QBC 2019: Ed Kranepool

[Music] I feel like it's 1977 all over again I love it back and Shay hello Mr kful I interviewed you in your basement three years ago from New York 1 I don't know if you're remember all right hello good I'm glad I'm here I'm glad I made it well we're so glad you're here because you know obviously what you're going through with your health situation but so happy to see you here and I just want to give you guys so I'm sure you all know this but I'm going to throw it out there Mr cran PL paid for the Mets from 1962 their first year at the Polo Grounds till 1979 1853 baseball games for the New York Mets nobody no met no Met has played more games in the blue and orange than this man right here all right 261 lifetime average 118 home runs 614 RB he was an All-Star in 196 5 and of course a world champion in 1969 50 years ago okay how many people going to be at the reunion this year anybody all right the Mets are finally doing something I think at the end of June the last weekend in June in case they didn't announce it yet I'm going to let you know uh it's the last weekend I think it's that Saturday afternoon they're going to have a day game and I asked them the about a week or so ago I did some function there I said I hope you're not going to have it after the game you know just like they did when they closed the ballpark after the game and the Mets lost and everyone left oh my God I said hopefully they'll do it before the game so they're going to do it before the game so I'm glad they learned from that experience because losing to the Phillies and not getting into the playoffs and then celebrating the end of Shay really sucked uh I I was there by myself I bought by one ticket I went it was I was in the upper deck and it was uh a horrible experience I just I think I think the players just the players were going to leave too you know all right Mr cran Poole let's start with this it's 1962 you're 17 years old you just graduated from James Monroe High School in the Bronx you played basketball you played baseball and a guy named bubber janard bubber janard who's a scout for the Mets signs you to a free agent contract and in September you're brought up to the big club and playing at the polo grounds and what was that like at 17 years old but you just got out of high school and all of a sudden you're playing Major League Baseball well that wasn't the whole story actually I signed with the ball Club in June I joined them in California and my opening night in the major leagues worked out and I was there Sandy kofax pitched at night if you look at the record books uh Casey didn't put me in the game I was there but the kofax pit a no hitter and struck out 13 I thought I was going back to college right there wow so September was nothing I mean I had already played a while and and uh that was fine you had your feeding on the ground but you know what as a youngster they fored me to the major leagues they wouldn't do that nowadays they don't bring guys up until they're 22 23 and give him a little more time to get some seasoning I mean look at TBO he's 31 they're going to finally bring him up oh we can't wait to see him out of City Field I might have to make a comeback I'm 74 you probably still hit hit hit him um you made so official Major League debut was at the polar grounds against the Cubs I think it was September 22nd 1962 and this is I a crazy I didn't know this but you you actually F came in for Gil Hodes who was playing first base at the time who was an original Med well Gil was with the ball Club in the early years before we made a deal with Washington he became the manager down there but he was the one instrumental uh mentally uh to teach me how to play first base fundamentals Etc and that's what a lot of guys you know used to do back in those days the older players would help the younger players I think this is the first season that the Mets are going to invite some of us oldtimers to spring training uh I'm hopefully going to spring training uh the 21st of February and excellent they're bringing some of the guys back I guess they're trying to do something with the 50th Anniversary I figur we might know something after all these years but U you know there's there's opportunities when you're talking to the players to to pass along some of the information you have some of the guys would work with you I mean we have nothing to lose I mean the Mets certainly could help we could have helped Mike pza years ago you know Mike was a a great player and and a a good catcher um and when they tried to move him to first base he had no clue about how to play first base and they wouldn't let anybody work with them they wouldn't even let Keith Hernandez who was there in answer because Mike came to me first and said can I help you I said sure I can help you I can help you in a room you don't have to be on the field you can work on footwork any place as long as you put a base down I said but you got to get permission I'm not allowed to go on the field and we're not um so anyway they couldn't get permission so then I saw Keith Hernandez one day and I said Keith let me ask you a question I said you know you're working for the ball Club you're the broadcaster not you work with Mike he needs some help around first base he had no idea how to play he was taing actually touching the base with the wrong foot okay and then when I saw that on TV I said I can't believe it I said they didn't haven't work with him so I said Keith why don't you work with him said I'm not allowed to do that I said I don't understand that you've won 10 gold gloves I said you know he asked me to help him I said but you've won 10 gold gloves he said no anded I W1 sounds like Keith right bud I mean yeah but but Keith wasn't allowed to help Mike and then Mike wouldn't play first base nobody wants to be embarrassed when they go on the field I remember when Willie Mays