Remembering George Kell

March 24, 2009

This morning in Swifton, Arkansas a great 3rd basemen and a great man died quietly in his sleep. George Kell was 86 years old. As a Detroit Tigers fan born in 1975 I never had the opportunity to see him in action, but the stories my father told were never short on detail.

Kell played Major League Baseball from 1943 – 1957 with the Philadelphia Athletics, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox and the Baltimore Orioles. He hit .300 or better nine times, played in ten all-star games, lead the AL in fielding percentage by a 3rd basemen seven times and out hit Ted Williams in 1949 to win the American League batting title. He was by all accounts the finest all around 3rd basemen of his era. In 1983 the Baseball Hall of Fame honored him with induction.

While his sure hands and honed batting eye are known to me only through regalia, second hand accounts and statistics, I had in my childhood ample opportunity to form personal opinions of the man based on his character, and his kindness.

After his playing days Kell worked as an announcer for the Detroit Tigers Radio and TV networks for nearly 40 years. While Ernie Harwell will always be the voice in my head wafting in the air over Tigers baseball, George kell and Al Kaline will always be the friendly faces in the booth welcoming me to another telecast. Their partnership spanned twenty two seasons, from the year of my birth through 1996. A sizable chunk of my formative years were narrated by Kell and Kaline as I sat glassy eyed watching my Tigers on channel 4. I have fond memories of the mans charm, knowledge and enthusiasm for a game he loved until his final day. He was a gentleman of the first order, and a Detroit treasure to remember and cherish.

When not watching or playing baseball my youthful self spent untold hours collecting baseball cards, a passion shared with my father. From the age of five until my late teens we spent numerous weekends wandering card shows and autograph sessions, both as fans and as part-time dealers. It was a different thing back then. It was a hobby. It is a business now, I suppose it always was, but it seemed at least more about nostalgia and joy than its current form. This was a time when autographs of legends like Ted Williams, Joe Dimaggio, Hank Aaron and Mickey Mantle went for the lofty price of $5 a piece.

George Kell was a regular on the circuit. I can not count how many weekend afternoons I had a chance to have my picture taken with him, watch him sign a photo or a ball, listen to him greet every fan as if they were a long lost friend. In all the years my father and I spent bouncing from convention center to high school gym standing in line for autographs of hundreds of players, none was ever more friendly or genuine than # 21.

He always arrived early, a rare thing for the guest of honor then and now. Unlike many of his colleagues Kell did not walk the straight line from the entrance to the signing table, ready to sign his name while barely making eye contact. George Kell arrived early, every time, in order to wander the room talking with the dealers, signing their items so they would not have to leave their tables unattended later. He greeted folks with that famous wide heartland smile that I can still see when I close my eyes. He made conversation, not in the manner of those who feel compelled to do so, but in the true spirit of the thing – he wanted to.

I recall one afternoon he approached our table, extended his hand to my father and then me, remembering our names from a previous meeting. I wore my Mike Schmidt Philadelphia Phillies jeresy that day. He asked me where my Tigers jersey was. I told him it was dirty and my mom would not let me wear it until it was washed, so I wore my Schmidt jersey because he was a great third basemen, just like George Kell. He laughed, a genuine laugh, smiled again and told me he was flattered. I felt like the king of the gym.

I remember a great 3rd basemen and a great man today. When Rod Allen and Mario Impemba open the first broadcast of this 2009 season I believe a feeling of sadness will come over me, knowing that the friendly face of Tiger baseball of my youth will never again return to the booth. But I will smile shortly after, knowing that I shall have wonderful stories to share with my children someday, about a gentleman from Swifton, Arkansas, a gentleman of the first order.

Tags: Al Kaline, Baltimore Orioles, Baseball Hall of Fame, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers, George Kell, Major League Baseball, Mario Impemba, Philadelphia Athletics, Rod Allen, Tigers Announcer, WDIV Channel 4