RIP Jerry Coleman

[Yankyfan]

Just read Jerry has passed..A true class act

[JL25and3]

Coleman, a Marine pilot, was the only MLB player to see combat in two wars. He flew a combined 120 combat missions in WWII and Korea and received two Distinguished Flying Crosses.

“To me the height of my life, the best thing I ever knew, wasn’t the Yankees, wasn’t baseball or broadcasting. It was the Marine Corps.”

http://www.commandposts.com/2011/07/...-and-two-wars/

[BroadwayBomber55]

RIP to the Colonel, Jerry Coleman.

Great role player, great trooper, great baseball commentator.

[Yankyfan]

Also in HOF winning the Frick award.

[chisox]

A four-time World Series champion who spent his entire career with the Yankees, Coleman served tours of duty in World War II and Korea. He made the transition from player to broadcaster, first with the Yankees, before becoming the radio voice of the San Diego Padres.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/ba...#ixzz2pZjkXRla

[Yankee Steve]

Truly sorry to hear this. Loved Jerry's stories about Phil, Joe, Mckey, Yogi and Whitey. As already said, a class act. I believe he was the only ML player to have fought in 2 wars. RIP, Mr. Coleman...

[yankeeman61]

Just read Jerry has passed..A true class act

Very sad to hear this. Coleman was a character much like many of Casey's boys. Classic Jerry Coleman quotes in his honor:

"And Kansas is at Chicago tonight or is it Chicago at Kansas City? Well, no matter as Kansas leads in the eighth four-to-four."

"(Bruce) Benedict may not be hurt as much as he really is."

"Bob Davis is wearing his hair differently this year, short and with curls like Randy Jones wears, I think you call it a Frisbee."

"(Joe) DiMaggio seldom showed emotion. One day after striking out, he came into the dugout and kicked the ball bag. We all went 'ooooh'. It really hurt. He sat down and the sweat popped out on his forehead and he clenched his fists without ever saying a word. Everybody wanted to howl, but he was a god. You don't laugh at gods."

"Enos Cabell started out here with the Astros and before that he was with the Orioles."

"Eric Show will be oh-for-ten if that pop fly comes down."

"Gaylord Perry and Willie McCovey should know each other like a book. They've been ex-teammates for years now."

"George Hendrick simply lost that sun-blown popup."

"(Johnny) Grubb goes back, back. He's under the warning track."

"He (Graig Nettles) leaped up to make one of those diving stops only he can make."

"He slides into second with a stand up double."

"If (Pete) Rose's streak was still intact, with that single to left, the fans would be throwing babies out of the upper deck."

"Larry Lintz steals second standing up — he slid, but he didn't have to."

"(Willie) McCovey swings and misses, and it's fouled back."

"On the mound is Randy Jones, the left-hander with the Karl Marx hairdo."

"Pete Rose has three-thousand hits and three-thousand and fourteen overall."

"Rich Folkers is throwing up in the bullpen."

"There's a hard shot to (Johnnie) LeMaster and he throws (Bill) Madlock into the dugout."

"There's someone warming up in the bullpen, but he's obscured by his number."

"They throw (Dave) Winfield out at second — and he's safe."

"Those amateur umpires are certainly flexing their fangs tonight."

"Whenever you get an inflamed tendon, you've got a problem. OK, here's the next pitch to Gene (Tenace) Tendon."

"Willie Davis is not as young as he used to be."

"(Dave) Winfield goes back to the wall, he hits his head on the wall and it rolls off! It's rolling all the way back to second base. This is a terrible thing for the Padres."

"You never ask why you've been fired because if you do, they're liable to tell you."

"Young Frank Pastore may have just pitched the biggest victory of 1979, maybe the biggest victory of the year."

[Sixty one]

I'm very sorry to hear about this. When I first started playing baseball in the early 50's I played second base and loved the Yankees. Therefore, my favorite Yankee was Jerry Coleman who also played second base. He was a true American patriot having fought in both WWII and Korea. He also was a fine second baseman for NY and a legendary broadcaster for the Padres. Rest in peace.

