Jerry Coleman

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the paranormal researcher, see Jerry D. Coleman

Jerry Coleman
Jerry Coleman, August 2005
Second Baseman
Born: September 14, 1924 (1924-09-14) (age 83)
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 20, 1949 for the New York Yankees
Final game
September 29, 1957 for the New York Yankees
Career statistics
AVG	.263
Hits	558
RBI	217
Teams
New York Yankees (1949 – 1957)
Career highlights and awards
All star in 1950 1950 Babe Ruth Award

Gerald Francis "Jerry" Coleman (born September 14, 1924) is a former Major League Baseball second baseman and, currently, a play-by-play announcer for the San Diego Padres.

[edit] Playing career

Born in San Jose, California, Coleman spent his entire playing career with the New York Yankees. He played 6 years in their minor league system before reaching the big club in 1949. Coleman hit .275 in his first year and led all second basemen in fielding percentage en route to finishing 3rd in rookie of the year balloting.

Coleman avoided a sophomore jinx by earning a selection to the All-Star team in 1950. He then shined in the World Series with brilliant defense, earning him the BBWAA's Babe Ruth Award as the series' most valuable player.

Nicknamed "The Colonel", a rank he attained in the military,[1] Coleman was also a Marine aviator and left baseball briefly to serve in the Korean War, and before getting into the sport, served during World War II. He was involved in many flying missions, and received numerous honors and medals during his time in the military, and has been honored in recent years for his call to duty -- even more so following the events of September 11, 2001.

Coleman's career declined after injuring himself the following season, relegating him to a bench role. He was forced to retire after the 1957 season, but he left on a good note; hitting .364 in a World Series loss against the Milwaukee Braves...

[edit] Broadcasting career

In 1960, Coleman became a broadcaster for the CBS Radio Network and in 1963 began a seven-year run calling New York Yankees' games on WCBS Radio and WPIX-TV. Coleman's WPIX call of ex-teammate Mickey Mantle's 500th career home run in 1967 was brief and from the heart:

Here's the payoff pitch... This is IT! There it goes! It's out of here!

After broadcasting for the California Angels for two years, in 1972 Coleman became lead radio announcer for the San Diego Padres, a position he has held every year since but 1980, when the Padres hired him to manage (predating a trend of broadcasters-turned-managers that started in the late 1990s). He also called national regular-season and postseason broadcasts for the CBS Radio Network from the mid-1970s to the 1990s.

Coleman is also famous for his pet phrases "Oh Doctor!", "You can hang a star on that baby!", "And the beat goes on", and "The natives are getting restless".

During an interview in the height of the steroids scandal in 2005, Coleman stated "if I'm emperor, the first time 50 games, the second time 100 games and the third strike you're out", referring to how baseball should suspend players for being caught taking steroids. After the 2005 World Series, Major League Baseball put a similar policy in effect.

He is known as the "Master of the Malaprop" for making sometimes embarrassing mistakes on the microphone [2], but he is nonetheless popular. In 2005, he was given the Ford C. Frick Award of the National Baseball Hall of Fame for broadcasting excellence.

Coleman is believed to be the oldest active play-by-play announcer in the Major Leagues. In February 2007, he signed a contract extension through the 2009 season. [3] Coleman would be 85 at the end of that contract. In the fall of 2007 Jerry will be inducted to the Radio Hall of Fame as a Sports Broadcaster for his years as the play by play voice of the San Diego Padres.

[edit] External links

• Baseball Hall of Fame - Frick Award recipient
• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference