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Showing posts from February 21, 2010

Didja Ever Notice: The Other Guy in the Picture

Pause your DVD player at the point just after the ground ball goes through Bill Buckner's legs (or find a photo of the moment and take a glance at it). Within the frame are the key figures, but also two others. There's Mets first base coach Bill Robinson, along with an older, anonymous gentleman, both gesturing vociferously in different manners. Robinson's is one of celebration. The other guy is in the midst of making a ruling. There was no doubt that Mookie Wilson's ground ball was a fair one, but first base umpire John Kibler is the one who ruled it so. Kibler was background dressing for the two most picturesque moments of the series, the ground ball through Buckner's legs on that Saturday night. And then, he's there again as the home plate ump when Jesse Orosco struck out Marty Barrett to end the 1986 World Series. We mention this because John Kibler died last week and his role in the most famous of Mets moments was briefly acknowledged in his obituary. Not m