The post game broadcast after a baseball game has come a long way with graphics, analyzing that at times makes one wonder is this baseball or metrics beyond understanding. The sets have changed and so has the talent explaining and breaking it down to the baseball fan and those who follow from time-to-time
Then there is” Kiner’s Korner” which many can say was the innovator of a post game broadcast. And it all started with Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner, the late home run hitter who had his corner when hitting the ball out of the ballpark in Pittsburgh during his tenure with the Pirates. After a telecast of a New York Mets game there was that anticipation of viewing the post game broadcast known as “Kiner’s Korner, and of course hosted by Ralph on WOR TV Channel 9 in New York which was the television home of the Mets.
Kiner was one of the original Mets broadcasters that also included the late Lindsay Nelson and the late Bob Murphy.
“Ralph Kiner was revered not only for what he would say, but more importantly for how he would say it,” are the words used by Tim McCarver in the foreword of the book “Down On The Korner-Ralph Kiner and Kiner’s Korner” co-authored by Mark Rosenman and Howie Karpin and published by Carrel Books.
Rosenman, a sports talk show host in the New York area who reports on the Mets and Karpin, a Bronx native, who has been a sports reporter for more than thirty years to go along with duties as a senior official scorer of Major League Baseball games in New York, reminisce and get the compelling accounts from those who walked to the “Kiner’s Korner” small studio that was adjacent to the Mets locker room in the bowels of Shea Stadium that was once home for the team.
And if you were a fan of the Mets, you had to watch “Kiner’s Korner.” Because, at the time it was the original and brief postgame broadcast that got into the game. More so, it was question of who would appear on the small set that had a camera or two, and what would be the parting gift that the star player or two would receive for appearing on the show.
It wasn’t always the questions that Ralph asked the ballplayer he had on the broadcast. It was always a guess: Would they get a $ 50 dollar bill for appearing that the player would use at their favorite restaurant, or was it a wrist-watch that was supplied by the sponsor? Then there were the mispronouncing of names that Kiner was known to do, and he had a way of making the correction and getting out of the mistake with a little humor.
The sponsors would also get their share of the name being changed on the air but as accounts in the book tell, when Kiner read it on the air there was no harm done. Because Ralph Kiner was so loved, and doing something original and by himself, it became a bit of humor. The honor of being on the show meant meeting Kiner, listening to his stories and knowledge of the game.
It was like meeting a President of the United States or greeting a pope in Rome. Those recollections are told from the many guests that appeared on the show from the early 1960’s into the 1990’s. The authors were able to track down the many who Kiner had on the broadcast and compiling first hand accounts are what make “Kiner’s Korner” and the man so special.
There is the account from Ron Swoboda. He played six of his major league seasons with the Mets and is known for making that great game saving and diving catch against the Orioles in the 1969 World Series.
“My favorite story involved the actress, Jamie Lee Curtis,” as Swoboda is quoted. “He “Kiner” went out with Jamie Leigh, her mom, back when he was one of the most eligible players. He could have modeled. He was a California guy. One day, Jamie Lee Curtis was coming through the broadcast area and Ralph came out and popped his head out there. I don’t think she was looking for him but he said, ‘Jamie Lee, I dated your mom’ and she looked at him and said, ‘Daddy.”
“Never missed a beat. We should all live our lives like that. It was so funny when I told that. He didn’t forget anything.”
And there was that theme song of the show that was original and simple. None of those elaborate graphics and many accounts regarding how the player was told that Ralph wanted you as a guest on the show. No time to shower, the players would take that simple walk to the studio where Kiner awaited their presence and for the first time they saw a brief clip of the play for the first time.
See there was no ESPN highlight reel back then, and there was only so much that could be done in a 15-minute broadcast. After reading, the good old days of a post game broadcast come to life again. It was simple, to the point and most of all informative for the fan to watch.
“Mark and myself did the research and compiled as many of the stories we could get,” Karpin said. “It was a task and one of the most enjoyable books to do because there are so many stories about Ralph Kiner and the show that are memorable.”
And the malaprops that Kiner was known for. Humorous and again it was all a part of “Kiner’s Korner.” Perhaps the most memorable “Kinerisms” is renaming the bank sponsor, Manufacturer’s Hanover Trust, “Manufacturers Hand-over Trust.” and calling Mets catcher Gary Carter the actor, Gary Cooper.”
That was bypassed and the authors tell you why. Along with these other malaprops:
- “Hello everybody, welcome to “Kiner’s Korner” I’m Ralph Korner”
- “Solo homer usually come with no one on base.”
- “All of his saves have come in relief appearances.”
- “The Hall of Fame ceremonies are on the thirty-first and thirty-second of July.”
- “Runner on second, first , and third” describing a bases-loaded situation)
- “On Father’s Day, we again wish you all Happy Birthday.”
Yes, Ralph Kiner who passed away in February of 2014 at the age of 91 was an icon. “Down on The Korner” is enough evidence to tell you why and a brief post game broadcast will always be a part of baseball history.
The newly released book is available at bookstores and can be purchased online via amazon.com
Comment Rich Mancuso: [email protected] Twitter@Ring786 Facebook.com/Rich Mancuso