Ralph Kiner...RIP

[slipk1068]

Originally Posted by FrankWakefield

Years ago I wrote him, asking for an autograph. He signed an index card I'd sent, and mailed it back. I know that a time came when he'd ask for $ to sign, but I don't doubt folks like us wore him out asking for autographs. He sent a not along when he returned my index card. The man could put wood on a ball hard, and he played for a few teams that made it possible for pitchers to pitch around him. I wish his family well.

When Ralph was a teenager, Babe Ruth was in California for some reason. Might have been barnstorming, I can't remember. Well Babe being Babe was signing autographs for EVERYONE. Ralph waited his turn to get the Babe's autograph and right when Ralph was about to get his turn, Babe left. That stayed with him throughout his life. Ralph always felt like he had to be sure to sign for everyone so that no kid ever felt the way he did. What a great human being.

Ralph was a student of the game's history. He could talk about guys like Pud Galvin or Timothy Keefe just as easily as he could talk about his contemporaries. Most broadcasters today know about the guys they played with and the current modern players only (see Keith Hernandez).

Lost some of what could have been his most productive years to WWII. I never met the man but being a Met fan in NY, he was in my home on television and radio every summer. I feel like I lost a friend RIP Ralph.