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  December 6, 2018 5:01 AM EET

  SAN DIEGO -- Hall of Fame broadcaster Jerry Coleman, a former second baseman for the New York Yankees who interrupted his pro career to fly as a Marine Corps pilot in World War II and Korea, died Sunday, the San Diego Padres said. He was 89. Coleman spent more than four decades with the Padres as a broadcaster. He managed the team in 1980. Padres president Mike Dee said Coleman died at a hospital Sunday afternoon. He said the team was notified by Colemans wife, Maggie. A family friend told The Associated Press on Sunday night that Coleman had surgery before Christmas for bleeding in the brain. Doctors discovered more bleeding last week and Coleman had more surgery, said the friend, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the situation. "Its a sad day," Padres manager Bud Black said. "Were losing a San Diego icon. Hes going to be missed." The Padres planned to keep Colemans statue at Petco Park open until 11:30 p.m. Sunday so fans could pay tribute. While recounting his military career in an interview days before the statue was unveiled in September 2012, Coleman said: "Your country is bigger than baseball." Coleman spent some seven decades in pro baseball, a career that included four World Series titles with the Yankees and was interrupted by his service in World War II and the Korean War. He flew 120 missions combined in the two wars. Coleman was awarded two Distinguished Flying Crosses, 13 Air Medals and three Navy Citations. Around Petco Park and on Padres radio broadcasts, Coleman was known as "The Colonel," having retired from the Marines with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He was the only major leaguer to see combat in two wars. "He was a wonderful human being and a great guy," Black said. "He was one of a kind. He sort of blazed his own path from San Francisco and ended up as a war hero and a major league ballplayer and doing so many things in our game. As much as hes remembered for all he accomplished as a baseball man, he was more proud of his military service." Colemans broadcast schedule had been reduced to home day games. He also did a pregame interview with Black, who said Coleman was self-deprecating and preferred to talk about the Padres rather than anything hed done with the Yankees or in the Marines. "You wouldnt know it walking down the street that he was a World Series champion and also a guy that flew fighter planes," Black said. Coleman was known for calls of "Oh, Doctor!" and "You can hang a star on that!" after big plays. He received the Ford C. Frick Award from the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005. He also was known for malaprops, like the time he was describing Dave Winfield going back for a long fly ball. "I said, Winfield hit his head against the wall and its rolling toward the infield. I meant the ball, of course," Coleman said in 2012. In a statement, commissioner Bud Selig said Coleman "was a hero and a role model to myself and countless others in the game of baseball. ... But above all, Jerrys decorated service to our country in both World War II and Korea made him an integral part of the Greatest Generation. He was a true friend whose counsel I valued greatly." After graduating from high school in 1942, Coleman travelled three days by train from San Francisco to Wellsville, N.Y., to report to the New York Yankees Class D affiliate. Still 17, he was too young to enlist and fight in World War II, so he got to spend the summer playing ball. After he joined the military, he flew Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers in the Pacific in World War II. He played three more seasons of minor league ball before making his big league debut with the Yankees on April 20, 1949. He was The Associated Press Rookie of the Year that season. Colemans best season was 1950, when he was an All-Star and was named MVP of the Yankees four-game sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series. Among his teammates were Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, Phil Rizzuto and Johnny Mize. "We won the first game 1-0 and I drove in that run," Coleman recalled in 2012. "We won the second game 2-1. I scored one of the two runs and DiMaggio hit a home run in the 10th to win it. In the third game I drove in the winning run in the last inning, and in the fourth game I rested." By "rested," he means he went 0 for 3. "I was exhausted," he said. In October 1951, Coleman found out that Marine pilots from World War II were not discharged, but on inactive status and that hed be going to Korea for 18 months. He missed the bulk of two seasons. Coleman said he took his physical along with Ted Williams in Jacksonville in 1952. Williams, a San Diego native, also was