Voting Station

Jerry Coleman

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Sportscaster

The Resume

    (September 14, 1924-January 5, 2014)
    Born in San Jose, California
    Baseball player and sportscaster
    2nd baseman for the New York Yankees (1949-57)
    One All-Star appearance (1950)
    Managed the San Diego Padres (1980)
    Conducted pre-game interviews for CBS' Game of the Week (1960-63)
    Radio announcer for the New York Yankees (1963-70), California Angels (1970-72) and San Diego Padres (1972-79,1981-2013)
    Received the Baseball Hall of Fame's Ford C. Frick Award for contributions to broadcasting (2005)
    Inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame (2007)
    Catchphrases included 'Oh doctor!' and 'You can hang a star on that baby'

Why he might be annoying:

    The Padres finished last in the NL West the one year he managed them: 'I should never have taken [the job].... If I wanted to be a manager, I should have gone to the minor leagues and developed there.'
    He almost got fired his first year as a broadcaster when he continued interviewing Cookie Lavagetto as the national anthem played, producing a flood of angry letters to CBS.
    He was famous for his malaprops.
    Notable examples:
    'And Kansas is at Chicago tonight or is it Chicago at Kansas City? Well, no matter as Kansas leads in the eighth, four to four.'
    'He slides into second with a stand-up double.'
    'Jesus Alou is in the on-deck circus.'
    'Rich Folkers is throwing up in the bullpen.'
    'Young Frank Pastore may have just pitched the biggest victory of 1979, maybe the biggest victory of the year.'
    'Winfield goes back to the wall, he hits his head on the wall and it rolls off! It's rolling all the way back to second base. This is a terrible thing for the Padres.'

Why he might not be annoying:

    He was a Marine Corps aviator during WWII and Korea, earning two Distinguished Flying Crosses.
    Asked what should be done to players caught using steroids, he said, 'If I'm emperor, the first time [suspended for] 50 games, the second time 100 games, and the third strike you're out.'
    He was a beloved San Diego institution.
    The Padres unveiled his statue at Petco Park (2012); at the time, the only other person so honored was Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn.
    Despite his accomplishments in baseball and broadcasting, he was proudest of his service as a Marine, saying 'Your country is bigger than baseball.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 10 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 7 Votes: 42.86% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 6 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 9 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 112 Votes: 54.46% Annoying