- published: 30 May 2015
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Ralph McPherran Kiner (October 27, 1922 – February 6, 2014) was an American Major League Baseball player. An outfielder, Kiner played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, and Cleveland Indians from 1946 through 1955. He also served as an announcer for the New York Mets from the team's inception until his death. Though injuries forced his retirement from active play after 10 seasons, Kiner's tremendous slugging outpaced all of his National League contemporaries between the years 1946 and 1952. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1975.
At the time of his death, baseball writer Marty Noble named Kiner "one of baseball's genuine and most charming gentlemen".
Kiner was born in Santa Rita, New Mexico, and raised in Alhambra, California. He was of Pennsylvania Dutch (German) and Scots-Irish ancestry, although his maternal grandmother was Jewish. Kiner served as a U.S. Navy pilot during World War II.
Kiner made his major league debut on April 12, 1946, with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He finished the season with 23 home runs, but 109 strikeouts. After the season, the Pirates convinced future Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg not to retire. Greenberg gave Kiner hours of instruction, and in 1947, Kiner led the major leagues with 51 home runs while striking out fewer than 100 times. Many of Kiner's homers were hit into a shortened left-field and left-center-field porch at Forbes Field (originally built for Greenberg and known in the press as "Greenberg Gardens"); the porch was retained for Kiner and redubbed "Kiner's Korner". Kiner would later use "Kiner's Korner" as the title of his post-game TV show in New York.
A hall of fame is a structure housing memorials to famous or illustrious individuals in a certain field, usually chosen by a group of electors. The meaning of "fame" has changed over the years, originally meaning "renown" as opposed to today's more common meaning of "celebrity".
In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or museums which enshrine the honorees with sculptures, plaques, and displays of memorabilia and general information regarding the inducted recipient/s. Sometimes, the honorees' plaques may instead be posted on a wall (hence a '"wall of fame") or inscribed on a sidewalk (as in a "walk of fame" or an "avenue of fame"). In others, the hall of fame is more figurative and just simply consists of a list of names of noteworthy individuals (or sometimes groups, for ex. Sporting groups or Rock groups) maintained by an organization or community or honouring its inducted members legacy or legend.
The English-language term was popularised in the United States by the Hall of Fame for Great Americans at Bronx Community College, in New York City, completed in 1900. Its inspiration is the Ruhmeshalle ("Hall of Fame") in Munich, Germany. The Walhalla memorial in Bavaria, Germany, is an even earlier hall of fame, conceived in 1807 and built from 1900 to 1907.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 25 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, and operated by private interests. It serves as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, displays baseball-related artifacts and exhibits, and honors those who have excelled in playing, managing, and serving the sport. The Hall's motto is "Preserving History, Honoring Excellence, Connecting Generations."
The word Cooperstown is often used as shorthand (or a metonym) for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
The Hall of Fame was founded in 1939 by Stephen Carlton Clark, the owner of a local hotel. Clark had sought to bring tourists to a city hurt by the Great Depression, which reduced the local tourist trade, and Prohibition, which devastated the local hops industry. A new building was constructed, and the Hall of Fame was dedicated on June 12, 1939. (Clark's granddaughter, Jane Forbes Clark, is the current chairman of the Board of Directors.)
New York is a state in the Northeastern United States and is the United States' 27th-most extensive, fourth-most populous, and seventh-most densely populated state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south and Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont to the east. The state has a maritime border in the Atlantic Ocean with Rhode Island, east of Long Island, as well as an international border with the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the north and Ontario to the west and north. The state of New York, with an estimated 19.8 million residents in 2015, is often referred to as New York State to distinguish it from New York City, the state's most populous city and its economic hub.
With an estimated population of nearly 8.5 million in 2014, New York City is the most populous city in the United States and the premier gateway for legal immigration to the United States. The New York City Metropolitan Area is one of the most populous urban agglomerations in the world. New York City is a global city, exerting a significant impact upon commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and entertainment, its fast pace defining the term New York minute. The home of the United Nations Headquarters, New York City is an important center for international diplomacy and has been described as the cultural and financial capital of the world, as well as the world's most economically powerful city. New York City makes up over 40% of the population of New York State. Two-thirds of the state's population lives in the New York City Metropolitan Area, and nearly 40% live on Long Island. Both the state and New York City were named for the 17th century Duke of York, future King James II of England. The next four most populous cities in the state are Buffalo, Rochester, Yonkers, and Syracuse, while the state capital is Albany.
Ralph may refer to:
Ralph is a masculine given name, derived from Old Norse Ráðúlfr meaning literally "counsel wolf"
The "Best" of Ralph Kiner
Down on The Korner/Kinerism Reel/Ralph Kiner
Ralph Kiner - Baseball Hall of Fame Biographies
Ralph Kiner: 50 Amazin' Years
WSH@NYM: Mets honor legendary broadcaster Kiner
Hall of Fame Interview With Ralph Kiner - Pt. 1
Keith's Tribute To Ralph Kiner
Roger Craig and Ralph Kiner 1962 St. Petersburg Fl.
