Ralph Kiner and the soundtrack of our youth

As I was driving home this afternoon, listening to Francesa on the FAN as usual, I was saddened to hear of the passing of baseball legend Ralph Kiner. Understand that I did not grow up a Mets’ fan but rather a Yankees’ fan. However, as you may know, I grew up (and still remain) a huge BASEBALL fan. So although my rooting interests were not with the Mets, I still watched them then and still watch them today, and root for them at all times except when they are playing the Yankees.

Kiner was a broadcasting institution for the entire 52-year history of the Mets. As much as anyone, he was the soundtrack of the Mets. His “Kiner’s Korner” show was a staple of the broadcasts. Often mocked for its cheesiness, lost in the sarcasm is the fact that Kiner’s Korner pre-dated a whole genre of pre- and post-game shows that are now the norm on all broadcasts. The dude was ahead of his time!

Francesa is a few years older than me, but I love hearing him reminisce about his days as a sports fan growing up on Long Island. His memories and experiences mirror mine. Today, he recalled a simpler time, before ESPN and cable sports networks, when the Mets were on Channel 9 with Lindsey Nelson, Bob Murphy and Ralph Kiner, and the Yankees were on Channel 11 with Bill White, Frank Messer and Phil Rizzuto. The Mets were sponsored by Rheingold beer; the Yankees were Ballantine or Schaeffer (depending on the decade). These were the immutable truths of our baseball summers. Murphy had the “happy recap”; Rizzuto had the endless “birthday wishes”; Kiner would drone on with his often confusing soliloquies. All are gone now, but their voices linger in my head to this day.

Kiner is the latest, passing after a marvelous baseball life, at the age of 91. He was a prolific Hall of Fame slugger in a short but incredibly prodigious career. But most of us my age and older will remember him for being the soundtrack of our youth, Channel 9 and the Mets.