came to the ball Club they tried to make him a first baseman he was the greatest center fielder ever he didn't want to play first base so when Yogi put him at first base he stayed there a few Innings when it came to the seventh inning he used to come over to me and said here's your glove thatd go out on the field he wouldn't go out there in the eighth and ninth inning because nobody wants to lose the ball game in a position that you're unaccustomed to and it's the same way when I played The Outfield you know I wasn't the greatest outfielder but I played it because I wanted to get four at bats I'm in left field if the manager is stupid enough to leave me in there in the eighth and ninth inning where we lose it because I don't catch a fly ball that's his problem he's the dummy and and Willie wasn't going to take that chance you know so I think the older players can help the young guys give them the right attitude you know because the Mets obviously struggled the last couple years they gotta they've Mak some changes they're making some changes I think for the better this new general manager is trying I mean he is bringing all his own old clients to New York but they can play some of these kids so I think if you put them out there you know and you help them along the way maybe we can get something going in New York because look there's momentum in sports you win and lose you know it's it's it's contagious if they start off good they start off good year then they they faulted a little bit but if they start winning some games and you fans are the greatest I mean they you never know they might have lightning in a bar Barrel you know I certainly hope so gosh you I can't say I don't know how much longer I could take it no I'm kidding so 1962 I'm I was looking at the roster I mean it it was a lot you were very young but there was a lot of veterans on the team but were you able to learn from guys like you have what Richie Ashburn Gil Hodges Frank Thomas Don Zimmer Joe Pig nut Mar thur do Duke Snyder a lot of old Dodgers 633 yeah Gil worked with me all the time yeah and you know that's how I knew how to play first base and and defensively I I you know I led the league and the defense I was 993 with my Fielding average and stuff like that I mean so Gil was really great and that's why he was such a great manager and he should be in the Hall of Fame it's ridiculous yes that a guy like him is not in there thank you you know the the guys voting these players into today never saw him play I mean he was in an era where it was not a a live baseball year but he yet he was dominant in the National League he had a lot of home runs great ball Club in in evansfield great defensive player and and a good manager so when you look at some of these other guys getting selected by the current U Riders it's a disgrace because Gil has a better record than any of these guys right I think it's almost like if you combine his playing career and his me the fact that he the 1969 Miracle Mets who who arguably probably W of the great championship teams in in baseball history I mean come on it's it's no brainer to me but well we were we were a good ball club and we played as a team we were you know we really uh showed you what baseball was supposed to be as a team game because everyone if you contribute and we all did and you put the records together at each position we had an outstanding uh organization that year and we would have won more penants no question about it we win more penants if Gil's the manager we win in 73 we did not lose that one we should have beat Oakland that was a disgrace that we lost but you know what seven games yeah you know we made a managerial mistake I mean and that's what happens in a short series over the course of a season just about any manager can win because if you have good talent that's going to survive because remember it's a marathon it's not a race but when you get to the playoffs it's short series it's three games it's five games or seven games you make a couple mental mistakes or you play the wrong players you're going to lose and you're out of the series we lose because saver pitches the sixth game he had no reason to pitch the sixth game we had George Stone to pitch Siver should have pitched a seventh if there was a seventh game who's to say there was George was 12 and three that year why take him out I mean if a guy wins all those games in a row like George did down the stretch I gotta pitch him why rush cver back short rested you know imagine having Siver to start on Sunday and say Tom give me three Innings still heard of because then you could bring in mat laac you could bring in kozman you could bring in the whole you have nine guys on Sunday George Stone could have pitched nine innings on Saturday we could have lost 20 to nothing it wouldn't have made a difference because we had a show up Sunday anyway we couldn't figure out our management couldn't figure out we didn't have to win Saturday we had to win Sunday and we lose the penet we never recovered yeah and 73 was an interesting year because the record wasn't great and only won 80 something gam we had a lot of injuries yeah we had somehow still won the division well we got we got hot the second half of the year the last six weeks everyone was healthy and you know guys played very well down the stretch and that's what I say it's it's not a a race it's a marathon we when you have injuries you know you're not going to win that's why you load up you look at some ball clubs are loading up I mean I don't know we might have some Yankee fans here but they're loading up they've got all kinds of guys you know I don't think I hope not you know because they they anticipate guys along the way getting hurt and the Mets have the same thing they have a lot of infielders and stuff guys play multiple positions that's what you need because the way the game has changed and they're using