The home run king was the darling of Hollywood, but it was a tennis player who turned his head.
by Rich Watson
During the 50s, Pirates slugger Ralph Kiner was often seen with celebrities. He was friends with team co-owner Bing Crosby, and his picture was taken with leading ladies from Hollywood he dated such as Elizabeth Taylor.
He would marry four times in his life, though. His first wife was tennis star Nancy Chaffee.
I remember their names and their fame, but not the details. I enjoyed reading this article. That Palm Springs lifestyle certainly sounds appealing.
ReplyDeleteIt’s surprising baseball didn’t expand to the west coast sooner.
ReplyDeleteWonderful footage of their wedding reception. They both look over-the-moon happy, which is always heartwarming to see.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I like the new blog! Hope all is well on the writing front.
Hi Ruth. Good to see you here. Glad you like the new blog.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised at the number of big-name Hollywood actresses linked to Ralph Kiner. One doesn’t often hear him discussed in the same breath as Mantle or Aaron or Mays, so researching him this way gave me a better idea of his popularity back then.