"Oh Doctor! Hang a star on Jerry Coleman !!”

I was first introduced to Jerry Coleman, the matchless Yankee second baseman, in 1950, but not the way you might imagine.

I was in New York to visit my mother and brother, Richard, a Broadway Technical Director, of renown. Richard was not into sports, so my mother developed cabin fever after a week’s visit with him, and dragged me to see a Yankee game.

If she wanted to see a Yankee game, that meant the Dodgers were out of town She was a rabid Dodger fan who knew all of the stats, following them on the radio, and listening to the play by play narratives of Red Barber and his young protégé, Vin Scully..

Although I lacked mother’s passion and understanding of the game, I preferred the Yankees because of names like DiMaggio, and Mantle. I marveled at DiMaggio’s Zen-like stroke that often propelled a ball out of the park and his fluid stride as he sailed across the field, chasing down a long fly ball, earning the name, “The Yankee Clipper.”

Photo Courtesy Channel 4 San Diego

Mantle was the fastest man I ever saw on the bases. He was hitting megaton home runs, often 500 feet or more, towering balls that seemed never to come down.

At the game with mother, I began to notice the Yankee second baseman, a human coil spring who could snare a ball flipped from short stop, leap over the onrushing runner, then relay the ball to the appropriate base for a double out, all in a millisecond.. I nudged mother and said,” Did you see that.” She would nod, smile and turn her attention back to the game.

Then, an inning later. the second baseman sprinted ten feet to his left, vaulted a full yard into the air like a whippet after a Frisbee, snagged a line drive, then while at the apex of his 3 or 4 foot leap, torqued his body to throw a perfect strike to home plate to head off a run by the opposing team.

Mother! Who is that guy? I asked in awe..

“Him?” She replied matter of factly. “That’s Jerry Coleman. Last year, he was the American League Rookie of the Year. He hit .287. He’s the best second baseman in baseball.”

I baited her with a test of her Dodger loyalty. “Even better than Jackie Robinson?”

“Any day,” she said with finality. Mother was in her 70’s at the time.

Slow forward…1972
I had long been out of the army and, in the years from the 50’s to the 70’s, blazed a scorched trail in radio in San Diego, Cleveland, Detroit, and New York.

Now, I was back in San Diego finishing up my morning guy career. I still received invitations to all of the local major media events, including Old Timers’ Day at Jack Murphy Stadium where Buzzie Bavasi was cobbling together a new franchise called “The San Diego Padres.”

Mother, now in her 90’s, had an adrenal gland for a heart, She could take stairs two at a time going down and briskly go up them.. She still loved the Dodgers, so I took her to Old Timers Day when the Dodgers were playing the Padres.

The dining room that night was a Who’s Who of former greats, including Joe DiMaggio who always dined alone. He had deigned to come that night, but would not play or consort with the others. No one, including Buzzie, intruded….. except mother.

She was as outgoing and loving as anyone ever born and it was natural for her to walk to DiMaggio’s table and proclaim, “Joe, I am Trixie Martin. I love you, and have been an admirer for many years.” Bavasi was stricken.

DiMaggio deserted his meal, and stood to greet her in courtly manner. Mother wasn’t finished. As I walked away, I heard her reeling off a number of DiMaggio stats that only she and a coach or sports writer would know. That did it. Joe invited her to sit down, after which the two animatedly talked baseball, leaving me off to the side where I belonged.

Bavasi wasn’t the only one moved by this. Vin Scully waited his turn and, when mother rose and received a hug from Joe, he walked up and introduced himself. Buzzie had told Vin she was a died-in-the-wool Dodger fan.

“Mrs. Mahtin,” (Scully’s version of Martin,) I am Vin Scully and would like for you to sit with me in the broadcast booth while I do the game.” There began a friendship that lasted for years. She moved to Napa soon afterward, and Vinny would send her game tickets,. including broadcast booth passes when they came to play at Candlestick. She would hop a shuttle and join him. Mother never learned to be quiet when the red light was on, and Vinny didn’t seem to care. He had a directional mike.

Old Timers’ Night marked the beginning of another friendship that has lasted to this day Buzzie approached me with a trim energetic shirt model type man whom he introduced as his new play by play announcer, Jerry Coleman. “I know you,” I said sincerely.” You are the greatest second baseman who ever played the game.”

I often listened to him do games, because I liked to hear his crackling style. His delivery streamed, generated by a high powered burst of neurons. Baseball can be boring, but not when covered by Jerry Coleman who straddled the game like a champion bull rider.. His descriptive powers produced word pictures as vivid as television..

