ballnine - THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN

 

By Kevin Kernan, January 2, 2021

You’ve never heard these Hall of Fame stories. So listen up.

Here at BallNine, we take our legends seriously. We honor them. It’s not SOS, Same Old Story.

I’ve been thinking about the seven Hall of Famers who passed away in 2020 as we move into 2021. A lot of wonderful things have been written about them and their baseball deeds have been discussed in great detail as they should for such a magnificent group. Losing them is tough.

Honoring them in the right way is important.

Instead of writing a column on my thoughts and interactions with Hall of Famers Whitey Ford, Al Kaline, Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, Joe Morgan, Tom Seaver and Phil Niekro, I wanted to do something different. So I reached out to some of those who have had strong relationships and experiences with these Hall of Famers.

They have a story to tell. This is a better way to get a more insightful glimpse of The Magnificent Seven.

Let others tell a story or two or three about what they saw that made these men so special as they climbed baseball’s Mount Everest, induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

Let’s start with The Chairman of the Board Whitey Ford, along with a brief introduction on each incredibly accomplished storyteller.

Savor each player – presented in their Cooperstown induction order – and told by some of the people who knew them best.

WHITEY FORD: Hall of Fame Class 1974: Reflections offered by Marty Appel, who became the youngest public relations director in baseball history when George Steinbrenner elevated him in 1973. Marty started working for the Yankees in 1968. He has authored or co-authored 16 amazing books, including his latest bestseller “Casey Stengel: Baseball’s Greatest Character.”  In addition, for two decades, he has collaborated on the plaques that hang in Cooperstown.

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