He is rarely at a loss for his own words, but the death of Ralph Kiner was too raw and profound ... He could be witty, beautiful, and he would give you the shirt off your back – and then ...

To this day, Allen, 73, considers a T-shirt his sister gave him when he was 13 one of the best gifts of his life. It read "Ralph Kiner, Home Run King.'' "I never took that thing off,'' said Allen ...

This was late one San Francisco night, years ago, and Ralph Kiner was well into a fourth hour of telling stories, filling one more room with laughter and good cheer, a Hall of Famer forever ...

A member of the family is gone. Such was the sentiment on Thursday among Mets fans, players and broadcasters who either grew up listening to Ralph Kiner or had the thrill of working alongside him.

Ralph Kiner’s death this week leaves me saddened. I will miss him. He was a star player when I was a kid and devoted fan during the ’50s, and I remember watching him on television as a stellar ...