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NEW YORK -- Ralph Kiner was a smash as a slugger, launching so many home runs over the left-field wall at old Forbes Field that fans nicknamed it his corner. Years later, as one of baseballs most beloved broadcasters, he became a big hit in a new "Kiners Korner." Kiner, the Hall of Famer whose frequent malaprops endeared him to New York Mets listeners for more than a half-century, died Thursday. He was 91. The Hall of Fame said Kiner died at his home in Rancho Mirage, Calif., with his family at his side. "He was a jewel," Mets Hall of Famer Tom Seaver said. Kiner hit 369 home runs during a 10-year career cut short by back problems. He debuted with Pittsburgh in 1946 and won or tied for the National League lead in homers in each of his first seven seasons. He was popular off the field, too. His Hollywood pals included Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra, he squired Liz Taylor and Janet Leigh, and he played himself in the 1951 film "Angels in the Outfield." Kiner became a Mets announcer in their expansion season of 1962, working 17 years as a trio with Bob Murphy and Lindsey Nelson. Kiner called their games for 52 years in all, including a handful of them last season. Kiner was already a fixture on the Mets airwaves when he was inducted into the Hall in 1975. He was elected with just one vote to spare in his 15th and final year on the Baseball Writers Association of America ballot. The six-time All-Star outfielder still ranks sixth all-time with a home run every 14.1 at-bats. He averaged more than 100 RBIs per season and hit .279 with the Pirates, the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland. When he retired, Kiner was sixth on the career home run list. To generations of TV viewers and radio listeners, his postcareer acclaim was as great as the honours he earned on the field. "Kiners Korner" was a delight for players and fans alike, where stars would join Kiner for postgame chats. "I loved going on Kiners Korner. I enjoyed talking baseball with Ralph, especially learning about players from his era," former Mets star Dwight Gooden said. "But what really made it special was every time you went on, you got a $100. For a rookie like me in 1984, a $100 was a big deal." Kiner was known for tripping over his own words, and often laughed about his own comments. "If Casey Stengel were alive today, hed be spinning in his grave," he once commented after a misplay. "On Fathers Day, we again wish you all a happy birthday," he also said. Then there was the time Gary Carter hit a winning home run in the 10th inning of his Mets debut in 1985 and Kiner introduced him as Gary Cooper, the famed actor. "Gary was a great sport about it," Kiner remembered. "He came on Kiners Korner afterward and introduced himself to me as Gary Cooper and even signed a picture to me, Gary Cooper Carter." His observations were pretty astute, too. Talking about a former Gold Glove outfielder, Kiner remarked: "Two-thirds of the earth is covered by water. The other third is covered by Garry Maddox." Kiner had a stroke about a decade ago that slowed his speech, but remained an occasional part of the Mets announcing crew. Fellow announcers such as Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling always brightened when Kiner was alongside them. Younger fans who were born long after Kiner retired also reveled in his folksy tales. "As one of baseballs most prolific power hitters for a decade, Ralph struck fear into the hearts of the best pitchers of baseballs Golden Era despite his easygoing nature, disarming humility and movie-star smile," Hall President Jeff Idelson said in a statement. "His engaging personality and profound knowledge of the game turned him into a living room companion for millions of New York Mets fans who adored his game broadcasts and later Kiners Korner for more than half a century," he said. "He was as comfortable hanging out in Palm Springs with his friend Bob Hope as he was hitting in front of Hank Greenberg at Forbes Field." As a teen, hanging around the Hollywood Stars in the Pacific Coast League, Kiner shook hands with Babe Ruth and talked ball with Ty Cobb. In high school, he hit a home run off Satchel Paige during a barnstorming tour. After serving as a Navy pilot in World War II, Kiner had a strong rookie year and won the NL homer title with 23, beating Johnny Mize by one. He really broke loose the next year, hitting 51 home runs with 127 RBIs while batting .313. Stuck on poor teams, Kiner never made it to the post-season. He made his mark in All-Star games, homering in three straight. Kiner connected in the 1950 showcase at Comiskey Park, but made more noise with another ball he hit in the game. He hit a long drive to the base of the scoreboard in left-centre field and Ted Williams broke his left elbow making the catch, causing him to miss two months. "Williams always said I ruined his batting stroke, that he could never hit after that," Kiner said. "Yeah, sure. He only hit .388 in 57." Mets owner Fred Wilpon remembered Kiner as "one of the most beloved people in Mets history -- an original Met and extraordinary gentleman." "His knowledge of the game, wit, and charm entertained generations of Mets fans. Like his stories, he was one of a kind," he said. "Our sport and society today lost one of the all-time greats." The Mets named the home TV booth at Shea Stadium in his honour. The Pirates retired Kiners No. 4. "All of us at the Pittsburgh Pirates have heavy hearts upon learning of Ralph Kiners passing," the team said in a statement. Ralph McPherran Kiner was born on Oct. 27, 1922. He was first married to tennis star Nancy Chaffee. Following their divorce he married Barbara George, and following another divorce he married DiAnn Shugart, who died in 2004. Wholesale Shoes Black Friday .ca! 