KTE: Pittsburgh PIris

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Benjamin Grimm wrote: Ralph really deserves a better statue!

I know. That looks like the pen in a pen and pencil set. Maybe the cash-strapped Mets can find some inspiration from Kiner's Hands and honor, at least, Seaver's fingers.

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Trivia:

Who are the only MLB players to appear in at least 250 games for both the Mets and the Pirates?

The 250 club

1. Frank Taveras (JCL)
2. Frank Thomas - The Charter Member (Edgy)
3. Donn Clendenon (Edgy)
4. Tim Foli (Edgy)
5. Joe Orsulak (Edgy)
6. John Milner (Edgy)
7. Lee Mazzilli (Edgy)
8. Bobby Bonilla (Spitter)

I didn't notice that the Spitter got Bobby Bo.

Keep on going. The 250 club isn't filled yet.

[Willets Point]

Hey! Prirates starters have gone nine straight games allowing 2 earned runs or less. RHP Charlie Morton (5-2, 2.61) vs. Gee tonite RHP James McDonald (3-3, 5.23) v. Dickey Tuesday RHP Kevin Correia (7-4, 3.44) v. Capuano Wednesday That's a pretty formidable threesome: Morton and McDonald were big-time prospects once; Correia like last year was one of the league's best pitchers through the first handful of starts. Pirates pitchers as a staff have the fewest whiffs in the NL, however.

JCL missed the probable starters for Thursday's game and since that is likely the only Mets game I'll be attending this season, I looked it up.

LHP Paul Maholm (2-7, 3.18 ERA) vs. Mike Pelfrey Thursday

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

D'oh, I just assumed this was a 3-gamer. Lucky us, huh

[Willets Point]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: D'oh, I just assumed this was a 3-gamer. Lucky us, huh

Don't you hate when the schedulers throw a curveball like that at you?

I similarly thought it was a three game series starting today and didn't realize there was a game last night until too late.

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Palmer the Pirate


Bing Crosby, Pirates co-owner, at Wrigley Field, Pirates Opening Day, 1947


Yearbooks


The Pirates history making "all-black lineup" of September 1, 1971 included two future Mets.


Honus Wagner and Ty Cobb; 1909 World Series


Scoreboard and Bullpen Buggies; 1971 World Series






The First World Series, 1903


Two Brothers in the Hall of Fame? The Mets could barely get one brother elected.
Here are the Hall of Fame Waner Brothers. Which one�s who? Pick your poison.


�We finished last with you. We can finish last without you�. Baseball�s legendary negotiating squeeze play was made famous by Pirates GM Branch Rickey during contract talks for the 1952 season with team slugger Ralph Kiner, winner of the last six NL HR titles. Kiner got his raise � a $78,000.00 deal.

Ralph Kiner and Esther Williams


Pitcher George Brunet wore Ralph�s #4 before the Pirates got around to retiring Ralph�s number. Someday, the Pirates�ll get around to adding some more body parts to �Ralph�s Hands�.


Pittsburgh�s Bob Moose no-hits the Mets at Shea

Dock in curlers

[Frayed Knot]

And if they're going to build a sculpture of Ralph's hands they should get rid of the bat and instead pay homage to his off-season exploits and have them fondling Ester Williams' boobs, or maybe Liz Taylor's.

[Edgy MD]

Esther Williams, too? Save a star for the rest of them, Ralph!

[Frayed Knot]

Edgy DC wrote: Esther Williams, too? Save a star for the rest of them, Ralph!

Oh and there were others.
Janet Leigh (IIRC) was on that list.

On September 1, 1971, the Pittsburgh Pirates made baseball history by becoming the first team to have a starting lineup comprised entirely of African-Americans.

Well, two Panamanians, a Cuban, a Puerto Rican, and five black Americans if you want to be precise - but we understand what you're saying here.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Frayed Knot wrote: And if they're going to build a sculpture of Ralph's hands they should get rid of the bat and instead pay homage to his off-season exploits and have them fondling Ester Williams' boobs, or maybe Liz Taylor's.

What's with second base? Ralph was a Home Run hitter.

[Edgy MD]

Wally Backman. Mark Johnson.

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Oh and there were others. Janet Leigh (IIRC) was on that list.

Here's Janet and Ralph:
They met while Janet was filming Angels in the Outfield. Ralph reportedly dated Jane Russell, Ava Gardner and Marilyn Monroe, though I couldn't find any pictures of those encounters.

On September 1, 1971, the Pittsburgh Pirates made baseball history by becoming the first team to have a starting lineup comprised entirely of African-Americans.

Well, two Panamanians, a Cuban, a Puerto Rican, and five black Americans if you want to be precise - but we understand what you're saying here.

