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Carl Reiner passed away Monday at age 98, leaving behind a gigantic imprint on comedy and entertainment for the last several decades. He created The Dick Van Dyke Show, directed The Jerk, was half of the iconic “2000-year-old man” routine with fellow legend Mel Brooks, among several other things.
But Reiner had baseball connections, too. Whether it was participating in the Hollywood Stars game at Dodger Stadium ...
A funky farewell to the wonderful Carl Reiner, a true giant of comedy, seen here with his son @robreiner during the Hollywood Stars celebrity game at Dodger Stadium in 1972. #Dodgers #RIP pic.twitter.com/Z0DHmeBfuX
— Dan Epstein (@BigHairPlasGras) June 30, 2020
... or Reiner as a kid wanting to pitch in the major leagues:
Carl Reiner's childhood ambition? To be a big-league pitcher. h/t @LoDoKid pic.twitter.com/LsSufvYl7X
— John Thorn (@thorn_john) June 30, 2020
If you read one thing about Reiner, outside of his obituary from the Associated Press, check out Michael Schur at the Hollywood Reporter, who wrote, “For 98 years, comedy flowed through Carl Reiner, and radiated off him, and followed him like an obedient hunting dog, ready to follow his commands.”
Or maybe read this wonderful tweet thread with a story about Reiner and a 50-year-old joke:
I have a Carl Reiner story that I hold very dear to me. I figured I'd share it today, on the day of his passing, because I hope it will bring some other people some joy the way it does me.
— Matthew Rosenberg (@AshcanPress) June 30, 2020
Links
Matt Kelly at MLB.com wrote about five rookie pitchers who could make an impact this season, including Dodgers right-hander Dustin May.
Kurkjian also shared an accompanying video about Koufax:
“No one could hit that man.” https://t.co/C2DK30aMGJ pic.twitter.com/eoxuRMX2zu
— Tim Kurkjian (@Kurkjian_ESPN) June 30, 2020
With no fans in the stands for major league games this season, at least to start, Jared Diamond at the Wall Street Journal interviewed a few people who live in apartments with direct views into major league stadiums.
Joon Lee at ESPN studied the rise of Ivy Leaguers in major league front offices, and the ensuing homogeneity of baseball operations departments.
Barry Larkin, Mike Schmidt, and Terry Pendleton are among the former Most Valuable Players who want former commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis’ name removed from the MVP award, per Ben Walker of the Associated Press. “Removing his name from the MVP trophy would expose the injustice of that era. I’d gladly replace the engraving on my trophies,” Schmidt said.
On the 58th anniversary of Sandy Koufax’s first no-hitter, Tim Kurkjian at ESPN wrote about the Dodgers legend, including Willie Stargell saying, “Trying to hit Koufax was like drinking coffee with a fork.”
“No one could hit that man.” https://t.co/C2DK30aMGJ pic.twitter.com/eoxuRMX2zu
— Tim Kurkjian (@Kurkjian_ESPN) June 30, 2020
Cody Bellinger has a new Old Spice ad: