Mets Announcer Tournament Elite 8: Ralph Kiner vs. Keith Hernandez

by James Kannengieser on Mar 20, 2009 1:00 PM EDT

Yesterday's results: Bob Murphy (81%) def. Howie Rose (19%). Murph is steamrolling his way to a spot in the championship. You can view the updated bracket here. Here is today's matchup, featuring two icons who have a unique way with words:

Ralph Kiner VS. Keith Hernandez

TV Tenure (1962-Present) TV Tenure (2002-Present)

Poll

Amazin' Avenue Mets Announcer Tournament Elite 8

Ralph Kiner

295 votes

Keith Hernandez

152 votes

447 votes | Poll has closed

Tweet Comment 24 comments | 0 recs |

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Comments

I love Keith

But I love Ralph more. Sorry, Mex.

We've got ourselves a ball club, the Mets of New York town!

by kingcritical on Mar 20, 2009 1:05 PM EDT reply actions

also, I have two words for you:

Kiner’s Korner.

We've got ourselves a ball club, the Mets of New York town!

by kingcritical on Mar 20, 2009 1:27 PM EDT reply actions

Here here!

Keith needs to be in this for a few more years before he can beat Ralph.

"The people of Houston are spending money like oil's selling at $40 a barrel."

by IanB in MD on Mar 20, 2009 4:10 PM EDT up reply actions

Ralph is the best ever

I’ve been a Met fan since the first spring training game in 1962. I remember Ralph, the ultimate raconteur, filling lots of sad innings in the early days with humor and insight. Love the guy. Thanks Ralph.

by Metaphysics on Mar 20, 2009 1:49 PM EDT reply actions

Maybe I'm just a young whippersnapper

But I’ve only remembered old Murph and old Kiner, and I cringed every time I heard them speak. I voted last time for Howie, and this time for Keith. Leave these announcers in the past.

by DevonEdwards on Mar 20, 2009 1:54 PM EDT reply actions

In their prime

Really, this contest is comparing announcers when they were in their prime. Since you never heard Kiner at his best, it’s not really a fair comparison. This contest is not trying to determine who’s better in 2009. As a Met fan since 1962, I have to say that Kiner was always great. The Mets had some fine announcers.

One more point. Kiner started his broadcast career – now at 47 years and counting – after a HOF career as a player. Plus, he’s a WWI veteran. He lived quite a life.

by elliot on Mar 20, 2009 7:30 PM EDT up reply actions

I hope to god

you mean WWII veteran.

by DevonEdwards on Mar 20, 2009 8:23 PM EDT up reply actions

Type rides again!

Sorry… WWII. He’s old, but not THAT old!

by elliot on Mar 21, 2009 9:55 AM EDT up reply actions

Keith expressions

For a poor defensive play: “boner”

When a team has a 3 game lead in the standings: “3 game bulge”

by James Kannengieser on Mar 20, 2009 2:06 PM EDT reply actions

I love Ralph, but

people here turn a blind eye to the fact that he seemed half in the bag much of the time. Wikipedia attributes the slurred speech to Bell’s palsy, but I am not entirely convinced.

"Since we became accelerated readers, we never leave the house." - Los Campesinos

by Shomov on Mar 20, 2009 2:08 PM EDT reply actions

Kiner is overrated.

He’s been around forever, but he was never the best at what he did and he’s lasted several years longer than he should. Maybe Keith does’t beat him, but Kiner isn’t prime to win this thing.

The 2009 NY Mets: WE GOT K-ROD! OMG, Putz, too! Sign Lowe! Lowe's a Brave. Sign Manny! Tim Redding, WTF? Sign Manny! Sheets or Perez? SHEETS! Perez?? Oh, Sheets is hurt -- good job, Minaya! WTF?! SIGN MANNY!

by ZaBlanc on Mar 20, 2009 2:22 PM EDT reply actions

Ralph Kiner is a veritable font of awesome baseball knowledge

The stories he tells should be recorded for posterity and be made available for everyone, either in a book or in audio format.

This should be no contest, people (and thankfully, it looks like it is).

We've got ourselves a ball club, the Mets of New York town!

by kingcritical on Mar 20, 2009 2:59 PM EDT reply actions

I love Ralph and all of his knowledge, I just wish that when he is on air back-to-back days, he would tell different stories. He has a tendency to tell the same one over and over again.

The time has come for someone to put his foot down. And that foot is me.

by sireric on Mar 20, 2009 3:05 PM EDT reply actions

really?

when is Kiner even on back to back days? I guess if they play two weekend day games at home, but how many times a year does that happen?

though I wish in reality it did happen. Kiner is a treasure.

by Patrick Clark on Mar 20, 2009 4:57 PM EDT up reply actions

Not so much anymore, but I guess about 4 or 5 years ago.

The time has come for someone to put his foot down. And that foot is me.

by sireric on Mar 20, 2009 10:25 PM EDT up reply actions

Kiners Korner

Loved to watch it after a ballgame when i was a kid. So alkwardly funny sometime!

by MEX84 on Mar 20, 2009 4:12 PM EDT reply actions

Kiner

Hands down. And Keith is a joy. If I had to do one of those “you can invite 4 people to dinner, who would it be?” things — Ralph would be a consideration.

by jasondg on Mar 20, 2009 5:08 PM EDT reply actions

They named the booth after him for goodness sake

and I don’t mean Keith

by rcfriedberg on Mar 20, 2009 9:45 PM EDT reply actions

Huh?

DevonEdwards said Kiner was never the best. Leave these announcers in the past.

I’m guessing Devon never heard Kiner in his prime on radio or TV. Yeah, he used to cover both. Then they picked him and not Bob Murphy to cover TV because he was the more popular. There is no contest as to who knows more about baseball among the Mets’ fraternity of announcers. Besides being a Hall of Fame player, Kiner has served in just about every capacity, including General Manager. He also is much funnier, with a raft of stories, not only about legendary players, but Hollywood stars (he used to date lots of starlets), as well as tennis (he was married to a champion) as well as people in other walks of life..

by Metaphysics on Mar 21, 2009 1:25 AM EDT reply actions

Listen to Kiner announce right now

on SNY. Mets Classics, Mets-Padres from August 1986. Doc Gooden pitching.

by James Kannengieser on Mar 21, 2009 2:10 PM EDT reply actions

I love Keith for how bizarre he is

and I voted for him because there’s just no one quite like him. But I really have no problem with Ralph winning this.

by Joamiq on Mar 22, 2009 12:17 AM EDT reply actions

Ralph is an icon in NY broadcasting

Nothing against Hernandez who is a fine announcer in his own right, but this has got to go to Ralph. Anyone who heard him on the air with Bob Murphey or Lindsey Nelson knows what he was like in his prime. He has the greatest baseball stories about some of the legendary performers in the game, his associates in Hollywood and his days as a pl;ayer. He’s a classic and a storehouse of baseball history.

To those who say he belongs in the past, you don’t understand the game. Baseball is all about it’s history and how past players measure up to todays players. Who would win a matchup between Ted Williams and Tom Seaver? Who would you rather face with the game on the line, Yogi Berra or Mike Piazza? What was it like on the road before charter jets? Did this player really do that or is it a myth? Ralph has an opinion on everything and he was there, playing or announcing when whoever you’re talking about was on the field. That’s priceless experience you can only acheive with longevity in the game and the booth and Ralph has both.

by Brill Street on Mar 22, 2009 7:11 PM EDT reply actions