Longtime Phils announcer and voice of NFL Films Harry Kalas collapsed in the Phillies broadcast booth before the game today in Washington. He died about an hour later. I’m glad he got to call the Phils’ World Series win last year. He was denied that honor in 1980 because of the archaic blackout rules then in effect. I will personally miss his voice, his style, and his gentle demeanor. God bless, Harry.
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Therrrrre’s a drive to deeep left field…..that ball is outta here…..number 500 for Michael Jack Schmidt!
Update:Â Â Â Well, damn. Harry, Fydrich, and now Marilyn Chambers. My idols are dropping like flies.
I feel the urge to go open a can of Chunky soup in honor.
He’d have wanted it that way.
Wasn’t he the voice of NFL films too?
I just had a TastyCake in Harry’s memory. Maybe I’ll have another one….
It is a sad day for Phillies fans to be sure. I lost it when Shane Victorino gave him a salute when he hit that homer. Do you think anyone in Philly will not get choked up hearing “High Hopes” again?
Let’s not forget NFL films. He was the only man to hold a candle to John “Good-bye Frosty” Facenda.
Who’s left to do that? Eskin? Limbaugh? Will Lyman?
I have to go back to Philly soon, maybe I’ll try out.
And, from all reports, an all-round good guy.
He’ll be missed.
When I heard the news the first thought that rambled through my head was … it’s inconceivable to listen to a Phillies game and not here that distinctive basso profundo. Someone said today that Kalas called every Phillies game like he had money riding on it.
Let’s not forget that he was also an excellent football play by play guy who once did Notre Dame games and also called NFL tilts on the Westwood One Radio Network. The coolest thing I heard yesterday was his willingness to receive a stranger’s cell phone and record their voice message in that gorgeous voice. How awesome would that be?
He lived in Media, PA where he was a citizen in the truest sense. He never missed a Veteran’s Day or Memorial Day parade, often reading poems to the fallen on the steps of the city courthouse.
Godspeed, Harry.
JD: I heard on the radio today that when Jack Buck passed in St. Louis they put his casket in the middle of center field of Busch stadium and allowed the public to file past. I like that idea.
Jack Buck was the greatest. Harry Kalas was a close second. Can you imagine Kalas and Facenda having a conversation?
“Can you imagine Kalas and Facenda having a conversation?”
Tectonic plates grating together.
Sports makes me happy. good guys in sports, justify my happiness.
Is there somewhere one can find audio of old radio broadcasts of games?
He’s up there with Whitey, I’m sure of it.
“Can you imagine Kalas and Facenda having a conversation?â€
At a restaurant. And James Earl Jones waits the table.
Whitey ? RACIST ! Were you referring to Herzog or Ford?
The generation of Scully, Buck, Kalas, Facenda, Harwell, Caray, Hearn was the Golden Age of sports. I blames Berman and Olbergasm for the decline in broadcasting.
Ashburn. Whitey. I am a dork.
Wasn’t Marilyn Chambers the face of Ivory Soap, 99.44% pure, prior to her ascension into pron?
Why yes, she was. I met her back in the 80’s when I worked at Channel 9 in D.C. She was a guest on a morning show we had. When I heard she was going to be on the show, I made sure that I was in the green room. She seemed like a very nice woman.
Craig C was In The Green Room with Marilyn Chambers !!!! WOOT !!!!
It’s been said in other places, but for people who grew up in or near Philadelphia, Harry Kalas was the soundtrack to your summers. Whether I was at the pool, at the beach, in the house or in the car, that rich, warm, happy voice was there in the background. The idea of watching or listening to a Phils game without it is heartbreaking.
And yeah, he’s up there raising hell with Whitey. “Hard to believe, Harry…”
I’ve been pouring over the endless tributes to Harry the K and, if you’ll pardon the length, I just found one that truly expresses what I and others have been trying to communicate.
From Jayson Stark at ESPN.com and native Phillie guy:
Amen.
Okay, it’s time for me to be That Guy. Kalas was a legend. Is a legend. He was beloved by fans. He was, by all accounts, a wonderful guy. He was unique. His passing is a truly sad occasion.
But it’s not “tragic.” He was 73 and had lived a good, full life. He didn’t suffer a long and painful illness. He didn’t leave behind three infant children or a young bride. He didn’t meet his end in some massive accident that hurt or killed anyone else.
And, “How are we going to go on . . . .”? “How do we fill the unfillable void . . . .”?
Really? Come the fuck on.
If the death of a man you never met, and who enriched your life by virtue of his role in sports entertainment, has that emotionally crippling effect on you, I can’t fathom the catatonia that must befall you in the event you lose an actual, you know, acquaintance.
It’s perfectly normal to honor and even to mourn the man. But let’s have some perspective. Save the melodrama for friends, family members, and heroes.
Killjoy.
