Ralph Kiner 1922-2014

Beloved Hall of Fame Outfielder and New York Mets broadcaster Ralph Kiner died at the age of 91.  He passed away peacefully with his family at his home in Rancho Mirage, California.  The former Pittsburgh Pirate played 10 years in the majors and slugged 369 homers from 1946-1955.  He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1975 in his 15th final turn on the ballot and had his #4 retired by the Pirates in 1987.  Kiner was one of the original members of the New York Mets broadcast for WOR-TV in 1962 including fellow broadcast legends Bob Murphy and Lindsey Nelson.  He would remain a part of the Mets broadcast for almost 6 decades with the network and then WPIX in New York, despite his declining health.  He suffered from Bell's Palsey in 1999 significantly debilitating his speech, but returned to the air (albeit sparingly) the following season and throughout the rest of his life.

A fixture of Mets baseball, Kiner is remember for irreverant errors during broadcast such as calling All-Star Gary Carter, Gary Cooper in his Mets debut, referring to his broadcast partner Gary Cohen as David Cone, the Mets starter that night and stated Tony Gwynn was named player of the year for April.  

Also, my personal favorite: "It's Father's Day today at Shea, so to all you fathers out there, Happy Birthday."

Kiners Korner was another staple of Mets baseball with Kiner as its host.  After Shea Stadium opened in 1964, a studio was built where Kiner would interview players as part of the post game wrap up after each Mets home game.  The name was derived from Kiner's Pirates days when he manned left field at Forbes Field.

Kiner is survived by five children and twelve grandchildren.