Dave Winfield, George Steinbrenner's "Mr. May," will be Cooperstown's "Mr. August" this summer when he and former team mate Kirby Pucket are inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Winfield and Puckett, good friends and one-time teammates, were elected in their first year of eligibility Tuesday.

Puckett played his entire, injury-shortened 12 year career with the Minnesota Twins, while Winfield is probably best remembered for his years as a New York Yankee.

Puckett led the Twins to a pair of World Series titles, in 1987 and 1991, drove in over 1,000 runs and hit over .300 every year except one from 1986-1995, including .356 in 1988 and .339 in 1989. He was also one of the most popular players in the game during his career.

Winfield was a Hall of Fame lock, collecting 3,110 hits and 465 home runs, and driving in the winning run of the 1992 World Series for the Toronto Blue Jays against the Atlanta Braves.

This year's Hall of Fame Induction ceremony is set for Aug. 5 on the grounds of the Clark Sports Center, and will also include any Veterans Committee electees from their March 6 meeting.

In separate conference calls Tuesday afternoon, both Puckett and Winfield said going into the Hall of Fame together will make a special time even better.

"Kirby was the most positive player on a day-to-day basis that I ever played with," Winfield said. "His attitude was infectious, and I could certainly see why he was able to lead the Twins to two World Series titles."

Puckett remembered playing in New York as a rookie, and Winfield called him over to have a word after batting practice.

"He said 'Kid, tonight after the game I want to take you out to dinner,"' Puckett recalled. "I thought he was kidding at first, but we went out and talked about baseball and about life, and I consider him one of my best friends."

Winfield, who played for six teams during a 23-year career, is most likely remembered for his tempestuous years as a New York Yankees. In the 1981 World Series, Winfield was 1-21 as the Yankees lost to the Dodgers, prompting Steinbrenner to label him "Mr. May."

"The Yankees have done some great things for me in recent years, and I hope New York fans remember the player I was and the person I was, because playing there were some of the best years of my career and life," Winfield said.

Before the election, there was much speculation about what team Winfield would represent in the Hall of Fame. He began his career in San Diego before moving to the Yankees, won a World series with Toronto and got his 3,000th hit as a member of the Twins, also his hometown. But he said he had not yet made up his mind on which cap he will wear.

"The Hall of Fame is a testament to my entire career, and right now my hat is off to all the team's I played for," he said. "I really have not given it any thought yet, and I'm going to take my time and make the decision."

Puckett said he was not overly disappointed when an eye injury forced his career to end unexpectedly because he gave his all in every game he played.

"I just thank God I played the game the way I did," he said. "I was always the first at the park and the last to leave and I played hard in every game. I had a love for the game that was unmatched and was definitely an overachiever."

Before the injury that ended his career, Puckett was never on the disabled list a single time, and said he took more pride in his defense than offense.

"I just figured anyone could hit, and I didn't want to be one-dimensional," Puckett said. "I always came early and took ground balls and fly balls and worked on my throws. When my career ended, I knew I had given everything I could."

Puckett said he never thought about the Hall of Fame during his playing days, but the magnitude of it seemed to be setting in on Tuesday.

"I was telling my kids that now their kids and their kids and their kids will know that their grandfather or great grandfather or whatever played major league baseball and is in the Hall of Fame. I'm here to stay."

...Of the record 515 votes cast by the Baseball Writers association of America Tuesday, Winfield received 435 and Puckett 423. To be elected, 387 votes, or 75 percent, were needed. Gary Carter received 335 votes, just 52 short of election...The annual Hall of Fame Game will take place Monday, Aug. 6 and will feature the Milwaukee Brewers and Florida Marlins.