Today is 9 years since the great Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas died. Here are some of my fondest memories of Harry the K...
- I only met Harry once. It was at the vet in the 80s. I was underneath the stands with family, having just emerged from watching an inning of the game behind home plate where the grounds crew hang out. It had to be in the middle innings and Harry must've been on a break because he unexpectedly came strolling by and said hello. He was smiling and friendly. I had the honor to shake his hand.
- Of course, my favorite Harry catchphrase was his signature home run call- " That ball is....outta here!" But he had so many, like "Mickey Morandini!", the emphasis on each syllable. It wasn't forced or phony, but natural.
- I was always glad that Harry got to call a World Series game. Back in 1980, when the team won it's first world championship, the local announcers weren't allowed to broadcast the World Series. Harry and Richie Ashburn did do the now-iconic National League Championship Series, especially the thrilling, come-from-behind, Game Five clincher against Nolan Ryan and Houston. Hearing Harry do the final out of the 2008 Series against Tampa Bay was special. He was genuinely excited, which made the listener excited.
- I loved his interaction with Whitey Ashburn. They had a unique chemistry together, similar to the one Scott Franzke and Larry Andersen now have on radio. I loved to listen, not only for their expertise regarding the Phillies' games, but to hear what they would say next. Harry had a homey, comfortable quality about him . His voice was smooth as silk and he made you want to listen. No matter how bad the team played, Harry would make it seem OK.He would never be able to joke around or have the friendly rapport with anyone else ( especially Chris Wheeler) then what he enjoyed with Whitey.
- When Whitey died, I remember how broken-hearted Harry was. It took a lot out of him. I don't think it was the same.Life and baseball goes on, as it did for Harry, but it sure wasn't as much fun.
-I recall the day he died. I was at work, as the Phillies were in Washington to play the Nationals in a mid-week afternoon game. One of the nurses, also a Phillies fan, shockingly asked if I had heard that Harry Kalas had died. I was stunned. he wasn't sick to my knowledge. I couldn't wait to get back to my office and home to find out the details, if true.
Selfishly, I didn't immediately think of his family or friends, or those who would miss him the most. I thought of the fans and how Phillies' games wouldn't be as much fun. Suddenly, things had changed.Baseball was an outlet, an enjoyment to get away from real life problems and worries. Yet, even in sport or hobby, cruel reality crept in. Most of all, I was sad that we would never again hear that golden voice.
- Harry's memory lives on. He has a son, Todd, who works as a broadcaster in baseball. Another son, Cain, has a tremendous, operetta-like tenor and occasionally sings the national Anthem before Phillies' games. Harry the K's restaurant sits at Citizens Bank Park, underneath the gigantic left field scoreboard.There is a bronze, life-size statue of harry outside the concourse in left field. Many fans stop and take pictures of themselves with Harry, a landmark like the famed Rocky statue in Philly.
These physical memories of HK live on. But his voice will always remain. I put on old tapes and DVDs of past ballgames and hear harry and think, "wow, those really were the good ol' days." I miss him but also feel lucky that Philadelphia had harry Kalas for as long as we did.
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