''Kiner's Korner'' is a postgame, and occasional pregame interview show which aired before or after

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

games on WOR-TV (now

WWOR-TV WWOR-TV (channel 9) is a television station licensed to Secaucus, New Jersey, United States, serving the New York City area as the flagship of MyNetworkTV. It is owned and operated by Fox Television Stations alongside Fox flagship WNYW ...

) in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, hosted by Mets broadcaster

Ralph Kiner Ralph McPherran Kiner (October 27, 1922 – February 6, 2014) was an American Major League Baseball player and broadcaster. An outfielder, Kiner played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, and Cleveland Indians from 1946 through 1955. Foll ...

. It debuted on April 30,

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Co ...

, with guests

Buddy Hackett Buddy Hackett (born Leonard Hacker; August 31, 1924 – June 30, 2003) was an American actor, comedian and singer. His best remembered roles include Marcellus Washburn in ''The Music Man'' (1962), Benjy Benjamin in ''It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Wo ...

and Phil Foster. The show usually consisted of an interview with the star of the game from the winning team, along with game highlights and scores of other games from that day. Sometimes two players were featured. As years went by and Kiner's workload decreased, the show was on less frequently, usually following home games on free television. Kiner developed a reputation for occasionally incorrectly stating the names of players being interviewed or in highlights. The show's theme music was ''Flag of Victory Polka'', written by

Alvino Rey Alvin McBurney (July 1, 1908 – February 24, 2004), known by his stage name Alvino Rey, was an American jazz guitarist and bandleader. Career Alvin McBurney was born in Oakland, California, United States, but grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. Early i ...

under the name Ira Ironstrings. The show's name came from the close-in left field seats in

Forbes Field Forbes Field was a baseball park in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1909 to June 28, 1970. It was the third home of the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball (MLB) team, and the first home of the Pittsburgh Steelers ...

where Kiner deposited many home runs during his Hall of Fame career as a

Pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

slugger. They were originally known as "Greenberg's Gardens" for Kiner's precursor and mentor

Hank Greenberg Henry Benjamin Greenberg (born Hyman Greenberg; January 1, 1911 – September 4, 1986), nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank", "Hankus Pankus", or "The Hebrew Hammer", was an American professional baseball player and team executive. He played in Major Leagu ...

, but earned their new name after Greenberg's retirement and Kiner's meteoric rise to stardom. It measured 340 feet to left field. The temporary fence was removed in the 1950s to restore it to the original 365 feet. In 2010, SNY.TV, (website of

SportsNet New York SportsNet New York (SNY) is an American regional sports network owned by Sterling Entertainment Enterprises, LLC, itself a joint venture between the Fred Wilpon (which owns a controlling 65% interest) Sterling Equities, Charter Communications th ...

, the Mets' cable network), announced the replaying of nine classic episodes of ''Kiner's Korner'' on the web, in a series entitled "Kiner's Korner Revisited". While the network was in possession of several episodes, many had been lost or taped over.

References

External links

* {{Major League baseball on national television New York Mets New York Mets announcers Major League Baseball on television 1963 American television series debuts 2010 American television series endings 1970s American television series 1980s American television series 1990s American television series 2000s American television series