Legendary Phillies announcer, Harry Kalas, has just died.
How incredibly sad… article here. I remember being a little kid and falling asleep to the sound of his voice waiting for my mom to come home from working at the mall.
A sad day for Philadelphia.
Comments
Reggie: “outta here. :(”
Yeah, definatley a dark day not only for the Phillies, but for all of baseball. He was easily one of the top 5 announcers ever, in any sport.
so sad. :(
he made it to see through another WS, at least. that season will be even more unforgettable. so very sad & i seem to be the only one @ work who cares.
so where is everyone drinking in memorium tonight?
Can anyone find the “Michael Jack Schmidt” 500th hr call?
His call of the final out has been one of my ringtones since the day he got it. The games aren’t going to be the same without him.. The greatest announcer in sports.
mandy said:so where is everyone drinking in memorium tonight?
I second this.
Aww, that sucks. I like this guy’s voice.
But, really, if someone came to me and said, “You can live to be 72 and your final year of life will consist of the greatest career high you’ve ever known and you will be admired by millions and paraded around by people that love you”… yeah, I’d take it.
Justin said:Aww, that sucks. I like this guy’s voice.
But, really, if someone came to me and said, “You can live to be 72 and your final year of life will consist of the greatest career high you’ve ever known and you will be admired by millions and paraded around by people that love you”… yeah, I’d take it.
I couldn’t agree more.
The man could flat out call a game. He was Phillies baseball for me, from the down years of the late 90’s to the joys of ’93 and ’08. He made every game enjoyable to listen to, almost comforting. Every kid in the Philadelphia area who ever hit a home run, Little League or sandlot, would make up their own imitations of what Harry would say.
He is and always will be Philadelphia baseball.
Matthew said:Can anyone find the “Michael Jack Schmidt” 500th hr call?
Super bummed. I think I might be the only person in Chilean Patagonia who is so sad about this. How do I explain this in Spanish to my host family?
At least the Phillies will always be world champions for Harry!
John said:Matthew said:Can anyone find the “Michael Jack Schmidt” 500th hr call?
Thanks! Now, i’m all choked up…
Watching all these tributes and highlights are getting me choked up with tears in my eyes. Who thought a sports broadcaster could have such an impact on a city.
Fagun said:Watching all these tributes and highlights are getting me choked up with tears in my eyes. Who thought a sports broadcaster could have such an impact on a city.
I don’t know if you guys will agree with this or not, or if you will find it comforting or anything, but none of the things you’re feeling right now have anything to do with the broadcaster himself. You’re just reliving childhood memories of times when you were really happy. Of course you’re going to get emotional thinking about that stuff. The voice on the soundtrack is pretty much irrelevant.
Neh, it has to do with his voice. And the fact that he was a really decent guy.
Jay said:Fagun said:Watching all these tributes and highlights are getting me choked up with tears in my eyes. Who thought a sports broadcaster could have such an impact on a city.
I don’t know if you guys will agree with this or not, or if you will find it comforting or anything, but none of the things you’re feeling right now have anything to do with the broadcaster himself. You’re just reliving childhood memories of times when you were really happy. Of course you’re going to get emotional thinking about that stuff. The voice on the soundtrack is pretty much irrelevant.
Not sure about that, I was at Game 5 with my brother, and one of my first thoughts, after the sheer europhia wore off, was wondering how Harry called it, and waiting for him to come out on the field to sing ‘High Hopes’. It’s one of those things that it’s hard to explain to someone, except maybe a Dodgers or Cubs fan.
No man, believe me, I get it. I’m a huge Rangers fan and I will never forget Sam Rosen’s call when they won the Cup in ‘94, or Howie Rose’s “Matteau! Matteau!”. All I’m getting at is that the voice itself doesn’t matter. If Harry Kalas was the announcer for the Padres you guys wouldn’t care at all. It’s the memories that are choking you up.
I’m not sure what I’m trying to prove anyway, though. I feel bad that the dude died.
Yeah, I mean, you’re right. If Vin Scully were to die today, I’d be like, “That sucks, he was a legendary, but not my team.” But the thing about Harry was he was more than just a voice, that’s kind of doing a disservice to him to say he was just the voice of the Phillies. He was a symbol for the franchise. The one constant figure in the last three decades (besides maybe the Phanatic). You were proud to have a genuinely nice person who loved the game as much as you did to represent your city and team. He just seemed to get it. And yeah, the memories are choking people up, but also the realization that they won’t be able to make new ones with his voice providing the soundtrack. The premier symbol and face of the franchise, second to only the Phillies’ P on their cap, is gone.
Now I sound like one of those cheesy eulogizers who partake in useless hyperbole, but oh well.