In the ensuing years, I gradually became familiar with Jerry’s history. Nothing he imposed on me, but as a witness to the many awards that seemed to follow him in the natural course of his career.

There were variations of Hall of Fame awards from prestigious groups. The thing I noticed about him as he garnered those awards was the natural way in which he received them, with a sincere attitude of, “what’s the big fuss?”

The Marine Corps recently inducted him into the Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame. I read their resume of his life and why they had honored him. Good thing. He never would have told me himself, even though we visited fairly often..

I learned that he had flown dive bombers in WW11. In 1944, he went to the Solomon Islands flying in the old Douglas Sky Raider, a plane that was infamous for going into a dive, and often not coming out of it. Jerry made a joke of it. He flew 57 missions in the Solomon’s and The Philippines where the heaviest fighting was waged in the Pacific campaign.

Lt Colonel Gerald Coleman was called back to Korea where he flew 63 missions in the Corsair and an F 4U. His total military decorations: two Distinguished Flying Crosses, 13 Air Medals and three Navy Citations.

He came home after WW11, and was stationed in Cherry Point, North Carolina then he was discharged in 1946, and began playing in the Yankee system.

He was sent up to the Yankee’s in 1949 where he was named Rookie of the Year with 42 RBI’s in his first season back.. Jerry played in six World Series, and committed only 89 errors in 3,168 fielding opportunities. He turned 532 double plays, playing in 402 games..

He was named the Most Valuable Player in the 1957 World Series, hitting.364 in the Series that year and belting a home run his final career time at bat. An injury soon forced him to retire.

Slow forward to 1999
Mike Glickenhaus, the regional head of Clear Channel asked me to return to the air in 1999. I agreed to do weekends, playing Pop Standards at KPOP. Jerry Coleman was a faithful listener. He was still doing play by play for the Padres, and I frequently got a chance to call him and enjoy his company on the air.

Despite the occasional malaprops during a game, he had become the most beloved man in the city. He didn’t mind being kidded on the air about his malaprops, but was quick to say goodbye if I brought up his great war record. Sometimes, I would set him up before I brought him on by telling my audience, “Watch him bail when I mention his war record.” It was a standing joke.

“Jerry when you won your Distinguished Flying Cross at……”
“Hey Hare, I just remembered I have to run and ref a little league game in Chula Vista.”

Typical malaprops or “Colemanisms” were, “Johnny Grubb slides into second base with a stand-up double.” Or, this one about George Hendrick “That’s Hendricks’s 19th home run, One more and he goes into double digits.” Or, “I sure hope you’re staying alive for the upcoming Dodger series.” How about, “Montréal leads Atlanta by 3, with the score 5 to 1.” And, “Well it looks like All Star balloting is almost over, especially in the National and American Leagues.”

About his malaprops: It’s a case of the speed of light traveling faster than the speed of sound. His brain works faster than his ability to summon the words, a vital trait when he was dive bombing, or playing the most ferocious second base in history, but not so much when doing play by play. No matter. His riveting play by play far outstrips an occasional “Colemanism.” which his San Diego devotees treasure, anyway.

In 2005, I was inducted into the Ohio Radio Television Hall of Fame, and Jerry did a video for me to be played the night of the awards. He said, “I have been all over the country and have heard many radio personalities, but there is no one as good Happy Hare.” I have never recovered from that accolade.

That night, while waiting for the Ohio ceremony to begin, I met the play by play man for the Boston Red Sox, Joe Castiglione, also an inductee. He had been told by Larry Lucchino, the Red Sox CEO, to say hi to me, then asked, in a friendly social kind of way, if Jerry Coleman was still doing “Colemanisms.” I knew he was just making small talk but…I found myself getting defensive for my friend. It was like we in San Diego can make fun of Jerry, but not an outsider.

I heard myself rebut, “Yes, Jerry does do them occasionally, and he has just been given the Ford C. Frick Award for major contributions to baseball broadcasting..

I did not reel off his broadcast career with the New York Yankees (1961-1969). Or the California Angels (1970-71) or the CBS Game of the Week (22 seasons)

I regard Jerry Coleman as not just the all-time greatest second baseman, and outstanding play by play man, but one of the greatest living Americans in a small select band.

Jerry’s WPIX –TV call of ex-team mate/room mate
Mickey Mantle’s 500th career home run in 1967.

“Here’s the payoff pitch… This is IT! There it goes! It’s out of here!”