[Messerwhitescooter]

http://forums.nyyfans.com/showthread...10#post7823410

[theDurk]

Very sad to hear this. Coleman was a character much like many of Casey's boys. Classic Jerry Coleman quotes in his honor:

Those are great! And we have to listen to the repetitive, unimaginative, scripted pap spewed by Kay and Sterling.

You missed: "I've made a couple of mistakes I'd like to do over."

The full 6-page list: http://funny2.com/coleman.htm

[Messerwhitescooter]

http://forums.nyyfans.com/showthread...02#post7823402

[Yankees1962]

I remember watching him broadcast Yankee games on WPIX back in the mid-60s.

[RogerNatural]

Baseball player and sports announcer aside, RIP to a GREAT AMERICAN.

[-tz]

http://forums.nyyfans.com/showthread...10#post7823410

http://forums.nyyfans.com/showthread...02#post7823402

Are you trying to tell us the man was not worthy of three separate threads ... two of them actually in appropriate forums?

[JL25and3]

I remember watching him broadcast Yankee games on WPIX back in the mid-60s.

Yep, I remember the team of Rizzuto, Coleman and Joe Garagiola.

[Yankees1962]

Yep, I remember the team of Rizzuto, Coleman and Joe Garagiola.

That was the team of broadcasters Iwas referring to.

[Nome]

Coleman, a Marine pilot, was the only MLB player to see combat in two wars. He flew a combined 120 combat missions in WWII and Korea and received two Distinguished Flying Crosses.

“To me the height of my life, the best thing I ever knew, wasn’t the Yankees, wasn’t baseball or broadcasting. It was the Marine Corps.”

http://www.commandposts.com/2011/07/...-and-two-wars/

I read the same thing in the papers that Coleman was the only MLer to see service in two wars, but Ted Williams was a combat pilot also in WWII and Korea. Of course, strictly speaking Korea is best referred to as a "Conflict" because was never declared by congress.

I remember my Dad taking me to see a Newark Bears game in 1948 and Jerry played the full year there before being called up to the Yanks in 1949 and winning the Rookie of the Year award.

Andy

[boomerdisciple]

RIP. He always seemed like such a great guy. I loved reading about him in Halberstam's "Summer of '49."

[Messerwhitescooter]

Are you trying to tell us the man was not worthy of three separate threads ... two of them actually in appropriate forums?

Let's start a fourth.

[Yankees1962]

I read the same thing in the papers that Coleman was the only MLer to see service in two wars, but Ted Williams was a combat pilot also in WWII and Korea. Of course, strictly speaking Korea is best referred to as a "Conflict" because was never declared by congress.

I remember my Dad taking me to see a Newark Bears game in 1948 and Jerry played the full year there before being called up to the Yanks in 1949 and winning the Rookie of the Year award.

Andy

I don't think Williams experienced actual combat in WWII, but he did in Korea.

[fredgmuggs]

I don't think Williams experienced actual combat in WWII, but he did in Korea.

I believe that is correct.

[Battingly]

I was just in another thread talking about how funny Tommy Henrich was, just his dialect and speech pattern and phrases, it made him a great storyteller and naturally funny, kind of like Rizzuto, and the same was true of Jerry Coleman, those are three guys I could NEVER get tired of listening too, and now the three of them are up in heaven cracking each other up again.

RIP Jerry

[Yankee Steve]

I read the same thing in the papers that Coleman was the only MLer to see service in two wars, but Ted Williams was a combat pilot also in WWII and Korea. Of course, strictly speaking Korea is best referred to as a "Conflict" because was never declared by congress.

I remember my Dad taking me to see a Newark Bears game in 1948 and Jerry played the full year there before being called up to the Yanks in 1949 and winning the Rookie of the Year award.

Andy

Not to diminish Jerry in ANY WAY, but in 1949, Jerry was not the ROY. The winner, interestingly enough, was Roy Sievers. Jerry never earned ROY honors.

[BronxYanks45]

sad news RIP

[JL25and3]

Not to diminish Jerry in ANY WAY, but in 1949, Jerry was not the ROY. The winner, interestingly enough, was Roy Sievers. Jerry never earned ROY honors.

Sievers deserved it, too.

Edit: According to the New York Times, Coleman won The Associated Press' Rookie of the Year in 1949. The award recognized by MLB is given by the BBWAA.