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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2014
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"Darryl Strawberry has been voted to the Half of Fame five years in a row."
4
Ralph Kiner, Baseball Almanac
FACT OF THE DAY
Kiner batted in more than 100 runs in five consecutive seasons (1947-51)
TRIVIA OF THE DAY
- Baseball Reference
Q. What was the lowest slugging percentage Kiner had in a season?
A:.430 in 1946
THE MORNING BREW
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Baseball fans remember Ralph Kiner's legacy
Baseball Reference
In the right field corner of Shea Stadium, a small patch of grass sits just beyond foul territory. The field was originally known as Greenberg's Gardens. Mets' fans know it by another name: Kiner's Korner.
By the late 2000s Ralph Kiner's voice was slow and scratchy. His vocal chords worn out from years of dictating baseball to any Mets fan with a television. It wasn't the voice that made Kiner the broadcast legend that he is. It was his experience, his knowledge and his love for the game of baseball.
Younger generations of Mets fans only remember Kiner for his guest appearances on SNY's broadcasts. They hear the age in his voice, the the wisdom in his words and most of all, they see the admiration on the faces of his broadcast partners, Gary Cohen, Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez.
As long as there have been the Mets, Kiner has talked about them.
There are few people who have been around baseball as long as Kiner. When he had something to say, people listened. Whether it reflected on his
playing days as one of the greatest sluggers of his time or using his humor to describe what's happening on the field, he educated his audience.
"Home run hitters drive Cadillacs; singles hitters drive Fords."
Be it an accident or on purpose, Kiner's quips kept his audience engaged
And yet, Cooperstown knows him best for his days as a Pittsburgh Pirate, where his injury-shortened career is remembered as one of the best. Hall of Fame pitcher Warren Spahn used to say, "Kiner can wipe out your lead with one swing."
"The Mets have gotten their leadoff hitter on only once this inning," he would say.
Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig remarked that Kiner was the greatest hitter the National League had seen.
"His consistent power and patience in the heart of the* Pirates lineup made him a member of our All-Century Team and, in many respects, a player ahead of
In 1962 when the expansion Mets joined the National League they asked Kiner to accompany them.
his time," Selig said in a statement.
The Baseball Hall of Fame put Kiner's face on a plaque. The Pirates put his hands on a statue next to those of Willie Stargell, Roberto Clemente and Honus Wagner.
A year later, the first episode of Kiner's Korner aired. The show followed every home broadcast, becoming a staple for Mets' fans viewing experience.
Kiner lead or was tied for the National League in home runs in each of his first seven seasons. Kiner still holds the record for most home runs hit in a player's first five MLB seasons (215) and is sixth all-time in at-bats/home 14.1).
It was a place for him to rifle off puns and preach his philosophies of the game. Even if he had a hard time decoding the game himself.
"That's the great thing about baseball," Kiner would
about baseball" Kiner would "You never know what's going on."
say. "You never know what's going on.
In the later years, Kiner's broadcast time diminished, making his Sunday afternoon appearances on WPIX all the more special. When Kiner was in the booth Gary Cohen, Ron Darling, Keith Hernandez and the game itself took a backseat to one of baseball's finest treasures.
He was a throwback to the golden era of baseball. When those Sundays came around Mets fans didn't miss it. Regardless of the team's record, Kiner's presence was all that mattered.
This week in athletics
Ralph Kiner died last Thursday afternoon. He was 91.
— Edited by Amber Kasselman
Monday
Tuesday
Men's Basketball Kansas State 8 p.m. Manhattan
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Wednesday
Women's Basketball
TCU
7 p.m.
Lawrence
Thursday
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Friday
Softball
Fordham University
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Charleston, S.C.
Women's Tennis
Houston
11 a.m.
Houston, Texas
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Mississippi
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Baseball BYU 2 p.m. Peoria, Ariz
Women's Golf
2014 Florida State Match up
All day
Tallahassee, Fla.
Track
Tyson Invitational
All day
Fayetteville, Ark.
Saturday
Softball
Western Carolina
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Charleston, S.C.
Men's Basketball
TCU
3 p.m.
Lawrence
Softball
College of Charleston
2:30 p.m.
Charleston, S.C.
Women's Basketball
iowa State
6 p.m.
Ames, Iowa
Women's Golf
2014 Florida State Match up.
All day
Tallahassee, Fla.
Track
Tyson Invitational
All day
Fayetteville, Ark.
Women's Tennis
UT Arlington
12 p.m.
Lawrence
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Softball
DePaul
12:30 p.m.
Charleston, S.C.
Women's Golf
2014 Florida State Match up
All day
Tallahassee, Fla.
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