that pitching staff you don't need as many players on the bench they're not going to get in the game anyway you keep the best players out there that's why in the American League with the DH it doesn't help everybody the DH only helps the guy that's the DH the other guy sit on the bench and never hit because you're playing your nine best offensive players so you know what a lot of guys are hurt by the DH let's go I want to go back to' 69 since you we're talking about the 50th Anniversary beating the Orioles in the World Series when did you start knowing since you were there from 62 because obious you know from 62 63 64 65 the Mets sadly you know it was kind you know didn't have the best reputation in faceball when did you start kind of feeling wow you know this we have a show this could be a good team in a couple of years was it when cver I'm guessing when cver joined the team and kman and in 62 no in 6 for 69 when did you start kind of have a feeling that things were going to get on the was it was it that year or did you kind of say you well we went to spring training on the Gil we had he had managed in 68 and we improved still a Ninth Place club that year but he said to us in the spring set your goals to each each pitcher to win one more ball game and defensively the the regular players just make fewer manal mistakes you're going to win more games when it comes down the stretch let's get to 500 first let's take little steps and we'll see how we go once we got into June we went to California we beat the West Coast teams now we never beat the California teams especially with kofax and Dale then you go down the coast and you got ju Marisha and Gaylord Perry and all these other guys down there we used to celebrate rain outs that's when we celebrate rain outs crazy we couldn't win a game we we came back on that trip and we won 10 games you know on the west coast trip then we faced Chicago in New York and they ran into a hot team and we beat them four straight in New York and that was the start of it I mean we really started playing great baseball so then you go play the Braves and they have Hank Aaron and was there any thought at any moment in your mind that we're going to win the World Series this year or when did you start feeling like this is a good team we just knew we were a good team once we once we got the 500 we had never been at that Plateau late in the year yeah go figure we were sniffing that altitude you know it was it was really funny I mean you know we were always eliminated at the allstar break you know and and Casey used to be funny when he break at the allstar break usually you have three days off but if you're a bad team you should be working out you know go there and practice a little bit he us to say fellas I'm giving you three days off but take your records with you he and when you figure out what he said you were in last place you know he's just giving you a three-day vacation really so you know as your career what one of the things that I you know when I first started going to Mets games was you know and you guys were chanting it right off the bat Edie was pinch hitting and you know not everybody can be a good pinch hitter now from 1974 to 1978 this is great guys you batted 396 as a pinch hitter right and in 1974 you batted 486 going 177 for 35 that's still a major league single season pinch batting average record but I would but if you're sitting on the bench for a couple days you're not playing you're cold you know it's and all of a sudden like the manager's like all right you're up how do you how do you do it well you can't do it that way that's impossible you know back when I played we didn't have all these conditions they have now now they have cages underneath and heaters and stuff like that we didn't have that so what I used to do is I knew when I was going to pinch it it was never going to be when when the game was out of the line if we were losing by three or four runs I'm not going to pinch it it was always a tight game it was a winning situation I would have to pinch it so I would prepare myself in the fifth inning for something I was going to do in the ninth inning I already knew who I was going to face because the best reliever was coming in and I'd have to face him in a key situation so I'd get my equipment I'd put the pine toar on it do whatever I have to I'd go down below and I i' loosen up I'd go in the clubhouse try to get warm and do what you have to do because and then when you went up to the plate you were ready because if you just sitting there like you guys are doing out there and they say go hit and you pick a bat up you can't stand in the onic circle for 15 minutes because everybody in the ballpark screaming and yelling let's get the game going I mean it's too slow so you got to be ready to hit so prepare yourself I had my bat you know the seventh inning I'm sitting sitting with my bat so I that was ready the eighth inning I was ready to go and situation came up you know I was mentally prepared physically I was ready and I walked up there I took one or two swings and I was ready and I think I L the pitchers to sleep for the simple reason they always figured the guy sitting on the bench for so long he's going to come up and be stiff how's he going to hit so they try to get ahead of you with a fast ball or something like that and you know what I was ready to hit and I hit a line drive and get a base hit and they say how the hell do you do that well it's easy when you're ready for it you know otherwise if you're starting to take and I had that situation last year when the Mets were struggling some of the young kids they have they have a couple good outfielders Nemo and and the left fielder is uh forto and you know when they were pinch hitting they were struggling and I spoke to Nemo about it I said Nemo you know when you're playing regularly you have an opportunity you can take a lot of pictures I I noticed that he used to like to work the account but I said as a pinch hitter you can't you don't have that luxury you can't do that because the pitcher gets ahead of you one and two 0 and two you're out you might as well forget it because he's going to make that good pitch low and away or you know he'll get he's going to get you out he can fool around with you for three pitches I said so be aggressive be ready to do it and Jeff wilpon was standing alongside of me it was the funniest thing and after the conversation he he says to me well you do know something I said I I guess so I said to I said Jeff i' you know I led the league five years in a row and hit over 400 as a pinch hitter I said they got to be ready to hit they can't be sitting there you know I I felt like saying you know I've been around for a long time I could help you over the years you know but it is what it is you know that's crazy but but they inv valed me out there that night he's been very nice I threw out the first ball and uh they've they've gotten me some publicity for my uh situation where I need a kidney and and they've been very good about it so that's why he's asked me to go to spring training I guess he figures maybe I can help some of the guys but you know if you pass some of these little tips along to the guys you know it helps them and neemo he's a good little player they didn't trade him this year I'm glad they didn't give him an opportunity to play I mean he got a chance and that's and it's good you you still follow the team which is great you know I think when I talk to you um at your home I think it was like you know during the 2015 World Series you were really up to dat you were watching so that it's nice to see you I I know you know I do watch the game I watch the Mets I root for them um you know I'm a New York fan I watch the Yankees also I mean people don't want to hear that you know but I do I was brought up in the Bronx I was a Yankee fan growing up I was brought up in the Bronx and and you know I W up signing with the Mets but the thing is I like to see good baseball so if you can you know be part of it during the season I watch it I switch channels to different things uh you know the playoffs I love it you know and I want to see both all the New York teams do well I mean that's great for the city and the game obviously I mean I remember when I first started going to baseball games in the late 70s I mean you you can get out of there in maybe two hours two hours 15 minutes the game's are too long now they're very long what are some of your thoughts on the the length of the game and and how the game has changed I don't understand what the pitchers are looking at to catch you so long about you know they they staring in there and they throw a fast ball down the middle I mean it you don't have to think about unless you're just worried about throwing it you know that must be it because the games are much too long no question about it you know they're trying to speed it up the catcher they they cut back some of those trips to the mound I mean that that was ridiculous I mean anytime our guys went out to the mound it was where we going on the night for dinner that's about it what are you going to tell Tom Siver I mean he he's going to throw you off the mound like Bob Gibson used to do that you know to Johnny Keane I used to hear him yell at him get back in the Dugout you don't know anything about pitching even rubbe Walker well rub didn't say anything Gil came out they you know nobody said a whole lot to Gil you know Gil was a tough guy you know he was a marine you know strict background right you didn't want to mess with Gil so yeah so but a guys like what kman cver they had no tolerance for that kind of thing they're just like pitch pitch pitch and that's well they had a pitch I mean I we'd go over there and try to slow him down because sometimes when a pitcher is struggling he's going to work too fast so you give him a little Pace you know but what am I going to tell Tom CA how to pitch I mean Jerry kozman you know that's forget about it you know my roommate tug mcgr maybe that's a little different because tug was we talk about it at night time and stuff like that but and tug was their true character though what was it like playing playing with him because I mean he was a character no question about it he got us in trouble all the time time you know can't tell too many stories my well my wife's not here you know I guess well you know well that's a thing I mean yeah I don't want to get to yeah I don't want to get you in trouble your wife she's not here hopefully she's not W but I mean you guys were New York celebrities and you know I just watch a documentary about Joe neth the other night bers 3 and the whole thing and I mean wow there was it looked like it was some good times back then I mean you must the guys had a you know um you have to ask Jim Bouton he always blamed it on the other guy you know we had a great time New York was the greatest sports town around where can you be 50 years after the fact still talking about the 69 Mets most people they forget I can't tell you who won the World Series five years ago I mean but people do know that the Mets won in 69 they still celebrate the fans are great you know that's why New York is a great baseball town and you want to have a winner here if you win in New York you can go anywhere was it good I mean are you pleased looking back on on on your life that that you were able to stay in your hometown that you didn't have to go play for the twins or the Royals or you know well I I I wouldn't play for the twins at the end of my career uh Jee Mark who I hated from 1965 on he invited me to play for the twins in 1980 and I said are you crazy I said I played in the All-Star Game in 65 and there were five of us he didn't put in the game and I never liked him from that day on and every time