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He struck out 19 batters and walked just one in 17 innings pitched. He has previous American Association experience with the Lincoln Saltdogs, El Paso Diablos and Amarillo Sox.CALGARY - Kaillie Humphries is preparing for a historic and hectic day in her bobsled career.Because of a quirk in the schedule, the Canadian pilot will race her signature two-woman event and about an hour later make her World Cup debut as a four-man pilot Saturday.Humphries and Elana Meyers Taylor of the U.S. will be the first females to pilot four-man bobsleds in a World Cup. Both will do double-driving duty in the mens and womens races at Calgarys Canada Olympic Park.When it rains, it pours, you know the old saying, Humphries said Monday in COPs Ice House. Its going to be a very intense day.I havent ever had to be in this situation before. Im not able to draw from experience. No one has been in this situation, coaching staff, nobody. Its going to be trial and error. Were going to face it the best way we know how.Humphries has logged four runs at Olympic Games and world championships, but theyre spread over two days. On Saturday, the second heat of the womens race starts at 12:30 followed by the first heat of four-man at 2 p.m. local time.So Humphries, the two-time Olympic gold medallist, and Meyers Taylor will have little time to mentally switch gears between the womens and mens races.Ive never had to do four all-out runs in one day, let alone with limited time in between, Humphries said. Its new for everybody, not just for Elana and I, but for the rest of the world to be in this position.Its not set up perfectly, but nothing ever is. You learn to adapt and overcome and this is going to be one of those situations.The World Cup event kicks off Friday, with mens and womens skeleton and mens two-man bobsled.Humphries asked the worlds governing body of the sport in May to allow her to pilot a mens sled. With just six weeks until the start of the 2014-15 racing season, the FIBT gave her the green light by declaring four-man bobsled gender neutral.That allows for mixed teams and all-female teams to compete against mens four-man sleds. Humphries and Meyers Taylor, who finished second to Humphries at this years Winter Olympics, will pilot crews with male brakemen and pushers. Humphries and Meyers Taylor logged five races on three different tracks on the developmental North American and European Cup circuits to earn their World Cup qualification.Neither woman raced four-man at the season-opening World Cup last week in Lake Placid, N.Y. They instead chose to coompete in two-woman only and postpone their four-man debuts until Calgary.ddddddddddddMeyers Taylor won gold in the womens race in Lake Placid. Humphries and brakewoman Melissa Lotholz of Barrhead, Alta., were fifth.So there is a competition-within-a-competition for Humphries and Meyers Taylor. Both want to prove themselves against the men and beat each other in their new event while they continue to battle for gold in womens races.We call it the battle royale between her and I, Humphries said.Definitely have some catching up to do in two-man. Im not in panic-mode by any means. Ive got to be able to shift my focus back and forth and sometimes its not going to go exactly like I planned.Her crewmen Dan Dale of Grande Prairie, Alta., Calgarys D.J. McLelland and Joey Nemet of Hamilton will all make their World Cup debuts Saturday.I have a lot of, you know, momma-ing to do to prepare my guys, Humphries said. Weve got a lot of learning, a lot of preparation.We are facing the worlds best teams out there and the other brakemen on the other crews, the other sides guys are fairly big and large and can be intimidating.Humphries and her crew finished fourth and second in a pair of North American Cup races in November in Calgary. They were 17th in a European Cup race Dec. 7 in La Plagne, France.I can feel going down the track the strides shes making as a pilot in four-man, Dale said. We want to give Kaillie the best push possible. Anything we can do to make her weekend easier were here to do it.Humphries is grateful the compressed race day will be on her familiar home track. She believes she wont have to race both events on a single day elsewhere this World Cup season.Its definitely easier than it would have been on the majority of tracks around the world and Im lucky that its here, she said.Humphries and brakeman Heather Moyse of Summerside, P.E.I., defended their Olympic title in Sochi, Russia, in February after claiming gold four years ago in Whistler, B.C. The two women were Canadas flag-bearers at the closing ceremonies in Sochi.Humphries will attempt a three-peat in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in 2018. The 29-year-old has won 11 of her 16 career World Cup races as well as a pair of womens world championships.Womens bobsled was introduced as an Olympic sport in 2002 as a two-person event, while the men continued to race two-man and four-man sleds. ' ' '