STANTON'S 300TH HOMER HANDLED WITH CLASS

Photo: Getty Images

I was impressed with how everything went down with Giancarlo Stanton's 300th home run.  First off... don't get it twisted.  Stanton did something big.  Not only did he crank 300 home runs, he also was the 5th fastest to do it in a baseball career.  That's pretty outstanding. FOX Sports has this...

"Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton joined the 300-home run club Thursday night, connecting for a two-run drive in the third inning against the Detroit Tigers. Stanton ended a 10-game homerless drought and became the 147th player to reach the mark, 11 of them active. He did it in 1,119 games, making him the fifth-fastest to hit the milestone behind Ralph Kiner, Ryan Howard, Juan Gonzalez and Alex Rodriguez. At 28, Stanton was the ninth-youngest player to hit 300..."

Photo: Getty Images

But then comes how it went down when he did it.  This was the breakdown for a man named Tim Kunz, the man who caught the ball, brought to us by Jack Curry:

Stanton's 300th home run ball will be in his locker after the game, thanks to Eddie Fastook of Yankees' security. Tim Kunz caught the ball. He traded it in for a meet and greet w/ Stanton, autographed baseballs, tickets to future game, a clubhouse/field tour and 2 Bud Lights

— Jack Curry (@JackCurryYES) August 31, 2018

Now why do I bring this up?  Because Tim could have pulled a Zach Hample and walked out of the building with it so he could roll around his bed with all the balls he caught over the years, but he gave it back to the dude that hit it. It's a class act, something he clearly didn't have to do, but did just the same.  The Yankees in turn rewarded the man and they should have, especially for being so good about it.

That Zach Hample is a real ass. My family and I were at a game at the stadium on Monday night... that Hample creep was there.  My 16 and 14 year old were with me and they spotted him... and they wanted to taunt him and cause some trouble.  Now, I never raised my kids to be that way... but I gotta tell you something; In the back of my mind I wouldn't have minded them shoving him into the wall as we walked by him. My kids are now strong, they're athletes. They play by the book... but if someone plays dirty... they'll play dirty back. Hample plays dirty.

But I'm their dad and so I instructed them not too. Instead, I walked by reminding him that he should be alittle more giving to the kids around him when he makes an important catch out there.  He's disgusting in my mind, but hey, I must be in the minority. There were people literally taking selfies with this creep.

Read a great piece about this jerk-off from former BYB writer Barry Millman:

THE BLACK EYE OF MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

Photo: Getty Images

Oh Well.  Anyway... I tip my cap to Tim Kunz... to the Yankees and of course to Stanton.  Job well done all around.

Not you Hample… you suck.

BASEBALL SHOULD TAKE A PAGE FROM THE OSCARS

Today social media sites have been in an uproar (when aren’t they?) over what is being perceived as a slight by FOX and MLB in allegedly not airing something to honor Tony Gwynn during the All-Star game.

 

While I recognize Gwynn’s tremendous accomplishments on the field and off (I wrote a piece for BYB on it, REST IN PEACE, MR. PADRE), and feel that my favorite sport truly lost one of its great ambassadors with his passing, I also feel that to set aside special time during a telecast for him would be disrespectful to others just as deserving.

This past year baseball also lost Don Zimmer and Ralph Kiner.  If you want the All-Star telecast to honor Gwynn, then you sure better want that same broadcast to honor “Zim” and Kiner too.

Zimmer gave 65 years to baseball, and Kiner gave well over 50 years.  Neither deserves any less reverence than Gwynn.

My proposal is this: let MLB take a lesson from the Academy Awards.  Each year during its annual Oscars ceremony, the Academy takes time out to honor those that have passed over the previous year.  The segment is done tastefully and gives each name a proper honor.

Since the All-Star game is a once-a-year showcase for MLB, it would be fitting that during the seventh inning stretch (before or after “God Bless America”) baseball honors all of those associated with MLB that died since the previous mid-summer classic.  Their names and faces, along with a brief summary of their contributions, could be projected on the stadium’s big screen.  It would allow fans and family to properly honor them one more time without the perception of slighting anyone.

Yes, it’s a shame that Gwynn wasn’t given more of an honor last night, but it’s just as much a shame that neither Zimmer or Kiner, or anyone else that contributed to MLB and has since passed was not mentioned.

There is an easy solution that could be employed with the next All-Star game.  All MLB needs to do is look no farther than the Academy Awards to make things right.

    

--Steve Skinner, BYB Writer
Twitter: @oswegos1


 
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REMEMBERING RALPH KINER

I always liked Ralph Kiner and got sad yesterday when I heard the news that Kiner had passed. He was 91 years old.

When I was a kid, I would watch the Yankees on the weekends, usually day time games, and line all my baseball cards up according to the Yanks lineup that day. But every once in a while, if the Yankees weren't on, I'd be looking for a game on TV. At the time, the Mets or the Braves would be on somewhere, be it WOR or TBS. I would usually end up staying with the New York team though, clicking on the Mets and there was something comforting about the Mets post-game and watching Kiner's Korner.



Thank God for YouTube because I found an old interview with Ralph Kiner and Tom Seaver.  I'm sure Pete Caldera of the Bergen Record can't wait to watch this... he's a huge Seaver fan.

Bu that aside, know this; Kiner was a kind man and not only was he a great broadcaster, he was also a great player as well.

Sure, we're a Yankee site here, but we have respect for the game and it's players here at Bleeding Yankee Blue.  According to ESPN, Kiner "...died with his family at his side at his home in Rancho Mirage, Calif., hit 369 home runs during his 10-year career, mostly with the Pittsburgh Pirates, who retired his No. 4 in 1987.

'Ralph Kiner was one of the greatest sluggers in National League history, leading the Senior Circuit in home runs in each of the first seven years of his Hall of Fame career,' commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement. "His consistent power and patience in the heart of the Pirates lineup made him a member of our All-Century Team and, in many respects, a player ahead of his time."

We wanted to pay our respects to Ralph Kiner and his family.  May he rest in peace. No doubt heaven just finished construction the the new Kiner's Korner studio and Ralph and getting miked up right now.

Thank you to all the Bleeding Yankee Blue readers for continued success.  You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in the history of Yankees fandom.  Thanks for reading, sharing and enjoying. Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue (Official) on Facebook, just type it in.