| DATE OF IMAGE: 1952 PRINT DATE: 1950s TEAM: Boston Red Sox SUBJECT: George Kell PHOTOGRAPHER: Don Wingfield APPROXIMATE SIZE: 3-7/8"x4-7/8" ANSCO Safety Film 6 Photographic Negative COMMENTS / CONDITION: This is a vintage duplicate negative produced by George Brace which can still be used to produce high quality prints. See scans for further details. Note that the ''positive'' images shown were produced by inverting a digital scan of the negative. Prints developed through a traditional darkroom "wet print" process should yield superior images to those shown here. Upon request, a high-resolution scan of the negative can be provided TO THE WINNER ONLY. This is a service provided for those who wish to enjoy their purchase digitally but do not have a scanner capable of scanning negatives, with no transfer of rights for the image implied. George Clyde Kell was born in Swifton, AR and died in 2009 in Swifton, AR. He went to college at Arkansas State University. He played major league baseball from 1943 to 1957 as infielder for the Philadelphia Athletics, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox and the Baltimore Orioles, was selected 10 times as an All-Star, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983. Following his retirement as a player, Kell worked as a play-by-play announcer for the Orioles (1957), CBS television (1958), NBC radio (1962), and the Tigers (1959-1996). From 1975 until his retirement in broadcasting, Kell was joined on Tiger telecasts by Al Kaline as color commentator. Kell had a relaxed, easygoing "country-gentleman" style of announcing. In contrast to his compatriot Ernie Harwell, who opened his radio broadcasts with "Hiya, Tiger fans!", Kell traditionally opened his broadcasts with "Good EVE-ning, everyone!" When paired with colorman Larry Olsterman, the opening was often "Thank you Larry and good afternoon." Kell was also known for particular colloquialisms in his style, such as always referring to a high pitch near the batter's eyes as being "up in his wheelhouse", or a hard-hit home run being "tommyhawked" into the stands. A particularly good catch was exemplified by "Speared by (Aurelio) Rodriguez! Whale of a play!" His home run call was simple but delivered with rising pitch: "Long drive...way back...could be...it is! Home run! The game-ending out, whether it meant a Tiger win or loss, usually merited a decrescendo: "Fly ball to centerfield...this should be the ballgame... it is." Kell also relayed stories of his Hall of Fame career in the same folksy style. A favorite story of his was about the incident when his jaw was broken by a line drive off the bat of Joe DiMaggio. "I got up, made the play at third, then passed out." Kell served ten years on the Arkansas State Highway Commission (1973-83) and owns a car dealership, George Kell Motors, in Newport, Arkansas. Don Wingfield worked for various teams and sports publications, most notably The Sporting News, from the 1940s to 1970s. In addition, Wingfield provided images for many of the souvenir photo packs and other team-issued premiums that were sold at ballparks in the 50's and 60's. SKU: GBNHY0208
Item: GBNHY0208
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