puckett says over his cell phone -- and we're assuming here that he's referring to the Hall of Fame, not his frozen SUV. "If I get in, there will be happiness for everybody."

Kirby Puckett was one of the most dominant players of his era.(Allsport)

He doesn't define "everybody," nor does he need to. Despite the freezing cold and the snowdrifts packed higher than the Mall of America, just think how much colder a place Minnesota would be without Kirby Puckett.

When he speaks, the temperature in the immediate area automatically shoots up 15 or 20 degrees. His smile alone is worth an extra 10. For 12 seasons, he gave Minnesotans a reason to pay attention to baseball. Then, when his career tragically was cut short by glaucoma in 1996, you know what?

His smile never left.

Puckett today is legally blind in his right eye, but even with one good one, his vision remains clearer than that of most people. He always did have a zest for life, and even when his first love, baseball, was cruelly yanked away from him when he was still in his prime, that zest never waned. Today, Puckett is an active parent (Catherine, 10; and Kirby Jr., 8), remains active with the Twins in both front office and coaching (during spring training) positions, fishes and, most of all, is still the life of the party wherever he goes.

"Life's OK," he says. "I've got no complaints."

Five seasons after his premature retirement, Puckett should be the life of the party at next summer's Hall of Fame induction. Ballots, mailed to eligible members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America in early December, are due by the end of the month. Results will be announced in mid-January.

"I don't know if I'm supposed to be nervous or what," Puckett says. "I don't know how I'm supposed to act. I'm doing this on my own. I'm just going day to day like I usually do. I'm just doing a lot more interviews. Everybody wants to talk.

"I don't know what they want to talk to me for. I can't do anything."

In his first year on the ballot, Puckett presents a very intriguing choice: When his career was taken away from him, he had not yet collected 3,000 hits (he finished with 2,304). He finished with just 207 home runs. He never won an MVP award (although he finished in the top 10 in voting over four consecutive seasons).

On the other hand, he was one of the most dominant players during his era. He played a huge role in propelling the Twins to two World Series titles over a five-year span (1987 and 1991). At the time of his retirement, his .318 lifetime batting average was the highest by a right-hander in the second half of the century.

"I think I put the numbers up to do it," says Puckett, a 10-time All-Star and the winner of six Gold Gloves. "A lot of people speculate that I don't have first-ballot numbers. But having integrity, making the team better, if those are the things people are looking for, all of those intangibles ... I've done exactly what it was that I was supposed to do.

"I played 12 years, and I could have achieved more. I think I would have."

Regardless, Puckett packed more into 12 years than most players are able to squeeze out of much longer careers.

The two World Series titles, of course, remain his pinnacle.

"That's what you play for, to win a world championship," Puckett says. "I can honestly say I was part of the first Minnesota team to actually win anything. The Vikings lost four Super Bowls. (The University of) Minnesota got to the Final Four.

"We were the first professional sports team to go all the way."

And Puckett was the total package. He hit for average, hit for power, was terrific defensively, ran the bases well and was a leader in the clubhouse.

"This is a very dear topic to myself as well as to all Twins fans and all baseball fans in the upper Midwest," Twins manager Tom Kelly says. "His charismatic approach, his love for the game, his love for people, the ambassador he was -- and still is -- for the game.

"He made people around him better. He made the manager better, I know that for sure.

"He's definitely a Hall of Famer. He's got the numbers to back it up. Does he have longevity? Unfortunately, the glaucoma happened. I hope he gets in on the first vote."

It could be a very big winter in the upper Midwest. St. Paul-native Dave Winfield, a member of the 3,000-hit club who also briefly played for the Twins, is on the ballot for the first time and should get in.

Two others remain longshots but have some deserved support: longtime Twin Bert Blyleven, who ranks third on baseball's career strikeout list; and St. Paul native Jack Morris, the winningest pitcher of the 1980s who was stunning in pitching the Twins to a 1-0, 10-inning victory over Atlanta in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series.