a Marine pilot in World War II, but didnt see combat duty. He did fly combat missions in Korea. When Coleman returned to the Yankees, he hit only .217. He was sent to an eye doctor, who told him hed lost his depth perception. "If youre trying to hit a baseball and you dont have depth perception, you have a problem," Coleman said. He got that corrected but then broke his collarbone in April 1955. The night he came back from that injury, he got beaned. His last season was 1957, when he hit .364 in a seven-game World Series loss to the Milwaukee Braves. Coleman worked in the Yankees front office before beginning a broadcasting career that eventually brought him to San Diego. "First and foremost, he was an American hero whose service to this country is his lasting legacy. He was also a great Yankee, a true ambassador for baseball, and someone whose imprint on our game will be felt for generations," Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner said. "On behalf of the entire New York Yankees organization, we send our deepest condolences to the Coleman family." Coleman managed the Padres in 1980, when they went 73-89 and finished last in the NL West. Coleman was fired and returned to the booth. "I should never have taken it," he said. "I look at it now and see the mistakes I made. If I wanted to be a manager, I should have gone to the minor leagues and developed there." Colemans statue at Petco Park depicts him in a flight suit. Coleman said the closest he came to being killed was in Korea when the engine in his Corsair quit during takeoff and his plane flipped. He preferred to talk about his comrades. Coleman remembered a mission over Korea when a plane piloted by his buddy, Max Harper, blew up and flew straight into the ground. "I knew there was no need for help. It was an unpleasant thing," Coleman said. In describing the two-seat Dauntless he flew in the Solomon Islands and the Philippines, Coleman said the gunner "was the bravest man I knew. If I did something wrong, he died, too." Longtime San Francisco Giants broadcaster Duane Kuiper mentioned the various halls of fame Coleman belonged to and added: "More than anything hes just a Hall of Fame guy. If he had a bad day, it was never around us. He was always in a good mood. He was quite funny. Northern California guy. Really just a great guy. Im shocked and saddened that he passed away. "Heres a guy, what didnt he do in life?" Kuiper said. Authentic Brenden Dillon Jersey . "Im proud of him," Jones said in an interview from Sacramento, site of the UFCs weekend televised card. "I think hes listening to his body and hes doing what makes him happy and thats what life is about ultimately. Authentic Erik Karlsson Jersey . And like the near entirety of last season, Jonathan Bernier and Torontos goaltending tandem is up to the task. http://www.cheapsharksjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=authentic-marc-edouard-vlasic-jersey. Liriano pitched in and out of trouble in his duel with Josh Beckett, and Ike Davis homered to help the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1 Friday night. San Jose Sharks Outlet Store . On the day after Billy Horschel posted his 12th straight round in the 60s, won his second straight tournament against a world-class field and picked up an additional $10 million bonus as the FedEx Cup champion, Watson was kicking back in his seat at a Kansas City Royals game. Authentic Tomas Hertl Jersey . Jacob Jacques, Andrew Ryan and Jonathan Drouin also scored for Halifax (37-18-3), who outshot the Islanders 40-26. Kevin Darveau stopped 25 shots. Bradley Kennedy had the lone goal for Charlottetown (18-33-5), which has nine losses in its last 10 games.Schoolchildren filled the arena by the busload on a few recent mornings. They got a kick out of watching Canadas world junior hockey team practise.Every once in a while, a few would start chanting, Mc-Da-vid! Of all the players on the ice, 17-year-old phenom Connor McDavid was the No. 1 star.But when the tournament opens Friday, McDavid wont be shouldering the burden of lifting Canada to its first world junior gold medal since 2009. Hockeys Next One badly wants to be a difference-maker, but on a team that also includes NHLers Curtis Lazar and Anthony Duclair and a handful of other returning players, he doesnt have to be.Connor is one of the 22 players who is going to be part of this team, and he is going to be an important piece, coach Benoit Groulx said. I dont feel myself as a coach that he has got to make the difference. I think Connor has got to be Connor, he has got to be himself, he has to play, he has to have fun, he has to compete, he has to challenge himself. ...I expect the team to find a way to make a difference.On the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League, McDavid