Sorry for all the baseball posts, but this one is absolutely necessary. Today was an extremely sad day, not only for the city of Philadelphia, but for the entire baseball world as well. Harry Kalas, the Hall of Fame broadcaster of the Philadelphia Phillies passed away today at the age of 73. Appropriately, Kalas passed away in the place he loved most, the ballpark, as he collapsed in the press box a few hours before game time. The game had to go on though, and the Phillies managed to pull out a sloppy 9-8 victory over the lowly Nationals.
Anyone in Philadelphia under the age of 40 has no idea what it's like to watch/listen to a baseball game without Harry's voice. He's been with us for what seems like forever (38+ years) and has called just about every Phillies game during that time. I think we all took Harry for granted, and just assumed he would always be there, even though his health was clearly deteriorating over the past few years.
The thing that I keep hearing about Harry, and which makes me extremely proud to be a Phillies fan, is hearing what a great guy he was. Harry never turned down an autograph, never turned down a conversation, and was generally good-natured towards everyone he came in contact with. He was truly old-school and loved the game of baseball. Of course, Harry was also a real man's man. He could always be seen smoking a nice cigar or sipping on a glass of scotch. I wish I would have had the opportunity to sit down with him, grab a beer, and discuss baseball for an hour.
For those of you from outside Philadelphia, specifically Pittsburgh, this is the equivalent of when Myron Cope left us last year. Harry was that loved. You would probably know Harry Kalas as the voice of NFL Films, and the Campbell's Chunky Soup commercials. You also may know him from his famous "OUTTA HERE!!!" home run calls, which were imitated all over the country, but never duplicated quite like Harry could do it. Watch any old NFL Films telecast, and you'll realize what a true treasure the city of Philadelphia was blessed with in the form of Harry Kalas.
Of course, my best memories of Harry came from the last few years, as the Phillies truly became one of the most dominant franchises in baseball. We would always laugh as Harry would get really excited about a fly ball, anticipating the home run, and then watch the ball come up 50 feet short of the wall. My favorite Harry Kalas call was from the 2006 season, when Ryan Howard grounded out to the pitcher, and Chase Utley made a huge heads-up play and scored all the way from second base. After Utley crossed the plate, Harry excitedly proclaimed, "Chase Utley, you are the man!" He also made other memorable calls, capping off his Hall of Fame career with the call of the Phillies World Series victory last October. I watched the clinching game from a bar in Center City, and because Fox has exclusive rights to the game, Harry was only able to broadcast the radio. After I came back from the hours of partying and celebrating, one of the first things I did was go onto YouTube to hear Harry call the final strike. I listened to it over and over again, and was the perfect end to the perfect season.
Harry truly bowed at gracefully, and at the top of his craft. The last playoff game he ever called was the Phillies' World Series clincher. The last home game he ever called was last week, when the Phillies were presented with their World Series rings. Guess who threw out the first pitch? As if we would have it any other way. It had to be Harry. And the last call Harry ever made was on Sunday, as the Phillies pulled out a dramatic 7-5 victory over the Rockies. Harry was there to make the final home run call, a Matt Stairs 2 run blast that sealed the deal. Thinking about these calls makes me feel so empty, still unable to believe that I'll never hear him call another game.
I think Jayson Stark said it best when he mentioned that no moment in Philadelphia baseball was real until Harry Kalas called it. How true that is. Now, we'll have to move on without Harry. The games will go on, but they'll never be the same again. I'm sure for a while, it's not going to seem real. I've never watched a game with anyone else behind the mike, and for nearly 23 years, Harry was in my living room 162 days out of the year for 3 hours a day. He feels like a part of the family, and now it feels like a part of our family is gone. There's a huge hole in the city of Philadelphia right now, and it's one that will never be filled. Harry is gone, and there will never be another Harry. Godspeed Harry Kalas, you will always be missed, and you will never be forgotten.
- Kaps
Song of the Day: Frank Sinatra - High Hopes (Harry's favorite)
