Ralph Kiner died yesterday at the age of 91. He was one of the greatest home run hitters in baseball history and a personable, entertaining New York Mets’ broadcaster in all 52 of their seasons to date.
He was one of the three Mets’ broadcasters along with Lindsey Nelson and Bob Murphy from (1962-1978). They were an outstanding trio broadcasting on both radio and television.
Kiner was on radio in the top of the ninth inning of game three of the 1969 NLCS. The Atlanta Braves were down to their last out. The pitcher was Nolan Ryan in relief, the batter Tony Gonzalez.
Kiner intoned “a curve tapped out to third, Garrett(Wayne), has the ball, the throw to first and the Mets are the National League champions!!” A great call and memory!
I met Kiner a few times, the last was a couple of years back when Ralph was approaching his 90th Birthday. His memory at his advanced age was sometimes cloudy at this point. We were siting in the press room at Citi Field when he could not remember which Cardinals’ pitcher surrendered his first hit, and I reminded him it was Johnny Beazley. Helping Ralph to recall such a significant moment in his career made me feel good.
Cue the heavenly broadcast: “This is Lindsey Nelson with Bob Murphy and Ralph Kiner.” Then the signal fades. If only we knew from where it originated. If only we could hear more!
Ralph Kiner and Elizabeth Taylor
Maximilian Schell, who died last week at age 82, was one of the greatest actors in history. Few if any gave performances as great as he did both in film and on the stage.
As “The Man in the Glass Booth,” not only was his performance in the film “relevant,” as his accused war criminal character intoned, but among the best you will ever see.
Schell won the 1961 Academy Award for “Judgment at Nuremberg” and was nominated for his performance in “The Man in the Glass Booth”
Far deeper, brighter and cogent people than me, could not possibly justify, rationalize or even find any understanding regarding the horrors of events in Europe during the 1930’s and 40’s.
Tragically and criminally, people were systematically killed.
In watching Schell in both “Judgment” and “Glass Booth” one can gain insight into the complexities of sick, disturbed evil. He was a refugee from those horrors in real life, yet he was great and convincing in his roles as a war criminal, in “The Man in the Glass Booth,” and a defense attorney for them, in “Judgment at Nuremberg.”
Maybe Mr. Schell in “heaven,” can help create a karma that will trend toward good, or at least far from such horrible evil on this oh so vulnerable planet.
The Seattle Seahawks first Super Bowl victory reduced the number of franchises without a Super Bowl victory to 13.
Only four teams, the Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars and Cleveland Browns have never been to a Super bowl.
And the Lions are the only team to have been around for all 48 Super Bowl seasons and never made one. They have only been to one semi-final/conference title game.
The Texans, Jaguars and Browns were expansion teams. The Jaguars have played 19 seasons. The Browns have played 15 seasons while the Texans have played 12 seasons.
Both the Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills are (0-4) in Super Bowls.
The Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles are each (0-2). That leaves five teams with a loss in their only Super Bowl appearance.
Those teams are the Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Tennessee Titans and the San Diego Chargers.
Oh I want to be positive, but it is so difficult when Hall of Fame voting is involved.
Anyway, it’s about time, and better late than never: Ray Guy, the great Raiders punter, is finally going into the Football Hall of Fame.
He is the first punter to get the honor. Why only one and why so long?!
Maybe the “league forces” not only made Guy wait until Al Davis (Oakland and LA Raiders owner) died, but until his body got much colder.
This before the greatness of Guy and the genius of Davis making him a first round draft pick, would be recognized.
The Seattle Seahawks became the 19th NFL franchise to win the Super Bowl, after annihilating the Denver Broncos in the 48th edition of the game.
Seattle’s Super Bowl record is now (1-1), having lost in their first Supe appearance to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The city of Seattle is now (2-3) playing for championships. In the NBA, Seattle’s SuperSonics were (1-2). They can win no more titles for Seattle as they became the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Broncos are now (2-5) in Super Bowls. They yielded over 35 points in four of those losses and lost by at least 17 points in all five.
The city of Denver is now (4-6) playing for championships. The NHL Colorado Avalanche are (2-0) while the MLB Colorado Rockies were swept by the Boston Red Sox in their only World Series appearance.
Denver vs Seattle
The Seattle Seahawks routed the Denver Broncos (43-8) and won their first NFL championship.
