RIP: Ralph Kiner

[cartman]

One of the post-WW2 baseball greats and longtime Mets announcer passed away today at the age of 91.

Baseball Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner dies at 91 | MLB.com: News (http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/mlb/baseball-hall-of-famer-ralph-kiner-dies-at-91?ymd=20140206&content_id=67508988&vkey=news_mlb)

[Lathum]

Just heard this on the radio.

A little part of my childhood died with him RIP Ralph :(

[Ramzavail]

damn :/ Kiner was the best. If you are a Met fan - Ralph Kiner had a part of your childhood, whether it be Kiner's Korner or if he was OUR Phil Rizzuto or Yogi Berra or Jerry Coleman, with his quips and sayings.

"Two-thirds of the earth is covered by water. The other third is covered by Garry Maddox."

[Logan]

As a Mets fan, it hits home. He was so great to listen to and he was sharp as hell all the way to the end. Admittedly he had some issues after his stroke a bunch of years back, and you could tell he was really struggling to get his words out at times, but from a baseball perspective there were few better. RIP.

[lighthousekeeper]

:(

[OldGiants]

The early days of the Mets were much improved by Kiner. His KINER'S KORNER post game show provided hundreds of amusing moments. A few that have stuck with me over the years:

To Clarence "Choo Choo" Coleman: "Why do they call you 'Choo Choo'?"

Coleman: "I don't know."

To Cleon Jones: "Why haven't you been hitting (until today)?"

Jones: "My feets hurt."

Also, in the early 1950's he was a key figure in getting the players pension plan implemented with prior service for older, no longer active players who needed it most.

His best quote was "Home run hitters drive cadillacs" back when that meant something.

[Suicane75]

I grew up a Phillies fan but am in an area where we also get NY stations. I have no doubt that being able to listen to Rizzuto & Kiner made my childhood so much better. I can still hear them in my head, clear as day.

[molson]

I didn't realize he was still announcing. As a kid in the mid 80s, we somehow got WWOR as one of our 13 TV channels in Central Mass on our community antenna television setup, and I watched the Mets and Kiner's Korner all the time. Then we got "real" cable, 40-something channels, no WWOR, and I don't think I ever heard his voice again.

[cuervo72]

I grew up a Phillies fan but am in an area where we also get NY stations. I have no doubt that being able to listen to Rizzuto & Kiner made my childhood so much better. I can still hear them in my head, clear as day.

I got WWOR and WPIX on my cable system (Oxford Valley Cablevision) as well. Old rotary dial box, one was L and the other N (M of course was MTV). Watched many, many Mets and Yankees games and found myself rooting for the Mets as well as the Phillies (post-83 were some really lean years for the Phils, so I had no problems with this). Kiner was definitely a part of that.

(Didn't similarly root for the Yankees, though Phil was great too.)

[oykib]

This is a sad day. I grew up following the Yanks. But the Mets had so many exciting, young players that I watched a number of their games (to root against them). WWOR and their tacky 1980s graphics were on in my house a fair bit. Kiner was one of the voices of my childhood.

[Buccaneer]

RIP. He was a monster player in OOTP5.