we had a chance to play against him in Philadelphia or wherever he was I tried to beat him and you know what cuz you don't forget little things I mean certain things stay with you and then when he said come and play for me in in 70 in 1980 I said you're crazy I would I wouldn't leave New York I stayed in New York and retired you know I haven't sent my papers in yet so I guess I can still make a comeback you're supposed to actually send in papers for that suppos to send in papers I don't know if Jee Mock's uh still active but oh no I'm kidding yeah I know I'm just kidding um I want to do a little like uh a little have a little fun with a little lightning round here so I'm going to ask you a couple of quick questions and I'm going to see see what you uh so first one is I'm sure you've been asked this a billion times but the best pitcher you ever faced well that would be Sandy kofax but he was not the toughest pitcher that I ever faced the toughest pitcher um was uh Joe negro and he had that knuckle ball and he you know it would it was bouncing around around to catcher with a big glove like this couldn't catch it how am I going to hit it with a round bat you know round bat and a round bow so I used to you know have struggle with him go 0 for four 0 for four and then finally late in my career when he was still pitching I was friendly with the manager I said Joe I got a headache so he took me out I'd rather pinch hit in a ninth you know bring in a relief picture well are there certain guy because I remember specifically that Tommy Hutton on the Phillies could killed Siver for some reason could not get Tommy Hutton out made no sense is that but there it happens it happens you know it all depends on on certain guys and you can hit if you feel better you feel more comfortable I mean I did great against Gibson nobody really makes a living out of Gibson I'd get two hits a night against Bob Gibson because he would always challenge you to a fast ball or whether a slider and he throw that to me and I'd get a base hit and so I didn't have a problem with that but nro throwing that 60 MPH knuckle ball he know the situation he said this guy can't hit it I'm not going to throw him anything different well other guys would get an occasional fast ball which is about 60 miles an hour and they get a base hit me he says here hit it if you can you know he knew I didn't have a tennis racket so you know I couldn't hit it I struggle yeah Gibson also was very intim but you weren't I guess that's a big part of it because he was he was an intimidating pitcher like and you would maybe not want to bat against him in some cases well yeah you can't let any pitcher intimidate you you do do that you're in trouble I mean you then you think you can't get a hit you're out you now I know you were Mickey Manel was your idol growing up it was my idol growing up I was a Yankee fan yeah people you know they don't want to hear that but I I grew up in the Bronx who did I have to root for the Dodgers hated them the Giants my mother rooted for the Giants or the Yankees and I was a Yankee fan they won every year you know so I'd go and get free tickets off the milk bottles and stuff like that or the joural American back in those days would have tickets with for us and we'd go see the Yankees play and you know what you saw Mickey Roger and all those guys in the Heyday I mean they were great Yogi was he the best hitter you ever got to see in person or did you or best hitter yeah who would you say your best hitter over the years as you through the career I know you got to see all kinds of you know well Roberto Clemen could be the the greatest hitter you know I mean but he h 350 every year but you know he didn't have the power that these other fellas had then later on his career he he got a little more icity but he was a great player when I made the allstar team in 65 I was with all Hall of fam as if you look up that roster I mean it was unbelievable and I'm looking around and and you know you're in a with all these guys these are the guys I grew up with as a kid watching play and then you get a chance to play against them it was a tremendous thrill but you know I I wish I would have been with a better ball Club early on if you joined a better team you become a better player when you surround yourself with better players and that's what the Mets have to do now to surround those young kids with better players and they become better because a pitcher can't pick on the left field a conforto or numo or whatever that's why they're a better team when when sesus is in the lineup I was a better hitter when Rusty joined the ball club and even guys like Dave Kingman who was not a great team player but you put him behind you he was so always could hit that home run they'd say well I'll pitch to Ed maybe he won't hit a home run and if I get a base hit and Kingman hit something so you become a better a better offensive player Dave quick story guys you know Dave Kingman when I was a kid I went up to him in the parking lot at Shay to get an autograph and he he was 6'6 and I don't think he saw me and he knocked me over anyway I was like Mr Kingman just true story story I thought you got to say he dropped the ball well yeah I wouldn't be surprised no he but he was boy he but he hit some serious shots D I mean he could hit the ball as far as anybody in baseball and that was before the Lively ball you know and before steroids I mean I never saw a guy hit a ball further than Dave in batting practice he put on a show in Chicago and everything else I mean he hit balls out of sight in in spring training in in Fort Lauderdale he hit a bow over left field fence I think against catfish I think it's still going wow put it in orbit you know I mean he was tremendous hit a ball out of the stadium in Montreal he did some Feats that you know you you haven't heard about and the only other big shot I've ever seen