It was the first Super bowl rout in 11 years, as Seattle built a (36-0) lead vs Peyton Manning and the Broncos.
Seattle coach Pete Carroll became the third man to coach both a college and pro champion.
In 2005, Carroll’s USC team lost in the finals/championship game. That same year, the Seahawks were denied a championship, losing in the Super Bowl.
Now together, Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks have won it all.
Both Super Bowl participants lost in the divisional round last season. Each lost when their opponent kicked a field goal.
The Denver Broncos lost to the Baltimore Ravens in overtime. That was the first game of the divisional round. Justin Tucker’s overtime field goal eliminated the Broncos.
The next day the Seattle Seahawks lost a heartbreaking game to the Atlanta Falcons. Matt Bryant’s field goal in the waning seconds eliminated the Seahawks.
Now they face each other in the Super Bowl. Of course one team will have to lose. Recent history suggests a close game, a field goal difference, a distinct possibility.
I will predict close, not that close. Denver to win (24-16).
In the midst of all the Super Bowl hype, my thoughts turn to baseball, pure baseball when teams had to finish first and publications other than The Wall Street Journal were popular reading matter among the players.
Where oh where is 1962 in the National League? That year as was the case 11 years earlier, the Giants rallied in their last at bat of a decisive third game of a playoff, to win the pennant vs the Dodgers. In 1951 the New York Giants beat the Brooklyn Dodgers.
In 1962,the teams were situated three thousand miles to the west, the Giants in San Francisco and the Dodgers in Los Angeles.
Again the losing Dodgers had to go home, not to the post season as the wild card team. The drama was so much greater than if there had been the “safety net” of a wild card berth for the playoff or pennant runner up.
Thoughts abound concerning the likes of Orlando Cepeda and his 46 home runs in 1962. Willie Mays also of the Giants and his two home runs in the first playoff game.
Maury Wills of the Los Angeles Dodgers stole 104 bases and Tommy Davis also on the L.A. team, had one of the great offensive seasons ever.
Also 1962 was the New York Mets’ first season. A great year indeed!
Click for a surprising 1962 video
Both coaches in this year’s Super Bowl are seeking their first pro championship.
Seattle Seahawks’ coach Pete Carroll, in his first Super Bowl, hopes to join Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer as the only coaches to win both college and pro football championships.
Denver Broncos’ coach, John Fox
lost in his only previous Super Bowl when he coached the Carolina Panthers. The New England Patriots, coached by Bill Belichick, won that Super Bowl game by three points.
In this year’s AFC Championship game Fox’s Broncos defeated the Patriots and their coach Bill Belichick.
I think both men are fine coaches who take chances. Carroll’s decision to go for it and not attempt a field goal in a 4th and 7 situation in the NFC Championship game, was a great example of such coaching decisions.
John Fox
Pete Carroll
One of my favorite Super Bowl games was #5, played in January 1971. In the game, the Baltimore Colts edged the Dallas Cowboys on Jim O’ Brien’s last second field goal.
The Colts had opened that season with a win against the San Diego Chargers, also on a last minute O’Brien field goal.
The 5th Super Bowl was considered a comedy of errors by some, a hard hitting thriller between two teams stocked with future Hall of Famers, by ones who know better.
Ted Moore had been the radio announcer for the Green Bay Packers championship run during the 1960’s. Two of the great Green Bay wins were vs Dallas, consequently were also heartbreaking Cowboys’ losses.
By the time of Super Bowl 5, Moore, another great announcer from the past, was the voice of the Baltimore Colts.
I remember being surprised at this coincidence when I bought the Colts’ record album from Fleetwood Recording Company.
That Super Bowl provides great memories of Colts like John Unitas, Earl Morrall and Ted Hendricks, “The Mad Stork.”
There are equally great memories of Cowboys Bob Lilly, Duane Thomas and Chuck Howley.
Lilly having suffered yet another heartbreaking defeat leaving he and the Cowboys still in quest of their first Super Bowl win, threw his helmet high in the air after O’ Brien’s field goal.
The next year would be Lilly and the Cowboys’ moment, another of my favorite Super Bowl games, when Dallas beat the Miami Dolphins.
click to see some Super Bowl V moments
Andy B Sports 