Jim Rice, Gary Carter, Dale Murphy, Bruce Sutter, Rich "Goose" Gossage, Steve Garvey, Tommy John, Jim Kaat and Dave Parker are among the others who will be nervously hoping for mid-January telephone calls.

"I wish Robin Yount or George Brett would call me to tell me the way I'm supposed to act, the things I'm supposed to do," Puckett says, referring to two members of the Hall's Class of 1999.

Thing is, Puckett already has acted the way he's supposed to act and done the things he is supposed to do.

"Years from now, people will look at Puckett's stats and not be able to appreciate what he meant to the game," Andy MacPhail, former Twins general manager and current Chicago Cubs CEO, said shortly after the sad Puckett retirement news conference in 1996 that produced enough tears to help supply some of the state's 10,000 lakes.

But his inevitable election to the Hall -- and, yes, it says here that Puckett is a first-ballot Hall of Famer -- at least will help some people put Puckett in perspective.

Short hops

• Among those eligible for consideration during next year's Hall of Fame balloting: Andre Dawson and Ozzie Smith.
• In baseball's version of a Heisman Trophy campaign, the Red Sox and the Twins have mailed out fliers promoting Jim Rice and Bert Blyleven.
• After this winter's star-studded free-agent market that included Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, Mike Hampton and Mike Mussina, the quality of next winter's could be close. Among the potential free agents (barring new contracts with their current teams) are Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, the Cubs' Sammy Sosa and A's first baseman Jason Giambi.
• Houston's Jeff Bagwell would have been a part of next year's free-agent class had the Astros not re-signed him last week.
• Of course, next year's free-agent class might never materialize. If a war develops between the players and owners that threatens the 2002 season, there is the real possibility that the owners could order a signing freeze next Nov. 1.
• It might never be as good a time to visit Detroit's new Comerica Park as it will be in 2001. While many other clubs are raising ticket prices this winter, the Tigers actually reduced prices in three categories and announced that they will hold the line on prices in all other areas. What were $60 Tiger Den seats in six sections will be $35 each, while seats in certain other sections will be reduced from $50 to $35 and from $25 to $15.
• The price reduction in Detroit, while certainly a welcome move for the fans, apparently is a concession that Tigers owner Mike Ilitch, concerned about paying for Comerica Park in light of a potential work stoppage, has ordered the team into cost-cutting mode.
• It was a minor deal last week, but in case you missed it, the Orioles closed a historical chapter with the minor-league deal that sent Ryan Minor to Montreal. Minor was the man who started at third base when Cal Ripken's Iron Man streak ended, and he once was considered Ripken's heir apparent.
• Some team searching for a bit more offensive punch could do worse than sign Ron Coomer, a first base/DH-type who unexpectedly hit the market last week when he declined Minnesota's offer of $1.7 million and the Twins declined to offer arbitration. "The book is closed -- he's done," Twins general manager Terry Ryan told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "We had told (Coomer and his agent) that this was it. If what we had on the table Wednesday wasn't good enough, I'm done. It's as simple as that." Coomer, the Twins' All-Star representative in 1999, batted .270 with 16 homers and 82 RBI in 2000.
• Don't be surprised if David Cone returns to Kansas City to finish his career. Oakland, Baltimore and Texas also are talking with him.
• After an awful season in which he was criticized for being overweight and in poor shape, Matt Stairs is said to be diligently working out at home in Maine this winter. Which would be great news for the Cubs.
• Remember that Baltimore youth movement? The Orioles, after striking out on their first choices in the free-agent market, last week signed first baseman David Segui (34), shortstop Mike Bordick (35) and pitcher Pat Hentgen (32) to deals guaranteeing $47.1 million.
• Cleveland is talking with free agent outfielder Reggie Sanders.
• Now that Shane Reynolds is lost until May after injuring a knee in a jogging accident, Houston intends to move Octavio Dotel back into the rotation.
• One-time slugger Juan Gonzalez remains at-large on the free agent market. Baltimore owner Peter Angelos, though, recently shot down a report that the Orioles might be interested.