A pair of icons say goodbye

 I was mentally preparing a piece for Tri-City SportsBeat as I was coming home from work, then got hit with a double dose of bad news.

First came word that Broadway & Hollywood legend James Earl Jones had passed away at 93. 

Jones was the voice of Darth Vader in the "Star Wars" movies, and even essayed the role in animation as recently as 2 years ago. His other film credits included "Field of Dreams", "Coming to America", "The Lion King", "The Great White Hope", and "Bingo Long's Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings". On television, Jones was cast as author Alex Haley in the adaptation of Haley's best seller, Roots, then starred in two short-lived series, Paris in 1979, and Gabriel's Fire a few years later. 

Then, a gut punch to Mets fans everywhere.

Ed Kranepool, who signed with the team as a 17 year old in 1962, passed at 79 over the weekend, two months shy of his 80th birthday, due to cardiac arrest in his home in Florida.

SNY offers this mini-bio:

The Mets will pay tribute to Kranepool when they return to Citi Field after their road trip, which starts tonight in Toronto.

Rest in peace.