Did you just complete the “Harshing the Mellow” seminar at your local hotel, Benedict?
Laid into the overheatedness of the above is the idea that, of course, we’ll all go on and I haven’t shed a tear. Yup, and the use of the word “tragic” strikes me as a rushed deadline kind of word, Stark usually being more adept. Everything else that you wrote is wuite true in a utilitarian kind of way.
But…
But truth be told, the last line is the keeper. After a guy leaves his footprint on a sports culture like this guy did for almost 40 years, baseball will never be the same in Philadelphia, just as it’s not the same in St. Louis post Buck and in Chicago post Carey.
So give us a day or so of slightly sentimental and overheated tomes and we’ll all be, more or less, back to normal tomorrow.
Until then, Benedict, “YOU’RE OUTA HEEEEERE!” :-)
Yeah He was terrific, I loved his work with FNL films too.
or, NFL, if you prefer the proper name :/
Sorry for the harshness, but the utter lack of perspective is baffling to me. I don’t mean to downplay how beloved the guy was by Philly fans. But, come on. No sports team will ever “be the same” anywhere after someone long associated with the team leaves. That goes for a lot of institutions outside the world of sports. Come to think of it, that holds true for every single facet of human existence. People die. Things change. And there’s nothing wrong with celebrating his work and mourning his passing. But this outpouring of abject shock at the notion that, despite the apparent and highly unrealistic expectations of Philly fans, Kalas is actually not going to be the play-by-play announcer for the rest of eternity — it makes me wince. And it makes me wince because it characterizes the wailing fan — who never met Kalas — as the party who believes he deserves sympathy.
Oh, poor ME. I spent my whole life listening to Kalas’s voice, and now that he’s gone, I won’t experience baseball games the way I used to. Oh, how sad this is for ME.
That ain’t tragic. It’s pathetic.
And, fwiw, I think cranky-d’s post, at 22, neatly captures my point. I’m a “killjoy” because I’m interrupting the orgy of self-satisfaction that derives from comiserating about how unfortunate it is for us Philadelphia Phillies fans that this man died. Because it’s adversely going to affect our baseball-watching pleasure. We need a hug.
God speed Kalas. Harry Caray has the bar open for you and a seat saved. The other saved seat is for “Dandy Don” Meredith.
Take your time getting there Don.
And don’t take any shit from Cosell when you get there.
I don’t like dead people posts very much either. Orgies of self-satisfaction are pretty cool though. The dead people posts I hate most are for when some dirty socialist dies. Ted Kennedy will die soon and for real is there anything to say but yay? No there is not but you just wait and there will be all sorts of nonsense in that thread. My favorite dead people posts are for dead journalists cause you have more latitude in those threads I think. Journalists aren’t respected the same as people.
“Journalists aren’t respected the same as people.”
So it’s cool with PETA if we wear their skins all trophy like after they’re gutted?
Sweet.
Daddy needs a new tanned “leather” coat.
Yeah, I’m looking at you Chris Matthews.
Benedick, who peed in your cheerios this morning? Let people have their fun. This guy barely registers on my radar, but other people feel differently.
I think I’ve over-belabored this enough.
And nobody peed in my Cheerios, because I don’t eat Cheerios anymore. Actually, I don’t even eat breakfast anymore. Just coffee and three cigarettes on the way to work. But it wouldn’t surprise me if the Starbucks drone managed to sneak some unwanted extra ingredients into this morning’s cup. Seeing as how I’m so easygoing and personable and all.
Which sort of opens up a chicken-or-the-egg issue in my mind.
Ah, now I get it!
Didn’t your mom explain to you that breakfast is the most important meal, Benedict?
Ted Kennedy will die soon and for real is there anything to say but yay?
Well, there’s, “Hey, grab one of those coffin stretchers so we can fit this guy’s huge melon in here.”
“Just coffee and three cigarettes on the way to work.”
Are you a homicide cop? If not cut that shit out.
Try Nicorette and a fucking Smoothie in the morning.
Just a little PW comment love aimed your way Benedick.
BTW, the Chicken came first.
“Journalists aren’t respected the same as people.â€
So it’s cool with PETA if we wear their skins all trophy like after they’re gutted?
Sweet.
Daddy needs a new tanned “leather†coat.
Yeah, I’m looking at you Chris Matthews.
Yeah, me too. I’ve always hated that pissy little wanker but after reading today that Matthews called the SEAL snipers’ precision shooting in ending the hostage over the weekend “lucky,” I only wish they could use his globous head for practice. Y’know, have the shooters keep whizzing rounds millimeters from his head while he drained his bowels and bladder in his panties while he prays to Gaia. Maybe nick his earlobe for kicks.
Coulda sworn I used blockquote tags there.
kelly,
Please tell me that you are kidding about Matthews saying a 25 meter headshot by someone from SOCOM was “lucky”!?
