The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, August 27, 1979, Registration Issue, section C, Page Page 18C, Image 63
'Oldm
By Brett Friedlander
Sports Editor
Old man river
that old man river
he don't say nothin'
but that old man river
he just keeps on rollin' along
George & Ira Gershwin
I ilfp nlH man rivt?r RH
Kranepool just keeps on rollin'
along. For 17 seasons, he has been
a part of the New York Mets, a
team whose history has been as up
and down as his career.
Tr? 1QA9 thp? firct vpflr fnr thp
Mets, Kranepool signed as a 17
year-old sensation from James
Monroe High School in the Bronx,
New York. He showed grea!
promise but not much im
provement, and in 1970 he was sent
to Tidewater of the International
League. After a good year in the
minors, the big first baseman was
promoted back to the majors anc
v finally fulfilled that promise.
He has seen a lot of things
happen during his long tenure ir
the Big Apple. In his rookie season
he played on a team that lost ?
major league record 120 games. H<
began his career and played hi;
first four seasons under legendary
manager Casey Stengel
Kranepool was also a part of th<
1969 "Miracle Mets," who wen
from last place to a World Serie;
championship in one season.
THERE HAVE BEEN man}
f/\1/J o K/M it V-* nlrl TV fl o n n/
diui ico iuiu auuui uic uiu mcio c*iiv
Stengel; Kranepool has a few of hi;
own to tell. "I enjoyed playing foi
Casey," he said. "He was <
colorful person who gave 50 yean
of his life to the game and he wa;
?7-, ^ i r"L ^ v5 -j?+
After 17 years with the
is still taking his cuts. Kran
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LADY
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an' Kra
very helpful to all the young
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didn't have enough prospects back
in those days to bring the club
around."
Because of this lack of talent,
nobody got a lot of enjoyment
nloiiinu fr?r* tho oarlv Mpfc "Whpn
FIMjliab lv/1 fcl|v "ww*-j
you play on a team that finishes
last seven years in a row, it's never
much fun," Kranepool said.
Then came 1969, and all
> frustrations of the past were
forgotten as the Mets stunned
t everyone by winning the World
^ -wr 1 J: J .4
series. Aiinougn ivranepoui uiu noi
i have a great season, he played a
major role in the team's sudden
: success. According to the first
baseman, it was one of the greatest
1 moments in his career.
I "Winning a championship is a
UlwUIIrtUi frtM rvKAfnPClAH O 1
lllgllllglil 1U1 awj' (71 v/n-ooivjnai
; athlete," Kranepool explained.
1 "We molded our ballclub under the
direction of Gil Hodges in 1968. We
> added some young players, and in
i 1969 we all came of age at the same
time, and of course we won the
i pennant."
i For the majority of his career,
> Kranepool has been a favorite of
j the finickv New York baseball
fans, but he has not always been
; their darling. There was a time
t when he was booed soundly every
5 time he stepped out of the dugout.
BUT THAT WAS years ago. Now
/ he represents a link to the glory
1 years of the past and receives long
> ovations even though he is no
r longer a starter. He has, however,
i earned the fans' admiration for
> setting records for his pinch hitting
> efforts.
? * ^El'
? i
New York Mets, Ed Kranepool
epool has become one of
itters in the qame.
OUTLET .
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nepool
"When you're with any ballclub
for 17 years, something like that is
bound to happen," he explained.
"The reason fans cheer anybody is
because they are doing well. That's
the way fans are. If you're doing
well, they cheer you, if you're not,
they get on you. The only thing you
can do is keep going out there and
do your best. There are some times
when you feel like booing yourself."
Lately, he has not been doing
much of that. Over the past five
seasons, his lowest batting
average was .281. In 1975 he hit a
career high .323 in 325 at bats. A
year earlier, he set a team record
with 17 pinch hits in 35 appearances.
That figure also
represents a National League
record, typing him with
Philadelphia's Tony Taylor.
Since the Mets have made a
move towards rebuilding by giving
their young players time,
Wranpnnnl hac rtnnp a lot of ninch
hitting. Perhaps that's why he's so
good at it. But he is also realistic
about his role with the team. He
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subscriptic
1 1
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1 B I IC aoC C3I lOILJtD
I I Gamecock
I
|! Name
j J Address
( City
j [_ ] Fall semeE
I j $5.5
RTTENTI
lmagin<
(extra I ear
J 1 Pita breo
I sandwich
I daily, chi
I ii * i
j H polices H
( ) So
6n i
mamamm?mmmmammmmmmommmmmmmm
[ still sli
knows that it is keeping him in
baseball and he has developed
some definite theories on the
subject.
"As a pinch hitter, you have to be
1 APp cnlnnti\70
inure aggicssivc anu icoa ovitvmv
than you normally would. The
pitchers have a tremendous edge;
if you go up there and get in a hole
too deep, you're going to come out
on the short end. So you have to
come off the bench aggressive,
thinking positive and knowing
what to expect from the opposing
pitcher. And, swing hard just in
case you hit the ball."
WITH HIS 17 years of experience
and overall performance as a
pinch hitter, Kranepool knows
ahead of time when he will be
called upon. As a result, he spends
the entire game trying to psych
himself up from that one moment.
"You have to keep yourself both
nnrl monf fillv PPqHu tn
[Jiijran,aujr aiiu iu^hluhj ?vuv.j
go into the game," he said.
"You don't have enough time to
prepare yourself in the on-deck
circle. I know when I'll be hitting,
usually when the game is on the
%
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I
$ ; '
j! i
"\ <c&i
*e check and mail to
: Box 05131, use, C
iter i?, ?
q |_J Spring ser
ON HUNGI
e this:
fc?i n????
i burgers, mien
^d, delicious ve
es, super sala<
cken critters, S
;raut dogs - pr
Id Only at Grouchc
* A . W> I I
Harden M. ieiepn<
U
igging
line, so that is wnat i m gearing lor
as the game progresses."
"I think if you know what
situation you'll be used in, it is
easier, because it gives you time to
get prepared," Kranepool added.
Old man river might keep on
rolling along, but so does Ed
Kranepool.
ViIh*
'.|PfiMi>"^iJ|y>CTk
Kranepool
1
I
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as
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(?* * Order your cwn
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