The news accounts typically refer to that lineup as the Pirates' "all-black" lineup ... so "all-black" lineup.
:

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Q+A with Ralph Kiner, Sports Illustrated, 2004

The 81-year-old Hall of Fame slugger has been a Mets broadcaster since 1962 and is the author of Baseball Forever. SI: You hit 369 homers in your 10-year career. Have you been underrated as a power hitter? Kiner: No question. I think the reason I didn't get a lot of credit is that I played before television, and the Pirates [for whom Kiner played more than seven seasons] were really a bad ball club. SI: What's one benefit of staying in broadcasting for more than 40 years? Kiner: Most of the people who would argue with what you're saying are dead. SI: During your playing days you dated Janet Leigh and Elizabeth Taylor (below). Today we'd call you "a player." Did they have a name for athletes who dated movie stars back in your day? Kiner: No, they didn't [laughs]. At that time few players got a shot at dating the movie people. One of the reasons I was able to was that Bing Crosby was one of the owners of the Pirates. But I met Janet Leigh at Forbes Field when she was working on Angels in the Outfield. She was standing at the batting cage, and I got to know her by talking to her. So that was all on my own. SI: You are critical of Branch Rickey in your book. In your opinion, did Rickey bring Jackie Robinson to the majors in 1947 for altruistic or financial reasons? Kiner: I personally think it was not altruistic. When he got black players, he got them out of the Negro leagues for no cost. He didn't reimburse the owners. The other thing was that when he came to Pittsburgh [in 1950], he was in no hurry to get black players on that team. We went several years before he got black players on the Pirates. But that's just my opinion. SI: Do any of today's power hitters ever ask for advice? Kiner: The first person who ever sought me out to ask about my approach to hitting home runs was Ted Williams. In 1948 we played an exhibition game, and Ted's first move was to ask me what I was thinking as a hitter. As a broadcaster only one player ever asked me about hitting, and that was George Foster. He asked, "Do you have any pictures of you when you were hitting?" I said yes and got him one. He looked at it and handed it back, and that was it.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1032187/index.htm

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The 250 club

1. Frank Taveras (JCL)
2. Frank Thomas - The Charter Member (Edgy)
3. Donn Clendenon (Edgy)
4. Tim Foli (Edgy)
5. Joe Orsulak (Edgy)
6. John Milner (Edgy)
7. Lee Mazzilli (Edgy)
8. Bobby Bonilla (Spitter)

___________
The 250 Club. Not.

1. Junior Ortiz (JCL)
2. Frank Tanana (Seawolf)
3. Wally Backman (Edgy)
4. Mark Johnson (Edgy)

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Day 3

A full bodied Ralph Kiner statue in Alhambra, California, where Ralph grew up





The Milledge People


Russell Crowe is a Pirates Fan

So�s Michael Keaton


Collector Brady Blade owns 221 items related to the 1960 Pirates, including all-star pitcher Bob Friend�s World Series Trophy




Years later, Mickey Mantle was quoted as saying that losing the 1960 series was the biggest disappointment of his career, the only loss amateur or professional he cried actual tears over.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1960_World_Series



Bing looks doubtful


George Sisler and Pittsburgh�s $175K bonus baby, Bob Bailey


Mazeroski, Alley and Clemente receive their Gold Glove awards for the 1967 season


A Parker/Stearns play at the plate (but not the Parker/Stearns play at the plate)


PNC eats




At PNC Park, they don�t shoot T-shirts into the crowd. They shoot hot dogs. (Don�t they?)
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All you can eat seating at PNC Park
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What�s new at PNC Park this season?
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Vintage road sign, Pittsburgh


Duffy Dyer, 1969 WS Champ and Pennant-Winning 1973 Met and the lone unidentified member of the Mets/Pirates 250 club

[MFS62]

It was about Bob Bailey that a New York baseball writer (Dick Young? Leonard Schecter?) wrote:
"On one hand he can't hit. On the other hand, he can't field, either."

Later

[Edgy MD]

Tom Skerritt was a Met?

[Edgy MD]

SI: During your playing days you dated Janet Leigh and Elizabeth Taylor (below). Today we'd call you "a player." Did they have a name for athletes who dated movie stars back in your day? Kiner: No, they didn't [laughs]. At that time few players got a shot at dating the movie people. One of the reasons I was able to was that Bing Crosby was one of the owners of the Pirates. But I met Janet Leigh at Forbes Field when she was working on Angels in the Outfield. She was standing at the batting cage, and I got to know her by talking to her. So that was all on my own.

And he was a smooth operator.

[Frayed Knot]

Edgy DC wrote: Tom Skerritt was a Met?

Either that or Duffy Dyer starred in M*A*S*H as Duke Forest