was Tommy a shot at Shay Stadium up in that left field stands best player you ever who you you played with on the Mets well Willie May he joined us later on but he was the best player I ever saw play uh for the Mets I you know Cleon was a good player you know Cleon was a good hitter he could do everything you know uh when he first came up we signed together in 62 and we developed together Cleon was a good player Tom saver oh see was the franchise of the ball Club no question about it I mean he's the best pitcher I ever saw and we were lucky to get him we got him in the uh some kind of phony draft they had down there I think uh Atlanta signed them up too early or something they did something against the rules and then we got another draft and we picked him because remember the Mets were not very good at drafting players they were not very good at all look we we could have had well we we had Jill cot unfortunately we didn't take Reggie Jackson you know so there were a lot of guys look at our number one picks and they never developed Les RO with a left-handed pitcher wasn't good chil Cott was a number one pick in the country didn't develop never got into the game and no offense to Jim fosi but trading Ryan for him what were you guys thinking back then when I mean did you think Ryan had some serious poti potential at that point I would imagine he threw 100 miles an hour I mean well when you throw 100 miles an hour I mean I was a little wild I know but you know yeah but I you didn't want to face him in batting practice I'll tell you what you know he had a lot of potential would he would develop in New York I I don't know he was not the star on our club you have to remember we had three great arms in 69 we had kozman you had Tom sver and another kid that hurt his arm was Gary Gentry and he had bone chips he was as good as the other two he really was they didn't know how to do that surgery back in those days today he would have they would have scoped him out and he would have been fine so no Nolan was always the odd man out would I have made the trade I might have made the trade but not for a guy that was past his Prime and and you didn't get a star back because this guy could throw 100 miles an hour when he was on he was unhitable and that was before these guns you know before you knew how hard some of these guys threw I mean he was he was the hardest thrower in baseball and he never had a bad arm pitch all the time you look at the records he said he couldn't pitch today course after 60 pitches they take him out you know it's like crazy he threw 200 pitches a game and was striking people out in the ninth inning I mean he was amazing he was a freak of nature but we never had a bad arm I I shouldn't well Gentry was the only one that had bone chips but SI never heard hurt his arm Jerry kozman never hurt his arm noan Ryan didn't hurt his arm I mean we we had great pitchers yeah why why do you think it's happening though why do you think that I mean I mean I'm frustrated that these guys can't go four and five well they might be starting too early in life they're throwing hard they're looking up at the machines they're looking up at the scoreboard to say it's 100 miles an hour what's the difference how hard you throw if you're getting people out and you know how to pitch you don't have to throw miles an hour I mean the guy down in Atlanta madx won 300 and some odd games he didn't throw real hard a lot of guys didn't throw real hard but they had perfect control ju Marisha threw hard but not 100 miles an hour but he had five pitchers to get you out with and he got you out with a different pitch guys are too concerned about overpowering players 100 miles an hour they love it they look at the scoreboard and it's 101 102 I mean it's crazy you throw the ball down the middle of the plate these good hitters are going to hit it somewhere over right field left field or whatever at my age I swear to you I always had great eyes that was part of my problem I never when I swung the bat I hit the ball that works against you sometime when you're young and inexperienced you're swinging at pitchers that are not in your hitting area and now you ground out the second short stop you hit the put the ball in play at my age if you threw the ball down the the middle consistently hard I'm going to hit it right now at 74 if you change speeds I'll fall down and hit I wouldn't hit anything because now you can't hit a curveball you can't you can't hit anything but one speed you just you're going to time it like you go to these machines in the uh amusement parks you know that one speed you can close your eyes and hit those balls after a while so you have to learn how to pitch inside outside up and down and don't throw the ball down the middle you throw the ball down the middle guy gets a base hit look at read the books the best greatest hitter I ever saw was Ted Williams and his books on hitting he puts a graph and he puts the strike zone out there and he shows you exactly what pitches you're going to hit you're not going to hit and you know what he's right anybody can hit the ball down the middle move it around a little bit you'll see the difference so don't if you're teaching the youngsters in in the little leagues how to pitch don't teach him a curve ball don't teach him anything let him throw the ball straight but move the ball around the plate and change speeds that's all all right Mr kble so we're gonna Keith I think we're g to uh take some questions from the audience now uh I know someone has a mic and uh oh here we go here we go who's anybody got a oh right here sir yeah okay questions for Mr Crane poool Mr cran poool can you tell us what it was like could be on Kinder's Corner maybe tell us a funny story or something something you remember about being there Ralph was the greatest guy he really was we always love to be with [Applause] him and he'd always give