is the straw that stirs the drink. Even though he hasnt played since breaking a bone in his hand Nov. 11, the Newmarket, Ont., native has 16 goals and 35 assists in 18 games.In Erie, McDavid has Dylan Strome behind him on the depth chart and Alex DeBrincat as a linemate. In Montreal and Toronto at the world junior championship, he could be the No. 2 centre behind Sam Reinhart and skate with the likes of Lazar and Robby Fabbri.McDavid is expected to be the top pick in the NHL draft in June and is considered a franchise-changing, once-in-a-generation talent. But Hockey Canadas Ryan Jankowski believes Connor could buy into any role, and McDavid hopes he can do what Sidney Crosby and others did for gold in Sochi.This is a great group of talent, everyone plays big minutes on their own team, McDavid said. You look at the Olympics: Why were they successful? Its because guys were willing to accept roles that werent necessarily the most flattering roles, but thats what wins championships. I think everyone here is willing to do that.None of this is to say McDavid wants to play second banana to Reinhart, Lazar, Duclair or anyone else. He had a goal and three assists in this tournament last year despite being just 16.And despite what Groulx said about making a difference, McDavid takes the responsibility on himself.You want to be a difference-maker every time youre on the ice, McDavid said.McDavid may be just that. New Years Eve at the Bell Centre is being billed as McDavid vs. U.S. star Jack Eichel, and its undoubtedly the tournaments matchup to watch.The McDavid/Eichel storyline tires for the prospective top two draft picks, wwho have never met.ddddddddddddMcDavid said he feels like he knows Eichel just from being asked about him so much.Its a little bit annoying, I guess, McDavid said. Ive never even spoken to him.McDavid answers the questions about Eichel and everything else because hes the centre of attention, at least from the outside. But McDavid doesnt big-time his teammates in the process.Hes really good about it, said Fabbri, who has played with or against McDavid since the two were seven and eight years old, respectively. Nothing gets to his head. We have some laughs about it, but other than that everyones cool.Erie Otters assistant coach and former NHL defenceman Jay McKee raves about McDavids humility, which he said rivals Crosbys. McDavid said the key is surrounding himself with good people, including his parents and agents at the Orr Group.All my friends and teammates and all that, they do a good job of keeping me grounded, he said. Just making sure youre never get too high and just treating you like a normal guy.McDavid is one of seven returning players on Canadas world junior team, along with Reinhart, Lazar, Nic Petan, Frederik Gauthier, defenceman Josh Morrissey and goaltender Zach Fucale. Because of that, Groulx and his staff could count on McDavid to be part of the leadership group, even though he wont have the C on his chest.Im still one of the youngest guys in the room, if not the youngest, said McDavid, who is captain of the Otters. But I am a returning guy. I have a little bit of experience in this tournament and Ive been there before. Maybe Im a little bit of a leader, maybe not, Im not sure. I guess thats kind of up to the other guys to decide.Chants from young fans aside, in a room full of teenage hockey players, McDavid is one of the guys. Reinhart isnt at all worried about McDavid hype overshadowing the team.I think its pretty easy in the room, Reinhart said. Hes the first guy thats going to let everyone know that. Hes good about it, everyones good about it.Groulx knows McDavid isnt just one of the 22 players on his roster, but thats how hes treating him. The coach of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey Leagues Gatineau Olympiques is in charge of more than just McDavids success.I dont think it is the Connor McDavid show, Groulx said. I think Connor is one of our good players, but he is still a young man and I think we have many returning guys on this team. Our goal is to build a team.McDavids goal is to win a gold medal. Roles could change from the opener against Slovakia through the knockout games, but he doesnt mind taking less to achieve more.Its fine, McDavid said. Theres some unbelievable players on this team and just to be on its an honour.---Follow @SWhyno on Twitter cheap falcons jerseys cheap ravens jerseys cheap bills jerseys cheap bears jerseys cheap bengals jerseys cheap cowboys jerseys cheap lions jerseys cheap texans jerseys cheap colts jerseys cheap jaguars jerseys cheap chiefs jerseys cheap rams jerseys cheap dolphins jerseys cheap vikings jerseys cheap saints jerseys cheap giants jerseys cheap jets jerseys cheap eagles jerseys cheap steelers jerseys cheap 49ers jerseys ' ' '