Sure, had nothing to do with skill, practice or the relatively close range, right Chris?
Certainly not impressive enough to thrill his leg.
I’m a Cubs fan, but I always enjoyed listening to Harry the K (as he’s known in Philly) call a game.
He’s one of those rare announcers whose voice was instantly recognizable, and even a Cubs fan like me would always sit up a little straighter and pay attention when I heard that voice.
Condolences to his family and friends, and all Harry Kalas fans everywhere.
And yet, I don’t recall this much blogospheric attention paid to Joe Nuxhall, who had been involved with the Cincinnati Reds since WWII.
It’s a market-size thing, I know, but it still irks.
LTC John:
She’s right. The MSNBC 2nd retard in command called it “lucky.”
Count ’em, two ships (USS Bainbridge & the pirate life boat) both moving on all axes, X,Y & Z…and, still, these SEALs snipers line up precision shots…which they take coordinated/simultaneously…and it’s “just dumb luck” that they clipped 3 for 3?
Fuck You Chrissy.
Benedick don’t know nothing bout sports. I hope Kennedy dies the most painful way possible. He owes that to America.
Yea, Rob, that could be. I consider myself a pretty heavy baseball fan of many years and I don’t think I ever heard Nuxhall, although I’ve heard others speak of him as an excellent broadcaster.
There was a reason Harry the K got the biggest ovation at the Bank at the end of the World Series parade, more so than any of the players. He also happened to be a genuinely nice guy, a real gentleman, a party animal (until recently) and very, very accessible. He was beloved every bit as much for the down to earth person as he was for his broadcasting feats.
I’ve heard much the same said about Jack Buck and Ernie Harwell, icons in their own markets. I hope you have as many pleasant memories of Nuxhall as I do of Kalas.
You forgot the in-the-dark part, Lamont. As in nightfall. Didn’t these guys take out the trash at night?
If Matthews hadn’t shaken his brain down his leg he’d know that Seal Snipers tend to be the best in the world, which is why they are the bulk of the Secret service sniper team.
Friggin’ tool!
“You forgot the in-the-dark part, Lamont.”
So I did. Well put. Just when it couldn’t be more precise, they pull it off at night.
Friggin’ awesome.
Bad night to be a Somali pirate I guess.
From Monday’s WSJ frontpage. (Sorry I don’t know how to create links.)
Stupid fucking journalists.
Great gadflies, kelly. Is that the first sentence? From the WSJ? Journalism is dead.
Donald, I know plenty ’bout sports. Indeed, I’m a lifelong, die-hard fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers, for example, whose legendary color commentator, Myron Cope, passed away last year after 35 years of calling games.
It was sad. We adored him. We paid tribute to him. We miss him. But I don’t recall a single Steeler fan insisting that his death was tragic or moaning and feeling sorry for ourselves because we’ll never see a Steeler game the same way again.
See? Similar. But minus the self-pity, which would seem to be a Philly thing.
Apparently, it’s a Pittsburgh thing, too.
Google: It’s Teh Awesomest!
ALL HEAR THIS***ALL HEAR THIS***
From here on all precision rounds placed on target will now be called, “a hail of bullets.”
That is all.
Carry on.
Hmm. Try going to “Edit” – then click “Find (on This Page)”. Type “tragic” into the little box, and click “Find Next”. What? No hits? How about “tragedy”? Still no hits.
Nice find.
He said he didn’t recall it happening, not that it didn’t happen. Plausible deniability.
He was a really good guy and he had in fact been sick – quite seriously ill – for years. He was just really really private about it.
The fact that he DIDN’T “pr” his illness and just soldiered on, game to game – we were lucky to have had him here. Just really lucky. I think we’re mostly sad cos we know how lucky we were, and our luck just ran out.
Hell of a way to start a season, particularly the season after you finally won a World Series. Just our luck, y’know?
Benedick – point taken on Stark’s improper use of “tragic.” Now, fuck off.
I think, now that I’m not at work anymore and am within arm’s reach of Jack Daniels and therefore able to chill the fuck out a bit, that maybe I’m just subconsciously girding myself for the Penguins-Flyers series.
Sorry for my prickitude this afternoon.
Rob:
I grew up listening to Marty and Joe. I think one of the reasons there wasn’t more national awareness of his death is that Marty and Joe were such a team–whereas Harry, Jack, Ernie are largely individual. But when Joe died, it was a TRAGEDY–and the people in Cincinnati and anyone within the reach of WLW were very sad.
Oh, and Benedick, in this, you Are-a-dick.
JD, I want you to know that I had the good taste not to quiz Ms. Chambers about my favorite scenes.
“Hey, you know that scene in Insatiable II when you’re on your back on the pool table with your head hanging over the side, and the guy is dripping hot wax on your tits? Did that hurt?”