A Different Korner in Heaven (Thanks, Norman)

So as a boy growing up on Long Island, I was legally obligated to be a Mets fan. This was cememented the summer I turned 8 --1969. Men walked on the moon, and the Mets won the Series. I had a truly lucky childhood. My fan-dom waned in the late 70s, as the Mets became awful. I remember going to a mid week game at Shea with some high school buddies -- there were probably 2000 people in the stands, at most. Girls became far more important to me than the Mets -- I became an even bigger fan of them. In 1986 the Mets soared again, and I watched the NL playoff games and World Series on a little TV on Metrorail as I commuted home. My friend Mike was with me -- and the native Miamian loved the feel of being a city sports fan -- watching a game on public transit...The Mets won, but my fan dom was short lived -- I was at the first game of the new Marlins franchise, and shifted my allegiance to them. They've won as many Series titles in their short history as the Mets have in their longer one... I could never be a Cubs fan -- rooting for a perennial loser is bad for the soul... Anyway, THE Mets announcer was always Ralph Kiner -- a former Pirate player who was with the Mets from the beginning, in the booth. He had a quirky post game show called Kiners Korner, where he'd interview my heroes -- Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman (even more so, since he was a lefty like I was), Cleon Jones, and Tommy Agee. I didn't notice when I watched, but the show was infamous for Ralph becoming progressively drunker as the show went on. He'd imbibe all game, probably on Rheingold beer == the official beer of the Mets -- and then continue on from there. Apparently, by the end of some shows he made hilarious malaprops, and misnamed his guests... Good for him. He died yesterday at 91, after a life time of drinking heavily, often to excess. We can all learn from his wisdom.