you a gift to go on there whether it be a refrigerator or something El later on he gave you gas coupons and that was pretty good sonoko I think it was I think that was one of our sponsors or something like that he was a great guy but he forgot so many guys names at the end of his career you know Chucho Chu Coleman you know he's crazy who else anybody else uh Siri right there I got paid that night no what story well Tom C trade oh the Tom CA trade Tom Sia got traded in the middle of the night Joe McDonald made that trade it was unbelievable the Mets had a deal going with LA we thought we were going to trade deceiver to LA and and how I knew that was Joe Tori was the manager and Joe and I roomed together okay and we were very friendly at the time and uh when he was talking to the Dodgers about it he was involved in negotiations and they gave him a list of 10 players to choose for Tom Siver they were going to give us six players for Tom Siver so Joe said to me you take the list home and I'll take it home and tomorrow morning when you come to the ballpark we'll compare list to see which ones I'm going to take he was working with Joe McDonald so we I went home and looked at the list and Joe did the same thing and and there were some good players on there Pedro Guerrera nick willhide uh Rick rhen lee la there were a lot of there were six good players on so I had a list and I put them down one through six and then Joe came the next day and did the same thing now we had basically the same names but not in the same order okay my first was Lee Lacy I don't know who I mean not Lee Lac was Guerrero who was a good young player and he became a great hitter and I don't know who Joe had but anyway that when he get to the ballpark he gets a call from Joe McDonald he already traded Sia the night before for you know the guys on the Reds he had no idea never inquired with the manager and that's why a lot of guys couldn't didn't want to manage you know what I mean they weren't running the ball Club if you're going to fire the manager you should have some responsibility on trades and that's you know otherwise it it it becomes a problem if you're going to give me players that can't play don't fire me you know and Joe was mad that we gave up sceiver even though they were good players Cincinnati gave us they were not what the Dodgers had offered they had offered we felt better players was it pat Zachary Doug Flynn yeah Norman Norman and Henderson yeah Henderson that the next day I'm he was my I he was that was like one of the worst days of my entire life anyway who anybody else have a question for Mr crle yeah oh back there hi hi Ed hi uh what were some of your favorite ballparks you hit in I love Chicago I like to play in the daytime U you know I just I could hit better in the day you could see better I'd like to get there and you like to get back to the hotel by six o'clock you can go out for night go have dinner at a normal time Etc and it was a lot more fun so Chicago is my best city and then after that let's see it probably was St Louis I like to play in St Louis the AST turf was great to play on that if you played there you had to hit 30 points higher that's why those averages so misleading anyone on astr Turf as opposed to a regular grass field the ball slows up in the grass especially Shay Stadium had the worst grass in the world it was very thick because of the dampness it was built on the swamp so the ball wouldn't go through the infield where if you have asurf if you hit a hard ground ball takes one step away from the player he can't catch it the base hits so now you get you know it doesn't take half a dozen hits at the end of the year and it's 20 points so you know what I'd rather be on the astr tur so St Louis and Chicago Chicago for hitting home run runs and playing during the get daytime any other questions from Mr crle yeah sure uh the butd harlson Pete Rose fight it wasn't much of a fight you know it's talking about a heavyweight against a lightweight you know buddy was a sweetheart he's he's one of my closest friends you know he you know he had a lapse lapse of memory really what happened is you know during the course of the ball game we were allowed to be aggressive on the bases back in those days now you can't even slide you know it's crazy uh so when you know Pete Rose is coming down the line you don't stand there in the middle of the the base path Pete was out by 15 feet at second base there's no question about buddy had already thrown the ball over his head and it was on the way to first base and Pete just kept running right into him and he you know overly aggressive no question about it he was trying to excite his own team because they were losing he was frustrated but you know he had no reason he couldn't make it to second base he might he might have been from here to the second pole that I'm from from second base he couldn't can't slide and get there you know what I mean it was no reason to knock over buddy but buddy just stood there and Bam and it was it was over but like buddy said he made Pete Rose famous with that fight and it started a great chant of Chase Stadium if you remember but I won't repeat it what we used to say back then the fans were there on almost rioted that day we did not like Pete it was fun every time he came up but he was a great player you have to give him credit Pete didn't matter what position he played he he gave 100% 200 hits at every position never made a m never never made an excuse can't play Third Base it affects my hitting can't play second base fects my nothing affected his hitting nothing at all this guy had tunnel vision he he could hit in in night time you know he didn't care didn't have to have lights he'd still get a base hit any other question oh we got one way back there we get them oh I'm sorry yeah my bad Mr Mr crle um thank you for being here know that we're all praying for your