Ralph Kiner Gets Really Confused In Booth! New York Mets
Ralph Kiner Tribute 1922 -2014
In loving memory of the great Ralph Kiner, here is Ralph doing what we all loved him for. (It's only about 22 minutes, not 2:56:54)
Here is a compilation of some of Ralph Kiner's Kinerisms hope you enjoy.As Ralph would say this would win youtube video of the year for the month of March ! . Be sure to look for Howie Karpin and my upcoming book Down On The Korner: 30 Years of Kiner's Korner and like the fan page on facebook as well for lots of fun Kiner's Korner stuff. Tune in each week on 540 am in NY NJ CT and streaming on www.sportstalknylive.com at 7pm Sundays for the live broadcast.Please take a moment to like our fan page WLIE 540 AM SPORTSTALKNY
In a relatively brief 10-year career, which was shortened by a back ailment, Ralph Kiner hit 369 home runs, winning or sharing the National League home-run title in each of his first seven seasons in Pittsburgh. He topped 50 twice, with 51 in 1947 and 54 in '49. His ratio of 7.1 home runs per 100 at-bats trails only Mark McGwire, Babe Ruth and Barry Bonds among retired players. Kiner averaged better than 100 RBIs a season as he led the National League in slugging percentage three times. Watch more Baseball Hall of Fame videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheBaseballHall Visit the official Baseball Hall of Fame website: http://www.baseballhall.org Follow the Baseball Hall of Fame on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BaseballHall Like the Baseball Hall of Fame on Facebook: https://www.facebook....
Tom Seaver, Tim McCarver and Vin Scully talk about Ralph Kiner's outstanding playing career with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
3/31/14: The Mets honor legendary broadcaster and Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner prior to the first pitch on Opening Day Check out http://MLB.com/video for more! About MLB.com: About MLB.com: Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig announced on January 19, 2000, that the 30 Major League Club owners voted unanimously to centralize all of Baseball's Internet operations into an independent technology company. Major League Baseball Advanced Media (MLBAM) was formed and charged with developing, building and managing the most comprehensive baseball experience available on the Internet. In August 2002, MLB.com streamed the first-ever live full length MLB game. Since that time, millions of baseball fans around the world have subscribed to MLB.TV, the live video streaming product that airs every ga...
On Feb. 1, 2013, Hall of Fame Communications Director Craig Muder sat down with Class of 1975 Inductee Ralph Kiner for an extensive interview. This is a portion of that interview. Watch more Baseball Hall of Fame videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheBaseballHall Visit the official Baseball Hall of Fame website: http://www.baseballhall.org Follow the Baseball Hall of Fame on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BaseballHall Like the Baseball Hall of Fame on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BaseballHall Follow the Baseball Hall of Fame on Google+: https://plus.google.com/+baseballhalloffame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is home to the greatest stars and the history of the game. Located in scenic Cooperstown, New York, the Hall of Fame is dedicated to preserving the sport's hi...
One of the most extraordinary figures in baseball passed away. Ralph Kiner was a player, executive, and broadcaster in baseball since 1941. Keith remembers a legend. Watch "Olbermann" weeknights on ESPN2 at 11pm ET. Get More Olbermann: Follow http://twitter.com/KeithOlbermann
Oh, those pickups!
http://www.courtsidetweets.com I still have no clue what Ralph Kiner is trying to say before the telecast of a New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies game! He says that Pete Schourek was supposed to start, but then Eric Hillman is starting instead, but it's Frank Tanana warming up in the bullpen! Classic Uncle Ralph! You gotta love him! Great guy!
To a great slugger and story-teller
In loving memory of the great Ralph Kiner, here is Ralph doing what we all loved him for. (It's only about 22 minutes, not 2:56:54)
Here is a compilation of some of Ralph Kiner's Kinerisms hope you enjoy.As Ralph would say this would win youtube video of the year for the month of March ! . Be sure to look for Howie Karpin and my upcoming book Down On The Korner: 30 Years of Kiner's Korner and like the fan page on facebook as well for lots of fun Kiner's Korner stuff. Tune in each week on 540 am in NY NJ CT and streaming on www.sportstalknylive.com at 7pm Sundays for the live broadcast.Please take a moment to like our fan page WLIE 540 AM SPORTSTALKNY
In a relatively brief 10-year career, which was shortened by a back ailment, Ralph Kiner hit 369 home runs, winning or sharing the National League home-run title in each of his first seven seasons in Pittsburgh. He topped 50 twice, with 51 in 1947 and 54 in '49. His ratio of 7.1 home runs per 100 at-bats trails only Mark McGwire, Babe Ruth and Barry Bonds among retired players. Kiner averaged better than 100 RBIs a season as he led the National League in slugging percentage three times. Watch more Baseball Hall of Fame videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheBaseballHall Visit the official Baseball Hall of Fame website: http://www.baseballhall.org Follow the Baseball Hall of Fame on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BaseballHall Like the Baseball Hall of Fame on Facebook: https://www.facebook....
