Multiple Friday comment contest winner John Philips followed up his victory this week by going way beyond the call of duty.
After referencing a famous "Kiner's Korner" interview involving Ralph Kiner and Len Dykstra's mother, Philips actually transcribed it for WatchDog Nation.
Here is his account:
Lenny Dykstra and his mother Marilyn appeared on "Kiner’s Korner" on Rusty Staub Day in 1986. It was the Sunday before the All-Star break.
Keep in mind that Ralph was beaming during the entire interview in a way he didn’t usually smile. Since it was Rusty Staub Day, Rusty’s mom was at the game and trust me, she wasn’t anything like Lenny’s mom.
She looked young enough to be Lenny’s girlfriend, not his mom.
Here’s a transcript of the show.
RALPH: Well, hi everybody and welcome to Kiner’s Korner. Mets winning today by a score of 2 to nothing. (Camera shows Dykstra and a young looking blonde woman sitting next to him with a piece of paper and a pen. She is smiling and he has his head down with a smirk on his face.) And we’re going to have on the show as a star of the game, and he certainly was defensively and offensively, Lenny Dykstra. Lenny of course having a fantastic season for the New York Mets. And Lenny, who’s that fan that wants your autograph? (Lenny doesn’t answer)
BLONDE WOMAN: Would you sign this autograph for Jonathan Friedman? He’s the son of the statistician Artie Friedman. Thank you. (Lenny grabs the pen and signs the paper)
RALPH: So while Lenny signs the autograph, we’ll be back to take a look at the highlights of the ball game and talk to Lenny and look at that scoreboard right after this message from Miller High Life. (cut to commercial)
RALPH: Well, our guest on today’s show is Lenny Dykstra and also with Lenny Dykstra, his best fan, a person who knows him better than anybody else in the world, and that person is Marilyn Dykstra, his mother. Welcome to the show.
MARILYN: Thank you, Ralph. (Lenny still staring down at the ground)
RALPH: Marilyn, how about Lenny when he was growing up? Did you think he’d be a major league star?
MARILYN: Well, I think so. When he was a little guy every night before he’d go to bed, he slept with his bat, his ball, and his glove and he'd pray, 'Please, God. Let me be a pro ball player some day.' He’s had the desire since he was a real small little boy. And he used to go to the Angels' stadium and try to sneak into the dugout. One time I got a phone call and they said, 'You’d better come down to the station and get your son because he was trying to see Rod Carew,' who was always his idol and I had to go down and pick him up at the station. We’ll never forget that (Lenny is still staring at the ground and looking as though he wishes he could disappear).
RALPH: (Laughing) Have you had any other problems like that Lenny?
LENNY: No, Ralph. That was a long time ago. I just wanted to see what the clubhouse looked like.
RALPH: Well, you sure have an attractive mother and of course that doesn’t hurt anything at all. And she follows your career and she’s been involved with you. And you’ve done something that no one expected, with the possible exception of the two of you right there. You have just torn up the National League in the first half of the season.
LENNY: Well, thank you, Ralph . . . (the next one minute was spent reviewing the highlights of the game with Lenny. During that time Ralph called Bruce Benedict Bruce Berenyi) When you’re hot your hot. Can’t do no wrong.
RALPH: Does your mother bring you luck when she’s at the ball park?
LENNY: Yeah, she seems to. When I was in the minor leagues she came out to visit me and I seemed to play well there, too. So she’ll probably be here to the World Series, too.
RALPH: Well, she’s a great inspiration. There’s no doubt about it. (Lenny nods). Marilyn, thank you very much for coming on the show with Lenny.
MARILYN: (smiling broadly) Thank you for having me, Ralph.
RALPH: It had to be a thrill to watch Lenny play like that.
MARILYN: It certainly is. Thank you.
RALPH: We’ll be back with Rusty Staub on his day here today and look at the highlights, and check out the scores, but first this message from Mitsubishi Motors (Commercial).
They don’t have interviews like that on TV anymore. Ralph was and is the best.
Comments (9)
Nobody's mentioned Ralph's famed conversation with original Met Choo Choo Coleman, which is on the Wikipedia article for Korner (but not Kiner):
Ralph also had an interesting interview with Choo Choo Coleman in the Mets early days, when he asked Choo Choo "What's your wife's name and what's she like?" Choo Choo replied "My wife's name is Mrs. Coleman and she likes me, Bub."
Thanks for going above and beyond!
I get the idea Lenny's mother would have been a guest even if Dykstra didn't get into the game.
Maybe this year they can arrange for former Cardinal pitcher Rick Horton to be on. Horton grew up watching Kiner and would practice what questions Ralph would ask him. But he never got the chance to be on the show.
It was always charming to hear Ralph butcher the company names "Mitsubishi" and "Manufacturers Hanover" ... or "Hangover"
as the case may be.
I hope to see Ralph later this year, his last at Shea.
There was the time when he had Montreal pitcher Dan Schatzeder on, couldn't pronounce his name and finally asked if he had ever considered changing it. Schatzeder was not amused.
PERHAPS THIS WILL BE THE WEEK NEIL FINALLY GETS TO THE MIKE/DOG/IMUS/WFAN STORY...
I hope this is the week Bob stops bugging Neil about that schmuck Imus!
"Schmuck Imus!" I think thats Irish for he is a jolly good fella!
Irish Imus would go away!