Billy Crystal leads Emmys tribute to Robin Williams with a story about a 1989 Mets game
Robin Williams Emmys tribute includes Mets story
The 2014 Primetime Emmys broadcast would not have been complete without an "In Memoriam" segment capped by a touching tribute to the late, great Robin Williams.
Williams, who recently died at the age of 63, was a star on the screen and stage, big and small. He was also loyal supporter of the Giants and a fan of baseball at large.
His friend and fellow comedian Billy Crystal introduced the portion of the Emmys broadcast dedicated to Williams' life and career and he did so with a wonderful anecdote about the time that he and Williams joined broadcaster Tim McCarver in the booth at Shea Stadium to call a Reds-Mets game in 1989:
Robin [Williams], Whoopi [Goldberg] and I once were in Shea Stadium in the broadcast booth with the great Tim McCarver. It was "Comic Relief Day" for the New York Mets. Robin knew nothing about baseball. I asked him, "What's your favorite team?" And he said, "The San Franciscos."
So, he was a little lost in the conversation so I got an idea and I said, "Ya know, Tim, we've got a great Russian baseball player with us." I looked over and his eyes got all bright, his ears perked up--it was like he was a little dog that was inside all day and the master came and said, "Hey, ya wanna go for a walk?"
So, I said, "What's baseball like in Russia?" Without missing a beat he said, "Well, we only have one team ... the Reds." The next pitch, the batter fouled one back, it came screaming back at us. We ducked down, it slammed against the wall ... Robin turned around, it bounced into his hands and he stood up and screamed, "I love America, I'm going to defect!"
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