Tom Seaver, Tim McCarver and Vin Scully talk about Ralph Kiner's outstanding playing career with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
3/31/14: The Mets honor legendary broadcaster and Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner prior to the first pitch on Opening Day Check out http://MLB.com/video for more! About MLB.com: About MLB.com: Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig announced on January 19, 2000, that the 30 Major League Club owners voted unanimously to centralize all of Baseball's Internet operations into an independent technology company. Major League Baseball Advanced Media (MLBAM) was formed and charged with developing, building and managing the most comprehensive baseball experience available on the Internet. In August 2002, MLB.com streamed the first-ever live full length MLB game. Since that time, millions of baseball fans around the world have subscribed to MLB.TV, the live video streaming product that airs every ga...
On Feb. 1, 2013, Hall of Fame Communications Director Craig Muder sat down with Class of 1975 Inductee Ralph Kiner for an extensive interview. This is a portion of that interview. Watch more Baseball Hall of Fame videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheBaseballHall Visit the official Baseball Hall of Fame website: http://www.baseballhall.org Follow the Baseball Hall of Fame on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BaseballHall Like the Baseball Hall of Fame on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BaseballHall Follow the Baseball Hall of Fame on Google+: https://plus.google.com/+baseballhalloffame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is home to the greatest stars and the history of the game. Located in scenic Cooperstown, New York, the Hall of Fame is dedicated to preserving the sport's hi...
One of the most extraordinary figures in baseball passed away. Ralph Kiner was a player, executive, and broadcaster in baseball since 1941. Keith remembers a legend. Watch "Olbermann" weeknights on ESPN2 at 11pm ET. Get More Olbermann: Follow http://twitter.com/KeithOlbermann
Oh, those pickups!
http://www.courtsidetweets.com I still have no clue what Ralph Kiner is trying to say before the telecast of a New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies game! He says that Pete Schourek was supposed to start, but then Eric Hillman is starting instead, but it's Frank Tanana warming up in the bullpen! Classic Uncle Ralph! You gotta love him! Great guy!
To a great slugger and story-teller
In loving memory of the great Ralph Kiner, here is Ralph doing what we all loved him for. (It's only about 22 minutes, not 2:56:54)
The San Francisco Giants play the New York Mets at Shea Stadium on August 31, 1990. Telecast by New York Sports Channel. Play-by-play begins in the bottom of the 4th inning with the Mets leading 1 - 0 on a home run by Tim Teufel. Announcers are Rusty Staub, Fran Healy and Ralph Kiner. Taken from my VCR recording, including commercials.
From 7/14/79 New York Mets 18th Old Timers Day from Shea Stadium..Original WOR-TV Broadcast with Bob Murphy and Steve Albert and Ralph Kiner..In Honor of the 1969 Mets Championship team and for Willie Mays who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1979..Great Memories from this Old Timers Game as i attended this game, and remember meeting many of the 1969 Mets that day. Shea Stadium was the place to be for the Old Timers event…and This footage helps brings back those great days at Shea Stadium.
Partial WOR-TV NY Broadcast Cardinals vs Mets at Shea Stadium with Joaquin Andujar and Randy Jones the starters…this partial broadcast was found on a VHS Cassette tape in my New York Mets archives and includes 1982 TV Commercials and NY Mets Promos with Ralph Kiner and Lorne Brown doing the play by play (Mets Lost 7-3)
Thank you to Mouk for submitting this to the channel! This is a FANTASTIC broadcast. It's game 1 of a Double Header, brought to you by the voice of the old redhead, Red Barber. The Dodgers at home in Brooklyn take on the Pirates. Barbers descriptions of such stars as Ralph Kiner, and his descriptions of New York City itself, make this a must listen for any baseball fan. "There's never a dull day in Brooklyn" - Red Barber Thank you so much again to subscriber Mouk for sharing this with us.
From 7/16/77 NY Mets 16th Old Timers Day at Shea Stadium original WOR-TV Broadcast unedited with Bob Murphy and Lindsey Nelson Ralph Kiner. Great days at Shea Stadium with the Old Timers game which is now a thing of the past..1969 Mets and 1973 Mets on hand to play 'Memorable Moments from World Series History' the greats of the game like Willie Mays Mickey Mantle and Duke Snider to name a few….Plus the sounds of Shea Stadium with Jane Jarvis musical director at Shea and Jack Franchetti the Public Address announcer..a time capsule for Mets and MLB fans and a salute to the great days spent at Shea Stadium