condition thank you very much I appreciate it thank you the um I guess just a quick synopsis how what was it like playing for Casey stingle Gil Hodes and Yogi Bara well with Casey it was a free-for-all out there you know anything went on you know he was he was a happy go-lucky guy that devoted all those years to baseball he was great with the young players okay but he was having fun he was at the Twilight of his career he didn't have the players it was unfortunate Gil was a strict disciplinarian a marine you know and had one set of rules for 25 players and either played his way or you hit the highway it wouldn't take any anything from anybody didn't care who you were if you had a say something to you he'd call you in the room and you know he'd lower the boom on you you know what I mean and you knew exactly what you were doing Yogi was a sweet guy he was a great guy but in the third inning you know he or should say in the ninth inning he was worrying about things he did in the third inning instead of being in Reverse like Gil would think about things in the third inning for the ninth inning he was a little bit LAX in in his preparation you know but that's that's Yogi Yogi was a great guy though you know but I would have rather had Gil going to war in the seventh game of the World Series oh way back there maybe he wants to leave the room oh wait we got one right here I'm sorry you'll be next he's back there what was some of the stories that the players talk to you about when they got to first base where they were going at night and you know they they a lot of guys love to come to New York so they told you a lot of good stories about where they went at night time you know the one guy I didn't want to see stay at first base was Richie Allen and I'll tell you a quick story about him okay we have time yeah five minut we got five minutes yeah five minutes okay Richie Allen you know didn't like the rules and he didn't like genan Mark so he did whatever he wanted to do he go into the track all the time and he liked to drink never affected his play he shows up the last day of the Season okay I guess it was maybe 68 or something like that anyway no one Ryan's GNA start that game he's late to the ballpark Jee Mark says I'll teach you a lesson he puts him in the lineup now he gets the into the game he's drunk the guy is completely wasted anybody else would be on the training table and and he's going to hit against Nolan Ryan so we thought he's going to get killed we said this guy's going to walk into a fast ball at 100 miles an hour because Nolan didn't know where it was going he winds up he HS three home runs that day you know but I didn't want him to stop at first cuz he was drunk I say keep going I didn't want to have have his breath come on me forget about it you know knocked me out I had enough trouble when I was sober yeah and he had like I think he had like the heaviest bat in the major leagues too Richie strongest guy he never wore a short you never saw him with a short sleeve shirt if you noticed any picture you see of Richie Allen he had a long sleeve wool shirt on it must be 100 degrees he's got a wool shirt on he had the biggest arms you'd ever want to see and had the heaviest bat in the National League I think it was 42 43 forget about it I couldn't lift it up I used it as the weighted bat you know couldn't swing that you got time for a couple more sir back there yeah so Ed I remember after Joan pacon died and uh and the two daughters uh the two daughters own the team and then they put the team up for sale and I remember that you were part of a group you wanted to buy the team right how many World Series would we have won [Laughter] you would have had a lot more fun I think you know you would I don't think you would have been screaming and yelling we should have had some fun we should have bought the ball club that you know it's crazy when I when I negotiated I tried to negotiate with Linda that was in September of of 79 and I knew the ball Club was going to be for sale because Mr pacon told me about it he said my S my daughter is going to sell the ball club and I did have a group and then I met with Mr uh Apple Bob app on that and he wanted me to join his group which was himself that was the he said I've got more money than you and the after money is what you're going to need and he was 100% correct you know you have to build a ball Club you can't stop with just your your 25 players you got to build the system Etc and uh we tried to talk to Linda in September which we did I set that meeting up and she wouldn't tell him how much she he she wanted for the ball Club he left her a check she didn't fill it out and my wife when I came home from that meeting she said how'd you make out today I said I don't know but I think we bought the ball Club she said you're dumber than I think you are what do you mean you think weren't you at a meeting I said yeah I was at a meeting I said but there was no nothing signed she didn't fill out a check he left her blank check and said fill it out and let me know what you want and never did it and we never I went from the pen the ouse to the pen from the penthouse to the ouse you know CU I thought I was on top of the world when I came home and then she negotiated with her own friends she bought the double day in picket and then wilpon came in the back door and became a 5center and he eventually had a disagreement with the double day and that all blew up in everybody's face well Mr cran that's you st yeah I'm sorry I apologize uh I just want to say thank you so much for being here at the Queens baseball convention okay um you're a true New Yorker you're a true Mets Legend we hope to see you for years to come out at City Field at spring training and is a part of the New York Mets family because thank you you know thanks thank you so much it's been such an honor to be here with you okay pleasure [Music]